2017 Finalist New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards2018 B.R.A.G.Medallion HonoreeLacey Fitzpatrick is an ex-LAPD detective with an axe to grind. Tainted by the betrayal of her drug-dealing cop boyfriend, she’s on a quest to prove to herself–and the world–that she’s still a competent crime-fighter. In order to do that, she teams up with Sam Firecloud, a half-Navajo man who communicates with ghosts. … with ghosts. With his talent and her research, they tackle troubling unsolved crimes, but their latest case is the toughest. They have to solve a murder–where no record of a murder even exists. Can Sam glean enough information from the victim’s ghost to unravel the mystery, and can Lacey convince the authorities that the murder actually happened?
Ghost Walk (A Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud Mystery Book 1)
more
This is the first time in reading this author with I have a feeling it will not be the last. The characters and their story called to me. Love good ones with ghosts and Sam can communicate with them. Lacey is the other half of this crime solving team. The have hard ones they do but this one is a toughie because they have to show it actually happened a murder that is and also solve with help of the ghost. Intrigue is only half of it. We are wound up tight with these two. This author spins a good one and keeps you going until you have the answers.
Lacey Fitzpatrick is a detective at heart but left the LAPD force under a cloud due to her ex-boyfriend (also a LAPD cop) who was revealed to be involved in criminal activity. She’s in private security when she comes upon a crime scene and meets Sam Firecloud, a half-Navajo medium or psychic who has the ability to perceive spirits of the dead. They have complimentary skills. She’s quite a good detective with forensic knowledge and skills. He sees and feels what others cannot see and feel. They form a partnership and solve a crime. The mystery is good, the suspense even better, and perhaps best of all are the two characters with very different lives and approaches to crime. Lacey figures out that becoming a private detective is a good move for her, and that she and Sam work well together. Sam comes to realize that a partnership is good for him as well. This is a good read that could have been made better if we’d learned more about Navajo beliefs regarding the dead, and how that affects Sam’s perceptions.
Lacey Fitzpatrick is ex-LAPD. Resigned amid scandal – created by her fiancé, a corrupt cop – she has yet to come to terms with her new reality.
Sam Firecloud is Navajo. A Ghost Walker.
They meet when he is called in to work with what looks like a lead in a cold case that had been hers.
Bowersock is masterful at spinning a tale that captures you and holds you. There are several threads here, cases that emerge thanks to Firecloud, and that Lacey feels impelled to investigate. As the threads are pulled together with skill and precision, you see the partnership between these two solidify. And Lacey’s life seems suddenly to have purpose.
Ghost Walk is Book One of twenty-seven in the series thus far. I have a feeling that I will be reading them all!
Highly recommend.
The first novel in the Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud Mystery series, Ghost Walk is a well-written paranormal mystery. As they help police solve this cold case, together, they embark on another. Hired to help a distressed home owner, Sam, a half-Navajo medium, walks a house in which an angry spirit lets him know that he was murdered. Enter Lacey, ex-police detective turned PI. As they partner up, Sam helps the ghost find peace, Lacey will hunt down the murderer. It is a fun and entertaining novel with great characters and a good story. I look forward to following their adventures in the next novel.
Good Chemistry and A Fresh Idea
I liked it. Sam has a unique talent to communicate with ghosts and Lacey is a good sleuth. It is interesting to see how Lacey and Sam coordinate to solve cases. The appeal lies in the synergistic mix of sleuthing and occult.
Very well written, properly edited and I couldn’t find any obvious mistakes. A recommended read.
I received a free copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only but that did not affect my review.
4.5
Book source ~ Kindle Unlimited
Lacey Fitzpatrick works as a security guard for a self-storage place because her ex-boyfriend was a dirty Vice cop and ended up in prison. With all of the reporters hounding her at every crime scene she decided the best thing to do was to resign from the LAPD Homicide Unit. But man does she miss it. Then, 6 months after leaving, the newspaper reports that a girl’s body is discovered and it may be connected to a serial killer cold case she was obsessed with. So, she goes to the crime scene to see what’s up and finds out that Sam Firecloud was called into the home by the owner because of unusual paranormal activity. Sam is a medium and he’s the real deal. In order to catch the Fairfax Stalker Lacey needs to convince Sam to work with her on it.
I had this book on my list for a while and finally decided to give it a go after going on a blogging break. This is an easy book to read. It flows smoothly and the pages turn themselves. Not literally. But I was done before I realized it. Lacey is a flawed character who tries to fix herself. She doesn’t usually wallow in her mistakes. Sam is a half-Navajo medium who keeps pretty much to himself. He doesn’t flash his gift around. He just wants to release spirits that are trapped and live his life. He’s not real excited about helping Lacey, but they end up making a terrific team. There’s not much gore to this. Bad things happen to girls in this book (revealed by the spirits), but it’s not front and center. I really like Sam and Lacey. The end up meshing really well together and I enjoy the writing and Lacey’s research so much I grabbed the next book in the series. And the next. And the next. Well, I binged, so that should tell you how much I enjoy these books. I highly recommend this cozy paranormal mystery.
I received a free copy of this book. I have voluntarily left this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.
This book is the first in a series. It is a standalone book with no cliffhanger ending.
Lacey is a former LAPD homicide detective, who left under a cloud and now works in a tedious job as a security guard. Sam is a medium. Lacey and Sam meet when Lacey reads an article in the newspaper about police finding human skeletal remains possibly related to a case Lacey had been working on when she was a homicide detective, but which had remained unsolved. Sam is reserved and initially reticent to work with Lacey. Lacey is the exact opposite and Sam’s reserved demeanor drives her crazy. Lacey is a smart, conscientious, but a head-strong heroine. She doesn’t quite know what to make of Sam and his abilities – which I really enjoyed as it allowed Lacey [and the reader] learn as the mystery moved along. What I really liked is that Lacey and Sam are slowly developing a friendship — and, unlike so many mystery books, they do not immediately fall in bed with each other.
The story is well written and moves along at a good pace. The mystery which Sam and Lacey try to resolve is realistic and the culprit is believable and not out of left field. Overall, I really enjoyed the character development and the budding friendship between the main characters. I recommend this book and will continue with this series.
The narrator, Laura Wilson, did a very nice job. Some other reviewers mentioned hearing background noises or other distractions within the audio but I did not notice anything.
cozy-mystery, ghosts, paranormal, ex-cop, private-investigators, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation
Through due diligence on excop turning PI Lacey’s part and supernatural abilities on Sam’s part, one serial killer cold case and one unsuspected murder see the light of day. Convincing LAPD was a bit tricky, but the truth won out as did the victims. Well done! Looking forward to more!
Laura Wilson is a good narrator, but needs to better soundproof her recording closet.