A USA TODAY Bestseller!From New York Times bestselling author Angie Fox, the first book in the new Southern Ghost Hunter mysteriesOne simple mistake… accidentally traps a ghost on her property, she’s saddled with more than a supernatural sidekick—she gains the ability see spirits. It leads to an offer she can’t refuse from the town’s bad boy, the brother of her ex and the last man she should ever partner with.
Ellis Wydell is in possession of a stunning historic property haunted by some of Sugarland Tennessee’s finest former citizens. Only some of them are growing restless—and destructive. He hires Verity to put an end to the disturbances. But soon, Verity learns there’s more to the mysterious estate than floating specters, secret passageways, and hidden rooms.
There’s a modern day mystery afoot, one that hinges on a decades-old murder. Verity isn’t above questioning the living, or the dead. But can she discover the truth before the killer finds her?
Also by Angie Fox:
THE SOUTHERN GHOST HUNTER / SOUTHERN SPIRITS™ MYSTERIES
Southern Spirits
A Ghostly Gift (short story)
The Skeleton in the Closet
Ghost of a Chance (short story)
The Haunted Heist
Deader Homes and Gardens
Dog Gone Ghost (short story)
Sweet Tea and Spirits
Murder on the Sugarland Express
Pecan Pies and Dead Guys
BIKER WITCHES SERIES:
The Accidental Demon Slayer
The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers
A Tale of Two Demon Slayers
The Last of the Demon Slayers
I Brake for Biker Witches (short story)
My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding
Beverly Hills Demon Slayer
Night of the Living Demon Slayer
Date with a Demon Slayer (short story)
What to Expect When Your Demon Slayer is Expecting
more
Wonderful world of witches and an enticing little town. Nice set up for consecutive books.
DELIGHTFULLY ENTERTAINING!!!
Title: Southern Spirits
Series: Southern Ghost Hunters Mysteries
Designation: Book 1 of Series, Full-Length Standalone, NO Cliffhanger #cozymystery #sweetromance #humor #paranormal
Author: Angie Fox
My Rating: FIVE DELIGHTFULLY ENTERTAINING STARS*****
I adore cozy mysteries, love gripping suspense, and completely addicted to anything supernatural, but throw in a little sweet romance and I’m totally smitten! Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to find the perfect combination of these four elements in one book, but thankfully I’ve found an author who brilliantly combines them all into a fabulously entertaining story. Angie Fox has delighted her readers yet again with her newest brainchild, the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries Series, and in my humble opinion, her best work to date. This paranormal cozy mystery has a little of everything, for diehard cozy conneisseurs as well as fans of the supernatural. But just a word of warning…once you start, you’ll be hooked! I became a diehard Angie Fox fan seven years ago after reading The Accidental Demon Slayer, the outrageously hilarious first release in Fox’s best-selling Biker Witches Mystery Series, another fabulous collection I highly recommend, especially if you love your mystery generously laced with paranormal elements, side-splitting humor, and dreamy romance. But just a quick heads up – there’s a lot more sass, shenanigans, and x-rated romance. In Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries, the emphasis is on the mystery and not the romance, and any canoodling is behind closed doors. But I digress, so let’s talk about this book. Southern Spirits is imaginative, cute, laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, and so heartwarming. The narrative is beautifully written in the first-person with a single perspective from the heroine, Verity Long. The dialogue is smart, snappy, well-executed, at times hilarious, and flows effortlessly. There’s so much I truly love about this collection, but it’s the cast of endearing and instantly engaging characters who completely steal the show. They literally grab your attention, engage your imagination, and completely capture your heart! Verity Long and her cast of quirky cohorts carry this entire series and have become my favorites in the cozy mystery genre. Fox skillfully combines every single one of these elements to craft a deliciously cute and delightfully entertaining whodunit adventure filled to the brim with danger, drama, humor, ghosts, suspense, mystery, and plot twists, with even a little heartbreaking angst and heartwarming romance.
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! It’s one of my all-time favorite cozy mysteries to date! I adore the Southern Ghost Hunters World and the fictional town of Sugarland, Tennessee as well as the charming cast of characters Fox has created for this series. Southern Belle Verity Long is an absolute delight and Ellis Wydell is one hunk of burning love! lol… And never fear, Verity’s gangster ghost housemate, Frankie Winkelmann aka Frankie the German, from the flapper era is around to cause all kinds of trouble and Lucy, the pet skunk, is ever-present for a little heartwarming comic relief. And the supporting characters will also steal your heart, and that includes the spirits, specters, spooks, and villains. And yes, I’m including you, Virginia and Beau Wydell! I giggled, snorted, snuffled, sniffled, and fumed through every book. Would I recommend it? You bet and I am, for ages twelve to a hundred and twelve! Angie Fox is a master of her craft and never fails to deliver a wonderfully entertaining whodunit, layered with thrills, chills, and ghostly encounters, expertly infusing events from both past and present to create a mystery within a mystery. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! Just as soon as she releases her next book! Was I entertained? Completely and totally entertained! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
Premise for the series:
Although the last few months have been difficult for Verity Long, it’s also been surprisingly hectic for the beautiful former aspiring graphic designer from Sugarland Tennessee. Breaking off your engagement, having to sell everything you own, and searching for a job is enough to keep anyone busy. Unfortunately, the one thing it hasn’t been is profitable. Verity has gained some recognition, or I should say notoriety, as Sugarland’s resident runaway bride and now, novice ghosthunter. But what choice did she have? She lost absolutely everything after breaking off her engagement with her lying, cheating, now ex-fiance Beau Wydell, youngest and favorite son of wealthy, influential town aristocrat Virginia Wydell. And if a miracle doesn’t suddenly appear in the form of $20,000, she’s also going to lose the only thing that matters to her, the home she inherited from her grandmother. Verity’s graphic design services had once been in demand until her almost mother-in-law used her influence to ruin her good name and her business. Had it been left up to the vengeful Virginia Wydell and her lying, two-timing son Beau, Verity would have been tarred, feathered, and run out of town on a rail. Now it seems no one in Sugarland needs her services, so she’s embarked on a new career and a whole new business…as a ghost hunter. It seems there’s a whole lot happening on the Sugarland ghostly plane that Verity never knew existed – until now. She may not know exactly what she’s doing but hey, it’s a paying gig, so don’t judge! And that’s not the only change in her life. She’s kinda-sorta-maybe attracted to handsome Deputy Sheriff Ellis Wydell, who is also kinda-sorta-maybe sweet on Verity too! Yes, his last name is Wydell and yes, Ellis and Beau are related – they’re brothers! Huh? Oh yes, brothers! As you can imagine, the couple is trying to keep things on the down-low, for now, but you know how it is in a small town. Even with Ellis sneaking in Verity’s back door, secrets always find a way of making themselves known. I don’t think this new development will be well received by Virginia or Beau Wydell. And let’s not forget Verity’s sweet little pet skunk Lucy and her very dead, black and white gangster ghost housemate, Franklin Rudolph Winkelmann aka Frankie the German. Yup, I said ghost. Frankie became trapped on Verity’s property when she unknowingly dumped his ashes onto the roots of her grandmother’s rose bushes from a vase she received as a gift from Beau. How was she to know that the ugly vase was actually an urn? But in her defense, she had no idea what the ashes were and what would happen. So until she can figure out a way to free Frankie, she’s stuck with the ghostly, not-so-nice, wise-guy criminal from the flapper era. Verity’s life certainly wasn’t perfect but on the bright side, she does still have her pet skunk Lucy, her grandmother’s house (for now), a maybe-kinda-secret boyfriend, and on occasion Frankie does actually lend her, albeit begrudgingly, some of his power so she can see all those otherworldly things that go bump in the night. It seems Verity’s life has become a lot more interesting…and dangerous. But who better to protect her on her first official case than Deputy Ellis Wydell himself. After all, he’s her first paying client who needs help with a troublesome spirit. What’s a spunky, independent, never-quit, born and bred Southern Belle to do? What any good southern girl worth her salt would do, of course! When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade! Verity’s determined to make a new life for herself and embark on a new career – as a ghosthunter! To heck with all the critics, nonbelievers, naysayers, and Wydells! And remember, we, Southern Belles, never let our enemies see us sweat! You go, Verity! lol… Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
Just enjoyed it
fun to read
Wonderfully entertaining read! An enjoyable afternoon read!
I love this series. It’s funny and scary, a great combo.
I’ve had this sitting in my pile to read and am sorry that I didn’t get to it sooner. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. You know that you are in for a fun read when the main character has a pet skun, and a ghost from the 1920’s. Between the mystery and the paranormal the story kept a steady pace. I will definitely continue on with this series.
Verity Long has been having a rough time of it lately. When her cheater of a fiancé tried to force himself on her younger sister the night before the wedding, she called the whole thing off. But rather than take it like a man, Beau went ahead with the wedding to appear as if he were the victim, stood up at the altar, before the entire town. The town, Sugarland, Tennessee, took his side and his mother sued Verity for the wedding expenses (even the crazy extras that the mother-in-law-to-be had insisted on!) After having sold off all her possessions, Verity’s still $20,000 in debt, and is having to put her beloved family home on the market as well. But then Frankie, the ghost of a long-dead, local gangster, shows up.
Due to humorous circumstances, Frankie is released from his final resting place (an unusual urn that no one would buy during the estate sale), and is now “attached” to Verity and her family home’s property. Together, the two decide they must find a way to get the money to prevent the sale of the family home and figure out how to unstick Frankie from the property.
This is the first book in the “Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries” series by Angie Fox. The characters are fun and witty, the dialogue snappy, and the action with all its twists and turns and surprises never stops. Verity is slowly working her way out of the hurt-filled place Beau left her with the help of her best friend, Lauralee, her pet skunk (yes, skunk), Lucy, her sister, Melody, Frankie, and the unexpected relationship blossoming between her and Beau’s black-sheep brother, Ellis. Just a delightful quick read!
Southern Spirits is a fun and, in my opinion, an adorable book! The characters were enjoyable, the plot was good, and it moved along at a good pace. It never seemed to drag or whoosh by at top speed. Angie Fox did a great job with the ghosts and their interactions with Verity. They never seemed ridiculous or cartoony. The interactions felt natural and like they belonged in the real world, despite a number of them including ghosts.
I would definitely recommend Southern Spirits. Once I started reading I didn’t want to stop. I’m not exaggerating how much I enjoyed this book; I finished it in one day! I even lost track of time while reading it. I cannot wait to start the next book.
Verity is trying to save her family home after she leaves a rich man from town man at the alter. He now has it out for her and makes her pay for the wedding. He caused her to leave him, but held her sister’s job over her head to keep her quiet as he turned the whole town against her. Verity finds an old urn and meets her first ghost, Frankie. Frankie helps her find a ghost at her ex’s brother, Ellis’s, haunted property. I like the characters and the ghosts.
Loved this and book4 Deader Homes and Gardens I bought the rest of the series! ALL 5star stories I highly recommend!
Fun, entertainingly, easy summer read
What a fun start to the Southern Ghost Hunter Mystery series. I’ve been reading a lot of witch cozies, so it was nice to switch it up a bit, and this was just what I needed. When I read that the main character’s name was Verity, I was excited, because another series that I love, The InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire, also has this as one of the main character’s names.
Angie Fox does a wonderful job making a small Southern town come alive. Since it’s often true that everyone knows everyone else’s business in a town like this, I completely sympathized with Verity having to go through all her problems. Even though this book was published four years ago, it’s very on topic with the #MeToo Movement.
The characters are very well fleshed out for a first book in a series, and I’m excited to get to know them even more. Fox must have done a lot of research to have the 1920’s gangster, Frankie, feel so authentic. I loved reading the dialect of that era.
And having a sister that works in a library, came in very handy in this book, and I’m sure will continue to do so in future books. I absolutely love that the pet in this book is, Lucy, a skunk. It’s very original since so many cozies have cats or dogs.
As always, I have to mention the romance in the cozy. This one was great, since it didn’t annoy me with a lot of should I get together with him or not. Verity was mainly focused on solving the mystery, and not on getting lucky.
Speaking of the mystery, it was done very well. I didn’t solve it until very close to the end. So for me, that’s always an added bonus to the book. Looking forward to the next book in this series, The Skeleton in the Closet.
I love ghost stories! Great read
I enjoyed this book, far more than I expected.
This was a fun, light read. I loved the characters and the humor along with a little mystery.
This book kept me turning the pages.
Awesome reading! Loved this whole series what a hoot! gotta love Frankie the gangster ghost..cannot say enough about how much i love this series
Great read.
Pretty good story! Definitely original which was nice.