Review: Paging the Dead (Family History Mystery) by Brynn Bonner

Series: A Family History Mystery
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (March 12, 2013)
ISBN: 9781451661866
Source: Publisher

Sophreena McClure and her business partner, Esme Sabatier, make it their business to research the family history and genealogy of their clients. Esme is a gifted medium and often uses her “talent” to get answers to questions they have been unable to locate in their research. Their newest client, Dorothy Pritchett Porter, is thrilled at all the information they have uncovered about her family, one of the town’s most prestigious families. Dorothy is looking forward to displaying the scrapbooks Soph and Esme have created at Founder’s Day. Unfortunately, Dorothy won’t get a chance to participate in Founder’s Day, for a few hours after meeting with Soph and Esme, she is found dead, strangled with her family pearls.

As Soph and Esme were two of the last people seen with Dorothy, they quickly become prime suspects in her murder. Using their investigative skills, and the help of their scrapbooking club, they use their connections with both the living and the dead to narrow down the potential suspects in Dorothy’s family. They uncover a multitude of skeletons in the family closet and, in a such a small town, there can only be so many suspects. Soph and Esme work desperately to uncover the truth, before they, too, become victims.

Paging the Dead is a quintessential cozy: light, funny, and incredibly engrossing. Fans of genealogy are certain to be rewarded by this incredibly witty series. I adored the characters and their sense of humor. I was particularly taken by Esme and her talent of conversing with the dead. It certainly put a unique spin on the investigation!

Those new to this series will be thrilled to learn that the second book has already been published:Death in Reel Time. (Both books will are included in the Cozy Mystery giveaway! All you have to do to enter is link up a cozy mystery post or review!) New to this series myself, I can’t wait to dive in to the second book!

Bottom line: looking for a light, engaging cozy? Paging the Dead (and the Family History Mystery series) is a must read! Highly recommended!