This book somehow came across my reading pile about 5 years or more ago. I am finally getting around to it and now I know why I ended up not picking it up each time. There is nothing wrong with the book, it just isn't a book that appeals to me. The story moves too slow for me. The characters with their very messy lives comes across unappealing too.
The heart of this story for me is about dysfunctional families who rub each other the wrong way. There doesn't seem to be a single healthy relationship in here. Mostly it is because the characters cannot communicate with each other. They don't use their words. They think they know better and try to over compensate. Or they just flat out are miserable louses who cheat and make bad decisions. I loathe reading from the point of view of a person who consistently makes stubborn bad decisions because they are "rebelling". Or because they are trying to "find themselves". Whilst these characters are multi-dimensional, their shallowness at times depresses me.
Finley seems to be the focal point of this story. She is stepping into a role that her grandmother is vacating... a psychic who can see the dead. She steps in to help a private investigator her grandmother works with. There are no manuals to how to use Finley's gift. She does her best through her grandmother's support and the teachings of a mentor that I'm not sure if she's dead or alive. There are several incidents in this story where I'm not sure if it is a memory, an encounter with a ghost or a dream. After a while, I didn't care and just wanted to power through this book. By power, I mean I grit my teeth to the end to find out what happened and ensure I could check this long over due review off my list. I am never going to get those few hours back. I don't regret it, but I think of all the other books on my TBR that I could have been reading instead.
The ending of this story is one of hope and brings about much needed closure for each of the families involved. It does leave a possible next book with Finley now taking a more active role in solving cold cases. This mystery is recommended to reader who like psychic themes and broken families.
*provided by NetGalley
