A lighthearted paranormal cozy mystery
Deceased and Desist by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson is the 5th novel in A Chantilly Adair Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series. I recommend reading the series in order so that you can get to know the characters. However, Deceased and Desist can be read as a standalone. I did find myself a little lost in the first chapter, but then Chantilly introduced herself and her friends. I wish I had known this was the fifth book in the series when I acquired it. There is a cast of quirky, fun characters who live in a cozy small town. Chantilly has good friends with whom she spends time chatting, laughing, and teasing. She is a divorced mother with a teenage son. Chantilly has the ability to see and speak with spirits. An old high school bully is dead and needs Chantillyâ��s help. He knows he was murdered, but the police are ruling his death accidental. He needs Chantillyâ��s help in finding out who killed him and convincing Chantillyâ��s boyfriend that his death was a murder. Chantilly agrees to help the victim. This was a fun whodunit. It is a simple mystery that can be solved early in the book (it was obvious). There was a good wrap up at the end. I wish, though, that the mystery had been the focus of the story. More time is devoted is chatting with friends at the caf�©, doing her job at the Castleberry Historical Society, spending time with her son and boyfriend, and helping ghosts cross over than the whodunit. The people in Castleberry sure do love to gossip and joke (I did not get the majority of the jokes). I liked the sweet ending. I especially appreciated that there was no foul language in the book. Deceased and Desist is a lighthearted paranormal mystery with fun friends, good gossip, flavorsome food, single-minded spirits, rampant rumors, teenage troubles, and beastly bullies.