Scan barcode
A review by kaje_harper
Ghosts in the Wind by Marguerite Labbe
4.0
This is an interesting take on ghosts and the paranormal world of the dead who fail to move on. Dean and Andrei open the book as a happy and committed couple. Dean owns a gym and hopes to open another. Andrei is a private detective with a special interest in finding missing kids. He has a bit of a hot-headed streak and is inclined to take risks in pursuance of his job, and Dean worries about him. But it's Dean who stops to help a young mother change a flat tire, and ends up murdered by her ex-husband, who kills her as well and takes off with the two small children.
This was an action-packed paranormal thriller. Andrei was a great character, a man who has always been able to see ghosts, but who also knows that ghosts who don't pass on when they should are in danger. When he realizes his dead partner has stayed as a ghost, Andrei is torn in very emotional ways. Touching Dean, being with him, carries risks for them both, and yet Andrei is far from ready to let Dean go. And most importantly, there are two missing kids who may not be safe in their violent father's hands.
Dean is also worried about those two kids, and is the sole witness to the crime and yet unable to testify. He has his own challenges, as he must first accept that he in fact is dead, and then decide what he needs to accomplish, and how long he dares stay. And whether he can bear to say goodbye to Andrei and leave him to go on alone.
There were some nice moments between the two men; the action plot was wild and suspenseful. The paranormal elements were interesting and vividly described, although there were times when the rules of the paranormal world seemed to change in support of the plot. Maybe I'm an optimist too, but I felt that the police investigation was a bit short-changed. Some failures by the police, didn't quite work for me. But Andrei's tendency to be the lone cowboy was well established, and covered his actions during the times he should have called for back-up. He and Dean were lovely together, and the secondary characters were good. And the author didn't take the easiest way out of the ending. Worth reading if you like action/mystery and paranormal elements.
This was an action-packed paranormal thriller. Andrei was a great character, a man who has always been able to see ghosts, but who also knows that ghosts who don't pass on when they should are in danger. When he realizes his dead partner has stayed as a ghost, Andrei is torn in very emotional ways. Touching Dean, being with him, carries risks for them both, and yet Andrei is far from ready to let Dean go. And most importantly, there are two missing kids who may not be safe in their violent father's hands.
Dean is also worried about those two kids, and is the sole witness to the crime and yet unable to testify. He has his own challenges, as he must first accept that he in fact is dead, and then decide what he needs to accomplish, and how long he dares stay. And whether he can bear to say goodbye to Andrei and leave him to go on alone.
There were some nice moments between the two men; the action plot was wild and suspenseful. The paranormal elements were interesting and vividly described, although there were times when the rules of the paranormal world seemed to change in support of the plot. Maybe I'm an optimist too, but I felt that the police investigation was a bit short-changed. Some failures by the police,