Not Quite True by Lyla Payne (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Mistletoe and Mr. Right
Published by Trisha Leigh Ziegenhorn on April 17th 2015
Genres: Fiction, Ghost, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Women Sleuths
Pages: 365
Format: ARC
With Mayor Beau accused of abuse of power and facing federal indictment, a relentless curse after her unborn nephew, and a moody, uncommunicative spirit in her room, reluctant ghost-helper Graciela Harper figures she’s got enough on her plate.The universe, as usual, figures otherwise. On a girls trip to Charleston that’s meant to give Beau some space and cheer up her cousin, Amelia, a second ghost follows Gracie back to Heron Creek.As she digs into the mystery behind the Whistling Doctor of Dueler’s Alley, things at home go from bad to worse. Leo’s not talking to her, Amelia’s depression is putting her health at risk, and Beau…well, maybe he’s not as innocent as Gracie always believed.All that takes a back seat when Gracie’s run off the road on her way back from a research trip, forcing her to face the possibility that her ghost’s secrets might not be about harmless lost love after all. In fact, he’s been the only person aware of certain documents for over two hundred years, and if Gracie helps unearth them she might find herself trapped underground…permanently.
Here I am telling you that if you haven’t read any Lyla Payne books you absolutely must, and book 3 in her Lowcountry mystery series is just one more reason why.
With a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of book 2, we jump right back into the thick of Gracie’s life. Her boyfriend is being accused of abuse of power and is facing an uncertain future, and she has a spirit that’s been hanging around, not giving her much in the way of clues as to why he’s here. Add to that, her cousin Amelia’s depression, and she has a full plate.
A girl’s trip to Charleston and a ghost tour of all things, brings the “Whistling Doctor of Duelers Alley” to her attention and is the main mystery of this installment. Finding out the doctor’s history and why he still haunts the area takes Gracie’s mind off of all her other troubles and gives her mind something to figure out, but this mystery brings along its own kind of trouble and of course, she can’t seem to let Beau’s case run its course… she’s determined to prove that he’s not the criminal that he’s being made out to be.
My favorite part of these books is the history and that’s a credit to Payne, because I’m not big on history if I’m being honest! When I finish one, I have the urge to head South and hit up all the ghost tours in these amazing cities though, I can’t help being intrigued! It’s so fascinating, and as I finished up the story, I found myself googling the Whistling Doctor just to learn more! Part of the mystery in these books is Gracie finding out just exactly what these ghosts need from her, and with Dr. Ladd, it may end up being a lot more dangerous than she ever expected and for reasons no one would ever have expected!
Payne does relationships amazingly well and I’ve loved the development of the relationships in this series and how they’ve progressed. Not just her relationship with Beau, even though that’s my favorite… I mean he’s a swoony, southern mayor!! But I’m also talking about the relationships with the lovely secondary characters. From her cousin Amelia, to her friend Leo, to her ex Will and her friend Mel… and yes, some questionable moonshiners, everyone is unique and layered and intriguing and I find myself waiting impatiently for more about each of them.
There is an over-arching storyline that we get a little bit more progression in, though I think I would have liked to see a bit more. Gracie and her family are dealing with a curse and the strange Mrs. LaBadie and I think if I had any complaint, it would be that that kind of fell to the wayside and we didn’t really move that part of the story ahead much.
If you’re a fan of mystery and suspense… if you love a story that incorporates true history and will have you dying to learn more, then I can’t recommend this series more. Payne knows her stuff and she writes an amazing story that will have you glued to the pages. Definitely grab a glass of sweet tea and this book, then settle in for a fun, action-filled mystery-romance-ghost story.
Thank you to the author for providing an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
With a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of book 2, we jump right back into the thick of Gracie’s life. Her boyfriend is being accused of abuse of power and is facing an uncertain future, and she has a spirit that’s been hanging around, not giving her much in the way of clues as to why he’s here. Add to that, her cousin Amelia’s depression, and she has a full plate.
A girl’s trip to Charleston and a ghost tour of all things, brings the “Whistling Doctor of Duelers Alley” to her attention and is the main mystery of this installment. Finding out the doctor’s history and why he still haunts the area takes Gracie’s mind off of all her other troubles and gives her mind something to figure out, but this mystery brings along its own kind of trouble and of course, she can’t seem to let Beau’s case run its course… she’s determined to prove that he’s not the criminal that he’s being made out to be.
My favorite part of these books is the history and that’s a credit to Payne, because I’m not big on history if I’m being honest! When I finish one, I have the urge to head South and hit up all the ghost tours in these amazing cities though, I can’t help being intrigued! It’s so fascinating, and as I finished up the story, I found myself googling the Whistling Doctor just to learn more! Part of the mystery in these books is Gracie finding out just exactly what these ghosts need from her, and with Dr. Ladd, it may end up being a lot more dangerous than she ever expected and for reasons no one would ever have expected!
Payne does relationships amazingly well and I’ve loved the development of the relationships in this series and how they’ve progressed. Not just her relationship with Beau, even though that’s my favorite… I mean he’s a swoony, southern mayor!! But I’m also talking about the relationships with the lovely secondary characters. From her cousin Amelia, to her friend Leo, to her ex Will and her friend Mel… and yes, some questionable moonshiners, everyone is unique and layered and intriguing and I find myself waiting impatiently for more about each of them.
There is an over-arching storyline that we get a little bit more progression in, though I think I would have liked to see a bit more. Gracie and her family are dealing with a curse and the strange Mrs. LaBadie and I think if I had any complaint, it would be that that kind of fell to the wayside and we didn’t really move that part of the story ahead much.
If you’re a fan of mystery and suspense… if you love a story that incorporates true history and will have you dying to learn more, then I can’t recommend this series more. Payne knows her stuff and she writes an amazing story that will have you glued to the pages. Definitely grab a glass of sweet tea and this book, then settle in for a fun, action-filled mystery-romance-ghost story.
Thank you to the author for providing an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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