A Ghostly Undertaking by Tonya Knappes is 2015 Witness Impulse publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book in the Ghostly Southern Mysteries series. I love ghost stories and cozy mysteries so I figured this one would be a perfect match for me. I loved the set up- Sleepy Hollow, Kentucky, the Eternal Slumber Funeral Home, a young woman as a the funeral director, Emma Lee Raines, a murder, a ghost and maybe a hint of romance. When the recently departed Ruthie informs Emma she did NOT fall down the stairs, but was pushed, she demands Emma find out whodunit so Ruthie can pass on to her just rewards. It is in Emma's best interest to do so since Ruthie and Emma's grandmother had a long running feud. Emma is worried her grandmother could be a suspect. Emma teams up with the local sheriff, Jack Ross, a man she nearly kissed once while still in high school, and who knows about her “gift”, to solve the mystery. I enjoyed this off beat and kind of usual cozy mystery. I loved the small town humor , where everyone knows everything you did five minutes after you did it. The whodunit part kept me guessing all the way to the end and I will confess, I never even suspected who the killer was. Emma was a bit hard to figure out. She is perhaps a little naïve or was too sheltered or something. She is a quirky with some apparent issues which I never really understood... something called the funeral traumas, which she obtained from a bump on the head. She is evidently not much of a drinker and was at times too immature for her age and suffers from a lack of confidence. I do believe the local sheriff might be able to help her out with some of these issues. Other than some very mild violence and language this is a clean, PG rated book, and would appeal to all cozy mystery lovers. This would be a great book to curl up by the fire with. 4 stars As I was reading this book I interviewed a funeral director for an article I was writing for a newspaper. I couldn't resist asking her if she had met any ghosts like the ghost the funeral director in this book had bothering her. The funeral director in my interview did have a few tales to tell me about spirits that perhaps were wandering in the funeral home.This book tweaked my imagination. The characters were interesting and I always say -why not- when encountering ghosts in books. Some might call it fantasy but do we ignore those little whispers around us?The mystery kept me guessing, the characters and the writing kept me reading, making this an enjoyable fun read. Thank you.
What do You think about A Ghostly Undertaking (2013)?
This was a quick, fun read with an obvious plot and likeable enough characters.
—Sarah
This was a light, easy to read book. I really enjoyed it.
—darklord957
