Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The Sleeping and the Dead: A Mystery (Jackie Lyons) [Hardcover]



I've finished "The Sleeping and the Dead" the 1st book in his Jackie Lyons series by Jeff Crook.

A new mystery series starring a Memphis crime scene photographer with ghostly assistance

Jackie Lyons is a former vice detective with the Memphis Police Department who is trying to put her life back together: her husband has sent divorce papers, she's broke, and needs a place to live. But a failed marriage, unemployment, and most recently a fire in her apartment aren’t her only problems: she also sees ghosts.

Since Jackie left the force, she’s been making ends meet by photographing crime scenes for her old friends on the force, and for the occasional collector. When she is called to the murder scene of the Playhouse Killer's latest victim, she starts seeing crime scenes from a different perspective-- her new camera captures images of ghosts. As her new camera brings her occasional ghostly visitors into sharper relief, it also points her toward clues the ex-detective in her won’t let go: did the man she has just started dating kill his wife? Is the Playhouse Killer someone she knows?

As Jackie works to separate natural from supernatural, friend from foe, and light from dark, the spirit world and her own difficult past become the only things she can depend on to solve the case.
About the Author

A technical writer/editor for the U.S. Postal Service, JEFF CROOK is also the author of several fantasy books in the Dragonlance series including Conundrum and The Thieves' Guild. He lives in Mississippi with his wife and two sons. This is his first mystery.

Product Details
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250000289
ISBN-13: 978-1250000286

My Review:


Jackie Lyons is a former Memphis Vice Detective who is trying to put her life back together (her husband has sent her divorce papers and she's in financial need and in need of a place.  Her biggest problem is she sees ghosts since childhood which she shares with her older brother and her drug addiction which helps her cope with difficult situations (who died at 15).

She is making ends meet by taking photographs at crime scenes for friends still on the force and for occasional collector.  She is called to the crime scene of the Playhouse Killer and she starts seeing the scenes in a different perspective - her camera captures the images of ghosts.

Her sponsor is Sargent Adam McPeak the officer in charge of the Playhouse murder investigation.  Jackie is aware of her compromised situation of selling some crime scene photos to a key player in the investigation Michi Mori a old pervert who has a houseful of nubile young men at his disposal.  She is also dating a man who may or may not have killed his wife.

This was a thrilling murder mystery with a truly disturbing villain, a flawed female character that isn't perfect in any way, very graphic crime scenes with lots of twists and turns and a cat and mouse game that will either in death or victory.

4/5

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