Say you're thinking about starting the Lucas Rathbone Mysteries, but aren't quite convinced yet.
Or, maybe you've heard about my upcoming book, The Ghost Who Wasn't Dead, and want to get the low-down on the other three books in the series so far before deciding whether or not it's for you.
Or, maybe you've read the other three books and need your memory jogging before diving into book 4!
Whatever your reason for being here, I completely understand! I don't like wasting my time and money on a series I'm not sure I'll click with either, and I can't tell you how often I've had to flip back to a previous book in a series before picking up the latest installment.
Which is why I thought it might be handy to give you a quick, spoiler-free overview of each book in the series so far - starting, naturally, with book one...
Oh boy, so this beaut is book one of the series, which means you should definitely start here.
Or not, I guess, as the other books can be read standalone if you really want to (although they're all linked, so you'll get more out of them if you start at the beginning and work your way through. Juuuust saying.)
The Problem With Dead People is where you'll first meet reluctant psychic sleuth Lucas Rathbone and his sweetheart, Clara Jenkins, in a newspaper office in 1920s England.
That's right, my characters have to sing for their suppers - or at least, tap out a report occasionally - so if you're hoping for glitz and glamour and country houses and butlers names Perkins, I'm afraid you're mostly out of luck (though I can't resist getting a little of the 1920s fashion in there occasionally, so you're not totally deprived of pretty dresses and sparkles if that's your thing)
But you know what? The 1920s was a fascinating era even without all the Downton Abbey-style stuff, with the fallout from WW1, and the social shifts that brought, and just how different the world was a hundred years ago, and...
(I'm a huge history nerd, in case you can't tell!)
And proud
And anyway, regular people lead just as interesting lives as those cloistered away in manor houses. Why should rich people have all the fun solving murders?
In The Problem With Dead People, you'll follow Lucas and Clara through five mini mysteries where they have to puzzle out the murders of an ex gangster, a glamorous jazz singer, the parents of an old school friend, the victims of a killer conman, and three dozen ghosts with no idea why they're still lingering in the hospital they died in.
Phew, that's a lot of murders! It's going to give your brain a workout, that's for sure - but can you solve the mysteries before our dynamic duo? That's the question.
Sherlock it up, baby
Oh, and remember when I said all books in the series are linked?
Well, in the background of the five mysteries that form The Problem With Dead People, a larger story is building.
Clara's friend, coworker, and not-so-secret admirer, Tommy Kibourne, seems to be scheming.
Or is he? The kind-hearted Miss Jenkins is convinced it's just Lucas's jealous imagination conjouring up devlish plots, but what if his instincts are right...?
Anyway, in sum, The Problem With Dead People is a fun little collection of stories that'll take you back in time to 1920s England. There's a little romance, a lot of murder, mysteries that'll keep you guessing all the way through - oh, and there might even be a laugh or two along the way.
What can I say? I'm hilarious.
Well, at least I make myself laugh.
Here's the full blurb to hopefully really whet your appetite for the book ;)
Usually, the ghosts Lucas Rathbone wishes he couldn't see aren't so bad. Though usually, they don't claim a gang of cut-throat criminals murdered them. He should probably walk away. No. He should definitely walk away. But when Lucas finds testosterone where his common sense should be, he instead decides to show the girl he's been secretly in love with since… well, forever, just how brave he is. Which works better than he could have hoped — except he and Clara are now on the gang's hit list. As he fights to keep himself and the woman he adores alive, Lucas must deal with an impossibly handsome love rival, interfering mothers, disapproving brothers, and yet more spirits vying for his attention. Because the real problem with dead people is there's always more of them. And this time, helping them might get him killed, too.
***
The Problem With Dead People is the first of The Lucas Rathbone Mysteries, a paranormal historical murder mystery series set in 1920s England, making it a great choice for fans of Agatha Christie, Miss Fisher's Murder Mystery, and The Thursday Murder Club. Pick up your copy now to see if Lucas can help restless spirits find peace, and avoid joining them in the afterlife.
Thanks for reading! Come back tomorrow for a swift romp through book two in the series :)
Love, Saff xx
P.P.S. Apologies to the rest of the world for not including your links, but it'd look very messy very fast if i put everyones links in, and I haven't worked out how to do that automagically for you yet :( However, if you just change the ".com" part to whatever your usual site is (e.g. .co.uk), it should take you to the right page :)