Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: The Ghost in the Water
SERIES: Samuel Dexter #2
AUTHOR: Faith Gibson
PUBLISHER: Bramblerose Press
RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2018
LENGTH: 284 pages
BLURB:
A Marine who can’t remember. A detective who wants him to forget. It’ll take them both to catch a serial killer.
As Samuel Dexter struggles to get past the explosion that changed his life, his relationship with his boyfriend, Orlando, is tested. Learning the ropes as both a PI and medium, Sam’s skills are put to the test when he and his mentor search for a missing young woman with mental issues.
In Orlando Shaw’s years as a detective, he’s never come up against a serial killer. Until now. The killer is smart, leaving only the most elusive clues behind. As the killer continues to evade capture, Orlando turns to the one person who has connections beyond his reach – his lover, Sam.
While Sam and Orlando navigate the rough waters of their relationship, their professional lives intersect, and they must work together before the killer strikes again.
REVIEW:
I devoured this book in an afternoon. If possible I loved this book even more than the first one. I love the people – dead and alive, I love the pacing and the plot and it had a good mystery to boot. The Ghost in the Water picks up right after The Ghost in the Mirror ended, so it’s a good idea to start this series from the beginning.
Dexter is working hard on getting his PI license, and sometimes a case requires him to go outside his comfort zone. Some cases more than others. Jill, his friend and mentor has taken on a missing persons case the local police has been ignoring. The case takes on many twists and turns, and the young woman they are looking for is anything but what she seems. I definitely enjoyed trying to figure out the mysteries, trying to find some logic behind some seemingly random murders and a missing woman. By the end of it, when it was all wrapped up I still had questions, but that was fitting to the theme of the book. The mind holds so many secrets, and some things won’t ever make sense but to that one person, and sometimes not even that. Then again, I’m not so sure I’d want to know all the answers and details either. At times not knowing for sure can be a blessing in disguise. All in all, Faith Gibson created an engaging mystery with many twists and turns.
As for Dex and Orlando, their relationship had some rough patches, but for the most part they were very lovey dove and hot and heavy. Dex was naturally still dealing with the aftermath from the explosion and his memory loss and trying to make sense of it all. At the same time Orlando was trying to give Dex the time and space he needed, and doing his best to not become jealous over a ghost. For the most part I felt their relationship was easy and mostly friction free. Then again, they were still in the honeymoon-phase of their relationship, so I guess friction might show up sometime later down the line. They did take some major steps forward, or maybe that’s leaps, anyway they are speeding forward and making up for lost time.
There are many noteworthy secondary characters that I could mention, but there’s one that has a special place in my heart. I’ve fallen in love with Cindy just as much as with Dex and Orlando, quite possibly even more so. There were so many times I caught myself smiling at her antics, her dancing and singing – riding Chester. I too wished for her to be able to speak and communicate more with the living. I loved to see her happy, dancing or laughing with Zayden, or finding peace with Henry the grandfatherly ghost. I’m glad she’s found some peace in her new family, she deserves it after all this time wandering alone.
I saw that Ms Gibson is planning for a third and final book in this series, and I for one can’t wait to get back to everyone again.
I highly recommend this series for anyone enjoying a good paranormal mystery.
RATING: 
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