Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Ghost of Retribution
SERIES: Medium Trouble
AUTHOR: Alice Winters
NARRATOR: Greg Boudreaux
LENGTH: 10 hour and 21 minutes
RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2024
BLURB:
Maddox
Rules for keeping Hiro nice and safe (who am I kidding?):
#1: Don’t go anywhere alone with ghosts
#2: Don’t leave your cell phone sitting ten feet away when you frequently run into trouble
#3: Don’t play dirty movies for my boss and blame it on the dead
#4: Have a peaceful and romantic vacation with no interruptions
Hiro
Maddox foolishly believes we need any rules when we’re simply going to Japan to meet my extended family. What’s he think we’re going to do? Run into a serial killer? Like that would ever happen (let’s pretend it didn’t happen recently).
We’re going to relax, see the sights, spend some romantic nights together, try not to fret about meeting my family… and stop someone from being killed. (Weirdly, that last one wasn’t on the itinerary.)
When my cousin’s boyfriend shows up surrounded by ghosts, I wonder whether it’s some kind of premonition of what’s to come. The ghosts are unresponsive and fixated on their target, making Maddox and me question if we’re working against the clock to save this man. The two of us discover a disturbing pattern of people haunted by ghosts who are predicting their imminent death, and we’re swept into danger. Far from home, we’re left relying on my found family of rather unique ghosts who would risk their lives for me… if they still had lives to risk.
Maybe Maddox needs to change his rules a bit.
REVIEW:
NOTE: This is the fourth book in this series and as such follows the events of the previous books. There are major spoilers for the those books and multiple references to previous events, so it’s best to read/listen in order.
Well we waited a while between books 3 and 4, but it was worth the wait! I don’t think I’ll ever tire of Hiro and Maddox. Also Keaton and Reggie and Natalie. Let’s not forget Nickolas, Patricia and now Nakamura. Honestly, nothing about this series is ever boring! The Japan vacation that leads to trouble is highly entertaining – although makes me wary of a long haul flights 😉
The mystery here was highly twisty-turny and I didn’t see the culprit coming if I’m honest. There is a lot of stuff going on here though and that mystery pushes Maddox to share his somewhat traumatic past with Hiro. Discovery the demons that Maddox has been keeping to himself was very enlightening. His continued vigilance in protecting Hiro is even more understandable after learning how much he has been left to take care of himself.
Meeting Hiro’s extended family is also incredibly enlightening. I loved watching Hiro balance his ghost interactions with his new family. The revelations were not completely unexpected but also shed a lot of light on Hiro’s parents and their interaction with him both before and after their deaths. There are new ghosts here who we may or may not see in future installments. I certainly hope we do!
One of the best things out of the Japan trip is new friend Nakamura Shion, a local police officer that Hiro and Maddox cross paths with as they are attempting to stop murders. Nakamura is highly skeptical of Hiro and his story. But not seeing is believing in this case 😉 Also he does need Hiro’s help as it turns out.
This audio is a total hoot! Greg Boudreaux’s talent at bringing all these disparate characters to life is critical to the success of this book for me. Reggie is his usual OTT self. Natalie and Keaton continue to provide both solace and consternation to Hiro. Maddox and Hiro’s relationship becomes even more solid as the work to protect each other. And other things 😉 This series never gets stale and I hope we can expect more shenanigans in their future. Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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