Southern Bred and Dead by Angie Fox is by far the greatest book in this series! She has created some boiling points for the protagonist and her boyfriend. The ghost hunting business is taking a tole on her as a person, her love life, and creating a deeper bond with her gangster mob ghost. I love the humor Angie Fox pours into her books. Especially, in this read. The ghosts are just as stubborn, dangerous, and fun as in previous books. There is a bit of an emotional journey that Verity and mobster ghost share that makes me want to hug them both. Her ghost buddy wants to be known as a tough guy. However, there is a kind and soft side to him and that is revealed here. There's plenty more surprises in this book. Overall, I was thoroughly entertained and can't wait for more!

Love, love, love! One of my favorite series ever. I loved that we met some of Frankie's family. Also love lots of Lucy!

Our illustrious Southern ghost hunter is dealing with a few things this time around. Isn't she always, though? I mean, the lady stumbles over dead bodies with alarming regularity. Which makes sense given she's tapped into the ghostly world, but...you know what? It's her thing. She's embraced it. She's taken it and run with it and she's not about to give up her new calling.

Unfortunately, this particular calling is not sitting well with Ellis right now. He's having a bit of an emotional falling apart (it's tiny. You'll barely notice!) after the last few times Verity has thrown herself headlong into danger on behalf of her ghostly friends. Which means, he and Verity are sort of butting heads over things that have never been an issue with them before. The fact that it's Beau (BEAU!) who had to step in and give some much needed advice to get them back on track is at once horrifying and hilarious. I mean, BEAU.

Beyond the relationship woes, Verity is trying to unravel the mystery of a family friend's death, why there are so many ghosts hanging around the old church, AND trying to help Frankie find some familial closure. Plus, she's a world class avoider at times, so I'm sure you can imagine how all this leads to some tense times between her and Ellis.

Family drama on a couple of levels, ghosts and gangsters and speakeasies (OH MY!), and old secrets that don't want to stay buried. Sometimes literally. Verity and her crew (both those who are living and those who aren't) are always a fun ride and things just keep getting crazier for them.

Where did all Verity's "friends" come from? I've read all but one of the books  (Murder on the Sugarland Express) so I thought I was pretty up to date.  So, where did all these friends come from? One is explained by the old adage "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".  That's my only poke at this story which is quite involved, more "meaty" than some of the books in this series. 

This book had the most interesting of ghostly places that Verity has visited and I particularly like the scene in the movie theater with her unexpected companion.  In fact, I really liked how that character factored into this book and the role the person played between Verity and others (both human and ghostly).

We also find out who killed Frankie at last and it was ultimately satisfying.  As was how all the threads wove together by the end of the book.  Gotta give this one 4.5/5.0.  It's really hard for me to give a straight "amazing" review.  It takes a lot to wow me.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. 

BTW:  Really glad there is someone else out there who gives their pets middle names.  I gave two of my cats middle names over the years (usually spontaneously came out when I was scolding them) and my brother looked at me like I was crazy "You give your cats middle names???"

ghosts, law-enforcement, family-dynamics, friendship, pet, skunk, humor

Not an unbiased review because I absolutely love the real star of this series--Lucille Desiree Long AKA Lucy, Verity's pet skunk!
I'm not sure about stand-alone quality since I already know much from earlier books, but I think that it could do. This one reaches back into town history of the 20th century including one of the local churches. There's more about Verity's ghost mentor's personal life, her ex-boyfriend's good side, and her cop boyfriend's uncertainties. And lots of ghosts. And suspense. And plot twists and red herrings. all with both situational and verbal humor! Of course I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Moose Island Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I thought this was a cute cozy mystery,. I have just gotten more into the genre lately, and I could not resist the cover. I thought it was adorable. This is book nine in the series, hence I was a little lost at first. But it did not take away from how much I liked the book. 

Overall, this is such a fun book I was able to read it so quickly. I loved the adventures of Verity, Frankie, and her pet skunk, Lucy. So adorable. She has to solve the case of why Frankie was killed and what happened to the family friend. So much happening. 

Full review available on my blog.

Southern Bred and Dead is the latest delightful entry in this series. Verity has her hands full solving several mysteries at once. Frankie needs Verity’s help confronting his killer. Verity needs to find out how her grandmothers friend died and what was so important about the photograph she had. And to top it all she needs to help Ellis deal with the dangers she faces in her line of work or lose him.  This is a brilliantly twisted tale of murder and intrigue. I absolutely loved it!

This is great fun!  I always worry that supernatural mysteries, especially those with a Southern setting, will end up being disappointing copies of the wonderful Charlaine Harris series.  But this book can proudly stake its own claim to success  in the genre.  This book is funny and quirky.  I loved the characters and the dialogue was spot on.  The story wasn’t just an adjunct to all this - it was genuinely a strong mystery.

Another fun book in a fun series. Verity is at it again, trying to help her gangster roommate and solve the murder of a friend of her grandmother's. Seeing the ghosts, and especially trying to protect herself from the ones trying to kill her, makes for an active book. Didn't like the fight between her and her boyfriend though, and felt both were wrong. Oh well, the make up was worth it. Would highly recommend this book, series and author.

When Verity Long goes to a church fundraiser, she didn't plan on having her grandmother's best friend fall from the top of the church bell tower.  As the police investigate, Verity decides to lend a hand, aided by her ghostly sidekick Frankie.  Frankie has an agenda of his own.  He is determined to hunt down his brother Lou and confront him over the rumor that he was the one who killed Frankie in a mob hit.  Verity has to balance trying to help solve both cases while simultaneously avoiding stepping on her boyfriend Ellis's toes and impeding his investigation.

I love this series.  It is full of fun, quirky characters like Verity, Frankie "The German", and Verity's pet skunk,  Lucy.  This mystery is a light, quick read with a supernatural twist.

It was fun returning to this series, as I've read a few of the prior books. What is there not to love about the characters, such as Verity, Frankie, Ellis and infamous pet skunk? Although I found it a bit sad that Verity and Ellis argued a bit. It was nice learning a bit more about Frankie's background and his family, though.

The mystery and the plot was interesting too and well written. At least it kept me guessing for quite a while.

Overall, Southern Bred and Dead was an entertaining book in  a series I really like.

I enjoyed this book and learning more about Frankie and his family, however, it made the first part of this book move a bit slowly.  Additionally, while inevitable, Verity's fighting with Ellis was a bit sad.  I love this series and normally laugh through each book, but didn't do that this time.  Yes, there were bits of humor, but not as much or as funny as the earlier books.  Having said that, I really liked the ending and the way everything came together.

If you're a fan of the series, you will want to read this for all of the characters' histories that are revealed.  If you're new to the series, you would enjoy more if you've read the prior books.

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars, but rounding up to 4 stars, mostly because, while an entertaining story, it was missing most of the humor the series is known for.  I love this authors' work and she remains on my must read authors' list.

As a fan of this series, I found this story to be great. Verity is a fun character who always makes me laugh.
Helping ghosts is the one thing Verity truly enjoys, even though he boyfriend isn’t a fan.
In this story, truths are revealed and we learn what really caused her ghost, Frankie’s death.
While parts of this story were sad, the mystery was well done and I had to keep guessing until the end.

Three and a half
This is a tough one for me because as much as I enjoyed learning more about my favourite ghosts past and indeed his family I just didn't find this as gripping as previous books. I adore Verity with her ladylike southern manners and quirky pet Skunk but honestly found this book more than a little sad. I obviously won't say why but almost from the beginning to the grand revelations at the end it just made me feel so sorry for several characters. Plus Verity and her boyfriend Ellis are at loggerheads which has clearly been coming for a while but as a hopeless romantic who reads these books to get a warm fuzzy feeling I just felt a little let down.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I loved this book. It was great learning all about Frank's family and how he got killed. This series keeps getting better and better. I was glad to see that Verity's relationship with Ellis is ok. #SouthernBredandDead #NetGalley