This was not my usual choice of read but I thought I would try something different. I am glad I did as I enjoyed reading it. It was easy to get into and not so easy to put down. Once I started it I finished it within 24 hours, an easy read. It wasn’t the usual thriller/suspense type story as it featured the paranormal but did so in a non-cheesy way. The story was believable (more so if you believe in that kind of thing) and easy to follow, not an easy thing to do with the subject matter I would have thought.

Jayne was easy to relate to and her character was really brought to life, it felt like I was a detective and part of her team. She was down to earth and really likeable. I enjoyed getting to know the other characters too and felt included in the story. Sympathy was felt for the family that first approaches Jayne and then with the second one that becomes involved in the story. It is written so well that you forget some people don’t believe in the paranormal. It evoked mixed feelings of fear, upset and sympathy not to mention frustration at Jayne and the potential for romantic encounters.

It wasn’t quite what I was expecting from the story overall and I didn’t see the twist at the end or the ending itself. I just wasn’t able to guess it and kind of wish the ending had been a bit different, although that is perhaps the romantic in me. While I enjoyed the read as something different I wasn’t actually scared to turn the light out and go to sleep at night. I think there could have perhaps been a little more atmosphere to it. None the less I enjoyed reading it for a change.

Set in Liverpool about a female private eye working cases in the dark side of the city. She's given a new case where some parents insist their daughter was pushed through a window by a ghost. It is officially classed a suicide.
Feeling a bit out of her depth investigating the world of ghosts she reaches out for help and they investigate deeper. It is written with humour and the Liverpool setting adds extra interest. The characters are interesting. Almost cosy mystery in nature.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

The dead don't like to be ignored…
Jayne McCartney, Liverpool's only female private eye, is soon to get a crash course in this and other ghost-related facts.
Until now she’s kept her snooping firmly to the dodgy, sometimes dangerous – but definitely human – Liverpool underworld. But that all changes when an elderly couple approach her with a terrifying story…
Their daughter, a 19-year-old student, died falling from her halls’ window. But she didn't jump, they insist – she was pushed. By a ghost.
Who or what is walking the halls of Hart House? And will this case end up haunting Jayne forever…?

I really wanted to love this story. The blurb got my interest - although the cover looked a little "British Crime Novel", that was a bit of an odd choice. However, I ignored that and concentrated on the story itself...

...and it was so slow to get going. I have to say that it really did test my patience in the early parts. Especially the insta-lust for the priest - I mean, come on! Is that the best we can come up with (aside from having two characters have the same surnames at two of the Beatles...and they are from Liverpool...)?

By about the halfway mark, the style and plot of the story had sorted itself out and actually became quite an intriguing novel. Not only is it a British crime novel with a nod to paranormal fiction, it also takes us for a little journey around Liverpool's darker history. And that was really a bonus for me. Quite enjoyed those aspects a lot.

It is a shame this took so long to get going. I really think I would have enjoyed it much more if the opening part of the book had really taken off the way the latter parts did.


Paul
ARH

I loved the synopsis, but the book just didn't deliver for me. The writing wasn't great and I just couldn't really get into this book