Whispers of the Dead (Sister Fidelma) Review
919578
Received item as described. Recommend Seller highly!
Even tho I haven't started reading this book, I have read the introduction and
know it will be a very good read.  I love the characters and the story lines in
all of this series that I have purchased so far. Recommend this series highly.
4114874
The Church of the Holy Child is a story about revenge, plain and simple. A woman is murdered, hit upside the head with a brick. She had a history of being domestically abused by her husband. She and her child left home and went to a shelter. She had a way to escape her marriage and was going to come back for her child. She was never seen alive again.

Another woman meets the same fate, and another, this one a prostitute. How do all these women fit the profile of domestic abuse? The case goes to John Stark, a veteran, and friend of Griff Cole. Griff and his partner Britt Callahan investigate the case because a missing woman's sister hires them to find her sister.

We also have Father Francis, a priest at The Church of the Holy Child takes the confession of the actual killer. Because Father Francis is obligated to keep what is told to him to himself as the church demands. He becomes increasingly worried and scared that there will be more women killed and has to find it within himself to do the right thing even though it goes against the Church.

What did I think of the book? I really enjoyed it. The writing was good, the characterization perfect for the storyline. I liked Britt and Griff's daughter Allie the most. Britt is a tough woman and Allie is a smart and sassy young lady. The book was fast-paced and it took me awhile to figure out who the killer was. There were a few grammatical errors but I did have an ARC so I know that these will be corrected. If you like a good mystery story, this one is for you.

This review was done voluntarily.
4757110
Lina Baklanova is having a rough time: she isfalsely accused of child abuse by the parents of one of her preschool children, she is dumped by her boyfriend, finds out her family isn't her biological family and discovers she has a devastating disease. The Echo of Whispers by author Martha Pope Gorris is a tale of spiritual warfare. The generational spirits Rejection and Abandonment have been plaguing her family for generations. Her two guardian angels Milo and Vlad are battling the lies of the evil spirits. They whisper the Holy Scriptures to her and help her understand that Rejection and Abandonment may be affecting her health.

The Echo of Whispers is the second book in the War of Whispers Trilogy. I have not read the first book but Volume 2 stands well alone. This book quickly captured my attention and I stayed up half the night reading; I just couldn't put it down. This is Christian fiction at its finest. Milos and Vlad were my favorite characters; they showed great wisdom and yet were not perfect. Although they were guardian angels Milos showed fear and both showed their own vulnerability. Lina like most of us at one time or another had an abundance of problems all hit her at once. It was gratifying to see her mature in the faith. Martha Pope Gorris writing style is, easy to read and understand. She addresses issues women face and does so with scripture. Martha Pope Gorris is a name to remember.
1948579
The scholarship alone behind the Sister Fidelma mysteries makes these stand out, but the stories are compelling, using puzzles, suspense and interesting characters.  Fidelma's character has developed increased grace, making her a more likeable person, not so dominating of her husband and partner Edulph.  They share more of the credit for solving the crime than in the earlier novels, and the interplay of their characters seems more natural.  I recommend "The Devil's Seal" to anyone who likes a good mystery, especially one with an historical setting.  It is good for those who love Ireland, too.
3076943
This book was great. If follows a woman who's sister was murdered and getting to the bottom of who killed her. It was a great story with a great pace. I did find it hard to put this book down alot of times and I finished it in just a few days.
800767
Ugly times as Fidelma races to save her favorite Saxon from hanging.  A petty kingdom's rapid push to the new Roman Church ways is felicitated by a venal abbess and abetted by the local church leaders.  Lots of confrontations and difficult situations result as Fidelma gathers the bits and pieces of the various crimes of murder, child slavery, and legal chicanery to identify an unlikely culprit.
4312262
I was given a copy of this book for an honest review. Whispers of Dawn is a story of a girl, ordinary villagers and soldiers on a quest to stop an evil tyrant. It is an adventure about death, the undead trying to stop them from using the book of power and its magic. I think this is a 5 star read.
3741870
Because of a curse in 1495 by Fabrizio Paganelli all strega were being tracked down and killed. Any children would die. Dario Paganelli would take the strega boys and use them to track down and kill their families.
Shea Tedaldi was in hiding with her brother Leo who was only six years old. They were getting closer she had to move. Shea called a man, who her mother had told her before she died, who would help keep her safe.
Gaberiel Borelli was a Etruscan bad ass, but was good at keeping people alive. His job was to protect his people like his father before him. There was something about this woman and her brother. He had to keep his mind on his job.

I enjoyed this story very much. I like Stephanie Julians Goddess books which this also ties into. I also like the fact that Shea is a strong person and not a wimpy woman. The connection that they share is special and as with all novella's they are never long enough. I can't wait to read the next one. You won't be disappointed in any book by Stephanie, she is a great story teller and you will want to read them all.
3967208
I liked this book. The author did a good job of telling this story in the late 1880s. I like reading stories of the old west and people migrating from the East to the West like to Oregon. Just like the Oregon trail with everyone traveling for fortune and new beginnings. However while the book summary indicates to three stories, I felt that the book was more focused on Letitia. So of course I grew a closer connection with her than I did with the other two women. Which I found Letita to be very interesting and have a great story to share. She was a strong character. Again while the focus really seemed to be on Letita, I thought Nancy was good. She was kind and caring. Someone I did look forward to reading about was Betsy's story but little bits seemed to be written about her. This was sad. Overall, a nice read.
911178
I just bought this book for my kindle last night and just finished it today. This book was a good ghostly read. The author was very descriptive and I really felt as though I was back in time during the Victorian era while the story line was very decent and not trashy. I hope to read more from this author.
542247
I read this on the Kindle

I really enjoyed this book, it mostly about Annie Mae who is the eldest daughter of Hiram (The nasty Bishop)he been excommunicated from the community but that don't stop him & what he does to Annie Mae you really want him to get what due.

Annie Mae takes her younger siblings from her father's home as they are being beaten & not care for by his new young wife & he uses his twins accident to get land which was told in the previous book in this series so he not beyond doing anything

You have the community rally around Annie Mae to help her & the family also to stand up to the bishop or should say ex-bishop as they now have Bishop Tom who is a much better bishop & comes across as a father figure who is a good person but can issue what is needed to the community not that much is needed.

At the end of this book there is some very good recipes plus a taster of the next book in the series which while i am not wishing my life away i can't wait for it to come out

For those who are just looking at this book i would say it best if you start at the beginning of the series (Seasons of the Heart) as you need to read them in order to fully understand who is who & you won't be disappointed in any of the books
4558076
Ghost,Graveyards and Witches oh my! What can I say...hmmm this book is a great first book in the series it sets alot of the foundation for the next books to come. Its got twist and turns some steamy parts and parts that make you go huh?  Its only downside I can see is that the story has parts that could have used a little bit more details or maybe been more realistic? There's a part in the beginning where Rick starts to tell Grateful about the history and then they stop and its like hey let's eat! Umm I don't know about you but I would rather hear about the history then eat or maybe they could have done both? And then they're getting busy! How did it go from history lesson to lunch to that and then its in a graveyard in front of a church....ok maybe my Catholic school came out on that opinion....but other than a few short comings which are very minor this book is well worth the read!
3795197
Mary is a great heroine with a down to earth attitude even though she sees ghosts. And the Chief is her match but with a secret that he doesn't want people to know. Together they lay some ghosts to rest and we get to enjoy them getting th bad guy.
21622
A wonderful ghost story about a girl, Emma, who is visited by her late grandmother who tells her that she has been endowed with the gift to communicate with the dead. The author does a good job of developing Emma and the characters that she interacts with. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more from this author.
1972759
The following is what I included in the review of the previous instalment, episode 1 of Infestation,

"I am looking forward to Taylor introducing more of the spiritual side to this story, notably from a biblical worldview. So far, I am pleased with what I have read despite the fact that the only spiritual aspects are that the evil is demonic and a few references to living and treating people according to Gods standard as outlined in the Bible.
A very easy read with some promising plot lines laid down for further development. I am looking forward to seeing the horror elements developed and the countermeasures to deal with this, hopefully from a biblical worldview and perspective. Bring on the spiritual warfare!"

Well, in this episode, the demonic oppression deepens, more murders, seven in one incident, and a new church which seems to be honest on the outside but is not as it seems  has Marie suspicious that this could be connected to the source of this 'infestation'.

She also finds more clues from interviewing one of the perpetrators  of multiple murders from the previous episode. From  all these events, she is even more suspicious about what is the real cause of these heinous crimes that are taking over the town but Marie is not forthcoming yet and I can see that this will happen in the final episode. Towards the end of this short, the demonic events escalate with one of Amy's friends having a demonic experience with tangible physical results, and it this that makes Marie realise what is happening in Bingham is more serious than she thought.

Taylor has included more biblical principles of discernment, asking for guidance through prayer, and not speaking out against God's appointed leaders without the leading of the Spirit. I did appreciate Taylor's depiction of Marie's vulnerability and struggle to carry out what God has appointed her to do. This is a very realistic depiction and one that I am sure most Christians can relate to.

I was expecting more events of the estrangement of Marie's family in this episode, but it is not there. If this is not finalised in the final episode, I don't see what role it served in this entire story as it will remain unfinished with no connection to the plot. This short does not seem to be as action packed or involved as it predecessor and I wish it could have been. However, it was still a very enjoyable read and the suspense and intrigue builds as it takes you along for the ride. Personally, I would like each episode to be longer so more of the spiritual aspects could be more fleshed out. I can only hold out for the final episode to see what the icing on this cake is going to be like.

I am, however, really looking forward to everything coming to a head in this final episode with all being explained and wrapped up nicely.

Strongly Recommended
3286280
This is one of the three Simone St. James novels I read back-to-back. I read "Silence for the Dead" first then this one. The first story I read caused me to sleep with the lights on. This novel made me think about leaving the lights on but I managed to keep them off. "An Inquiry Into Love and Death" I was able to sleep with the lights off.
This story was a bit disturbing with its portrayal of evil: the reason Maddy Clare was haunting the barn. The hauntings were scary! Every little noise I heard while I was reading made me jump--yes, we were having a thunderstorm that night. I admit I cheered her on when she.... Well, don't want to spoil the story. But I'll think twice from now on about going into any barn.
As in the other two, this book is set in post-World War 1 England. There was a bit more strong language and sexual events in this book than in the other two. Not sure why. Despite those two things I loved "The Haunting of Maddy Clare" as much as I did the author's other two novels. I will definitely read future Simone St. James' "ghost stories!"
2444234
Ann Kinnear is a quiet, private person who senses spirits. She and her brother Mike have a spirit consulting business, but Ann prefers to stay out of the limelight. When Ann is asked to sense spirits for a client in a home that shes considering purchasing, Ann immediately senses that a terrible event has occurred within the home. Ann is then unwillingly drawn into a murder mystery that puts her own life in danger.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It has so many great elements going for it. Yes, readers are aware of who the murderer is at the start, but that in no way ruins the book. In fact, I found The Sense of Death to be one of the most suspenseful books Ive ever read. I never knew quite what would happen next.

Matty Dalyrmples writing is wonderfully expressive. Her characters are well developed and relatable. She does a great job of making the murderer a highly unlikable character. I enjoyed the authors writing, plot and characters so much that I was able to breeze through the book in a day. I was also very interested in seeing how it would end. The ending was tidy and satisfying!

I highly recommend The Sense of Death to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery, with a unique paranormal slant added in for plenty of additional interest.