Search - Defending Angels (Beaufort & Company, Bk 1)

I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise is intriguing, and it starts out ok - Brianna Winston-Beaufort has inherited her uncle's law practice in Savannah, Georgia. Her first case comes when she gets a call from a local businessman - and finds out he called her after he was killed; then his successor hires her to prove that he was murdered.

I found the paranormal aspects to be a refreshing change from the norm out there, but what irritated me was how long it took Bree to finally ASK her colleagues about the strange phenomena when it was made obvious from the beginning that they knew much more about it than she did. I understand the author trying to draw out the suspense, but it just became ridiculous. And the twists of the mystery took a back seat to the paranormal, so the resolution was not very satisfying. It could have been handled better. Which is a pity, because it was going along fine until just past halfway through the book, and then the story just seemed to scatter. I don't know if I will pick up the second in the series - it will have to depend on my mood and whether or not there is anything else to read within reach.

This book has an otherworldly charm that hooked my interest, and I am eagerly awaiting the second in the series. In Defending Angels, a young lawyer finds herself defending clients from the world beyond the realm of the living -- with surprising success. This was a quick and easy read, and I recommend it highly.

This is an excellent new series -- she also writes under Claudia Bishop -- her real name is Mary Stanton.

I liked it very much.

OK read, but doesn't really grip you.

First Line: "Hanged by the neck until dead, every one of 'em," Lavinia Mather said with enormous satisfaction.

In a move from North Carolina to Savannah, Georgia, in order to escape the smothering concern of her parents, lawyer Brianna Winston-Beaufort took her eccentric uncle's inheritance and ran with it. Unfortunately his law offices were damaged in a fire, and Brianna needs someplace temporary to set up shop until the remodeling is done.

What she finds is in a prime section of historic Savannah, the most haunted city in America, and although the offices are in an old home set right in the middle of the only all-murderers cemetery in the state of Georgia, Brianna can't afford to be picky. Especially when the owner, Lavinia Mather, has the rent set so low. Brianna just hopes her future clients won't mind walking through landscaping that looks like it's straight from a Hammer horror film.

It doesn't take long for Brianna to realize that something very strange is going on; for instance her first client is billionaire Benjamin Skinner who calls and demands her services-- after he had been declared dead.

Defending Angels is a fun read highlighted by its plot and unique angle. It's very difficult to say much about the book without giving away some of its secrets, so I won't even try. If you're in the mood for a light, very fun and fast-paced mystery filled with things that go bump in the night, by all means pick up Defending Angels! I've already gotten the second book in the series sitting on the shelf waiting for me.