Search - Don of the Dead (Pepper Martin, Bk 1)

First of what is to be a series. I was so looking forward to reading this book, hoping this would be Stephanie Plum sees dead people. But I found Pepper to be so unpleasant and superficial. Maybe it's the age gap - she reminds me of some of the less appealing friends of my granddaughter. Could have used some editing - plot holes, inadequate characterization. Glad I didn't pay $6.99 for it.

Pepper Martin is a cemetery tour guide who fell and hit herself on the front step of dead mob boss Gus Scarpetti's mausoleum. Soon afterwards she begins to see Scarpetti himself, and he wants her to investigate his murder. Pepper is a rich middle class girl who has found herself without a fortune when her father was conviced of fraud, and has no idea how to solve a 30 year old murder. A fast read with a style that reminds me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The writing flowed very well, and there were a lot of interesting side characters, but the mystery wasn't that griping (although it was hard to guess whodunit). I also found it hard to like Pepper for the first half of the book, mostly because she was rather ditzy. Still, she seemed to get smarter, and thusly more likeable towards the end. What really bothered me though was EVERY man Pepper meets (even men 30+ years her senior) leered at her breasts. What is that? I wasn't sure if I should be annoyed about the depiction of Pepper, because Pepper didn't seeme to mind, even puffing them out in certain scenes (even after arguing with Scarpetti about his chauvanism. Is she supposed to be feminist?), or annoyed at the depiction of men (in this century, I think most men know that's rude, or at least know not to be so obvious. At least don't make ALL the men in this book do that).

Didn't really enjoy. I had already bought the second book before finishing this one and it was a waste of money, but the end of the book I wanted to strangle the main character.

I'd previously read A Hard Day's Fright by Ms Daniels and wasn't sure how I was going to feel about going back and reading her 1st book of the Pepper Martin series. I was so glad I did! I loved it.

Meeting her first ghost, Gus the Mafia don, after hitting her head on his mausoleum has this sexy, smart, cemetary tour guide hunting down his killers and in the process running into trouble for herself in the way of mafia hit men and sexy cops and doctors.

Imaginative, funny..a delightful read!

First Line: I have to admit, the first time Gus Scarpetti spoke to me, I didn't pay a whole lot of attention.

Pepper Martin is a spoiled little rich girl. Growing up with wealthy Doctor Daddy, she's coasted along on her looks and her money; not applying herself in school because she knew an advantageous marriage awaited her. Well, it did until Doctor Daddy was convicted of Medicare fraud. Abandoned by her snooty fiance and stripped of every luxury she was accustomed to, Pepper is skating atop the thin ice of life as a tour guide in a Cleveland, Ohio cemetery and dreaming of working in the shoe department of Saks Fifth Avenue (at least until the real Mr. Right comes along).

While she's guiding some old folks around the cemetery, she falls and cracks her head on the steps of the mausoleum of gangster Gus Scarpetti. Now all of a sudden, she's being harassed by a ghost who insists that she finds out who really killed him outside his favorite restaurant. Pepper would rather ace her Saks job interview and concentrate on Mr. Handsome Cop and Mr. Handsome Brainy Geek, but Gus just won't take no for an answer.

As a first book and the first book in a series, Don of the Dead was uneven. The two new men in her life seemed to fade in and out, only showing up when required by the plot, which also had some gaps.

Unfortunately Pepper is one of the most annoying types of characters I can encounter in any type of book: the whiny little rich girl who thinks her best feature is her boobs. I originally started counting the number of times Pepper thrust her assets in some poor hapless male's face, but I had to stop because it was merely annoying me. And before anyone reading this review thinks I'm jealous... well, I laugh in your general direction. Compared to me, Pepper is flat-chested.

By book's end the plot, pacing and characterization had come together, and I can see where this first book holds real promise for the continuation of the series. I am curious about these future books, but I may have to pass on them unless someone in the know can tell me that Pepper starts believing that her true assets rely on IQ, not cup size.

I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading the next one in the series. It kind of reminded my of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Pepper is really a funny character.