A Note From the_novacula-  Last year I read the book A Harvest of Bones by Yasmine Galenorn, part of her Chintz ‘n China series.  I didn’t care too much for it.  Here’s my review of it.  Well, Chatty Kathy read it, and she liked it.  She liked it so much, she read the entire series.  This is her review of the first book; expect reviews of the others to follow shortly.  A big, sweet, thank you to her for contributing to Literal Remains.

Divorced mother of two, Emerald O’Brien, moves to the small town of Chiqetaw and opens her own business, The Chintz ‘n China Tea Room- a nice place to have a cup a tea and buy some incense or an odd trinket or two.  Emerald’s ex-husband, Roy, is pretty much out of the picture, which is very okay with her.  Emerald has a good thing going in Chiqetaw, making a nice life with her astronomy loving daughter, Miranda, and her youngest child, Kip, who is an all around boy (trouble seems to find him).

Emerald, herself, is considered the witch of the village.  She has “the gift”, something she shared with her late grandmother, whom she called Nanna, and with whom she still talks to, occasionally.  That special “gift” aids Emerald well, especially when ghosts come a-calling.  Such as the ghost of local socialite Susan Mitchell.  Susan’s ghostly form appears to Emerald seeking help; Susan claims she was murdered, and names her husband, Walter Mitchell, as the fiend that killed her.  So Emerald sets out to discover the truth of Susan’s mysterious demise.  Complicating matters for Emerald is that Susan may be less than truthful, and more a vindictive spirit.

Yasmine Galenorn kept me glued to the pages with Ghost of a Chance.  Its twists and turns had me hurrying through my daily rounds and staying up way past my bedtime just so I could follow Emerald’s investigation.  This is a suspenseful little tale.  I only wish it had been longer.  The characters are believable, they feel real, and have real problems (other than of the supernatural variety).  Yasmine Galenorn has created a wonderful heroine in Emerald O’Brien, a natural woman complete with romantic strife and trouble with her kids.

Ghost of a Chance is a delightful start to a delicious series.

4 out of 5
Chatty Kathy