Dead Girls Are Easy (Nicki Styx, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Terri Garey (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 28, 2007

There's something about almost dying that makes a girl rethink her priorities. Take Nicki Styx—she was strictly goth and vintage, until a brush with the afterlife leaves her with the ability to see dead people.

Before you can say boo, Atlanta's ghosts are knocking at Nicki's door. Now her days consist of reluctantly cleaning up messes left by the dearly departed, leading ghouls to the Light . . . and one-on-one anatomy lessons with Dr. Joe Bascombe, the dreamy surgeon who saved her life. All this catering to the deceased is a real drag, especially for a girl who'd rather be playing hanky-panky with her hunky new boyfriend . . . who's beginning to think she's totally nuts.

But things get even more complicated when a friend foolishly sells her soul to the devil, and Nicki's new gift lands her in some deep voodoo.

As it turns out for Nicki Styx, death was just the beginning.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following a near-death experience, the owner of a vintage clothing store in Atlanta discovers that she can see dead people—and worse, hear them—in this sprightly but derivative series launch. When Nicki Styx awakens in the hospital after a heart attack, she doesn't intend to let her newfound heart defect cramp her funky style—but a series of close encounters with ghosts might, particularly her meeting with a murdered friend, Caprice, who seems intent on dragging Nicki into the voodoo underworld. On the plus side, the clinical interest of sexy emergency room doctor Joe Bascombe (who's researching near-death experiences) warms into a fascination with Nicki herself; he has more than a little trouble, however, accepting her otherworldly encounters. As threats to Nicki and her friends mount, lively writing may keep genre fans reading, but the episodic plot feels slight, and Nicki is frustratingly uninterested in her own backstory (for instance, Nicki is adopted, but shows little curiosity when Joe suggests his estranged wife might be Nicki's identical twin). (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

A Southern girl with an overactive imagination, RITA^® and PRISM Award winner Terri Garey lives in Florida, where anything weird is considered normal. A former computer analyst, she left the dry world of logic behind in order to write novels filled with fantasy, romance, and happily-ever-afters.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (August 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061136158
• ISBN-13: 978-0061136153
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 1.1 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #909,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A Southern girl with an overactive imagination, Terri Garey is the RITA© award winning author of six novels, two series, and various novellas. Her devilishly delicious tales from the dark side have been described as "sweet yet smouldering" by Publishers Weekly, and "sultry and upbeat" by Library Journal. Despite her choice of spooky subject matter, Terri prefers to avoid graveyards, especially on Halloween.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I was enthralled. So I guess this one depends on each person's taste. September 1, 2007

By Detra Fitch VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Nicki Styx thought it was just heartburn. After all, she is not even thirty-years-old. Next thing Nicki knows, she has the starring role of a TV medical drama. But it is not Nicki's time to die. As she heads for that bright light, she is sent back to the world of the living with instructions about the Golden Rule of "Do Unto Others..." These words do not make too big of an impression on Nicki until she wakes up in the hospital bed and meets her first spirit. Yes, Nicki now sees dead people.

All Nicki wants to do in life (or so she keeps telling herself) is to run the vintage clothing store with her best friend and business partner, Evan Owenby, and maybe go on a date with the hot ER doctor, Joe Bascombe. Yet after her near-death experience, dead people keep showing up and asking Nicki to do them favors. Nicki DOES get to go on a date with Joe, but it falls flat when Caprice, who owns the shop next door, is murdered. It gets worse; while Joe is with the police and offering his medical assistance, Caprice comes up to Nicki and asks her to get the murdering boyfriend out of jail.

But who ever said that all spirits were nice and harmless? Nicki soon finds herself being stalked and harassed by a "duppy" (A.K.A. evil spirit). And this spirit CAN harm the living. Nicki must either do what the duppy tells her to or she better find a voodoo priestess to help. Otherwise, Nicki may find those she cares about dying ... or worse, Nicki may lose her very soul!

OMG! I loved this book so much that I immediately went onto the internet to see if I could find other titles by Terri Garey. If there are any previous novels out there, I could not find them. And if this is the author's debut novel, then she has knocked my socks off!... Author Terri Garey breathes life into her characters, even the dead ones! From the first page until the very last I was enthralled with the tale. I lost almost an entire night of sleep because I could not stop reading. The characters are totally believable. There are a few sub-plots that make the story run even smoother (if that is possible). There are a few side items that may carry over to the next Nicki Styx adventure. (Yes, there will be another. I checked.) However, if this is the only Nicki Styx novel you read, you will not feel cheated. This is a stand-alone story. This is an author to keep an eye on. I foresee awards in the very near future. BRAVA! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews. Read more ›

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lighthearted..... January 26, 2008

By Deborah Wiley VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

It all started with her heart attack....

Nicki Styx is seeing dead people ever since her near death experience. Some of the ghosts have simple requests, but Caprice is a whole different matter. Caprice wants her boyfriend, Mo, freed from jail as he has been charged with the murder of Caprice. Nicki can't figure out how she's going to handle this and Caprice is turning into one nasty ghost! Now Nicki finds herself stuck in the middle of voodoo while all she wants to do is spend time with Dr. Joe Bascombe. Will Nicki be able to get out of this jam or will Caprice spell doom for Nicki?

Terri Garey takes a lighthearted approach to DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY. While the storyline has some dark aspects, particularly in regards to the voodoo involved, DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY maintains an upbeat atmosphere. Part of this is due to Nicki's character and her friendship with Evan. Nicki's conversations with Evan are hysterical at times as they razz one another back and forth. Their easygoing friendship provides a sharp contrast to the dark world Caprice remains captive in, even after her murder.

DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY is the first book in a series and therefore has some of the unevenness one usually expects when an author is establishing the basis for a series. While the majority of the issues are resolved, there are some loose threads left hanging. Terri Garey does an excellent job at ensuring that these issues are ones that will encourage readers to continue with the series rather than frustrating them by what isn't yet resolved. It will be interesting to see how things play out between Nicki and Joe, particularly after his revelations to her about his past.

DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY is pure entertainment!... Terri Garey writes a story that is as fun to read as it is witty! Easily recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read - Although Not Really Romance March 4, 2008

By Jennifer Schaefer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Since I'm a voracious paranormal reader, I'm surprised I somehow missed this one until my sister lent it to me. But I'm really glad I discovered what appears to be the start of a great new paranormal series to add to my endless list of must-read authors. As a former Atlanta resident who lived just down the road about 2 miles from L5P, I enjoyed the references to the real and imagined L5P points of interest.

This novel was much better than I expected and once I began reading, I didn't put it down (except to sleep poorly!) and finished in 2 nights of reading. The voodoo stuff was a bit creepy and unnerved me a bit, reading late at night in a house over 100 years old with accompanying old house creaks.

Having just completed it, I jumped on Amazon to look for additional books by Terri Garey and see that *sniff* she doesn't have anything else out at the moment. I'll just have to wait for the new book coming in June.

A note about the genre: I would have placed this in either horror, alongside Laurell K. Hamilton and Kim Harrison or in Fantasy, alongside Kelley Armstrong, but it definitely does not belong in Romance. There is a love interest, but it is not the primary focus of the book, and there's too strong an element of horror to fit the romance genre. If you're wanting a romance, this does not fit the bill, but if you're wanting fantasy or light horror, it does.

The only negative I will mention is that I couldn't help noticing the similarities to Victoria Laurie's Ghost Hunter series, which includes the main character who sees ghosts, her flamboyantly gay best friend and business partner, and the doctor love interest who said gay best friend in Victoria Laurie's books calls "Dr. Delicious" and in this one the gay best friend calls "Dr. Yummy." Coincidence?... I doubt it, but I enjoyed the book enough that I will have to overlook this! Read more ›