Customer Reviews

Restless Spirit (A Sam Casey Mystery)

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In 1985, Sixteen-year-old Catherine DeMarco took her secrets to the grave. Now her restless spirit speaks to Samantha Casey when she picks up a button unearthed at a construction site, bringing to life Catherine's murder. Her boyfriend was convicted of the gruesome crime and awaits execution. But Sam does not hear Jimmy Taggart's name.

Sam enlists the aid of Paul Goddard, the detective who had worked the brutal knifing. Paul's instinct has been that the crime was too obvious and too easily solved. The years since the crime have been personally arduous, and Paul's downward spiral only stops when Sam knocks at the door asking for his help. Skeptical of Sam's gifts, yet intrigued by the possibilities, Paul joins forces with Sam to find a killer.

Inspired by an actual 20-year-old unsolved murder that took place in the author's hometown, RESTLESS SPIRIT is an action-packed mystery that satisfies readers seeking an unusual police procedural. Fans of the series will appreciate Sam's new challenges as she combines pregnancy, on going suspension from the police force, and her need to understand her enigmatic husband. A deft touch of humor, as when Sam handles a flirtatious reporter who mistakes her for the hired help, will keep readers chuckling. SD Tooley's gift for combining powerful police drama, Indian mysticism, and mystery results in an exciting, chilling puzzle that is a real page turner.

A Sam Casey Mystery by S. D. Tooley, Restless Spirit offers a blend of intrigue, suspense, and mysticism drawn from Native American lore. The story is about a young woman's brutal murder, a man wrongly convicted of the crime, and the husband and wife who must unearth the truth about what really happened and who was responsible. Meticulously crafted, interlocking layers of deception and jealously guarded secrets interweave in this superbly written mystery novel which is enthusiastically recommended for mystery buffs. Also very highly recommended for dedicated mystery buffs are Tooley's two earlier Sam Casey mystery novels: When The Dead Speak (0966602137...) and Nothing Else Matters (0966602129...).

On maternity leave, Detective Sergeant Samantha Casey wanders a construction site when she hears a dying female voice with no one but the male foreman in the area. She picks up a button and sees a vision as if a murder mystery is playing on the TV. After consulting with her mother, the only person who believes in her psychic abilities, Sam begins checking the files of her detective husband for brutal fatal stabbing cases in the Briar Woods area of Chasen heights.

Sam's research leads her to Jimmy Taggert. The convicted murderer sits on death row awaiting state execution for the 1985 brutal murder of Catherine DeMarco. The evidence is so powerful that he has to be the killer yet Sam's psychic abilities say otherwise. Unable to rest, Sam visits retired detective Paul Goddard, who led the DeMarco murder investigation seventeen years ago. Paul is an alcoholic struggling with personal problems, but informs Sam that he always felt, but could not prove, that Taggert was too perfect. Reluctantly, Paul agrees to work with Sam though he is very skeptical about her psychic powers but knows this might help ease his conscience.

RESTLESS SPIRIT is an entertaining paranormal investigative tale due to the lead character (see WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK for Sam's first appearance). The story line is cleverly designed so that readers obtain a taste of the negative reactions of the secondary characters including the victim's family, the heroine's husband, and even her temporary partner to Sam's "intrusive" sleuthing. Though Paul's baggage drags, fans will gain extensive satisfaction from S.D. Tooley's tale that reads like Marge Gunderson (Fargo) having psychic abilities.

Harriet Klausner

Restless Spirit is the best of the Sam Casey mysteries so far. There was character and relationship development that has been missing in the two previous novels, but I'm not so sure it's a good thing. The story contains many twists and turns to keep you completely riveted and some new characters are introduced in addition to the usual cast which is starting to grow on me. Interestingly enough, this would still work as a standalone read, where as I felt the second story definitely needed the pre-requisite When the Dead Speak. Regardless, you'll still be at best advantage, if not somewhat frustrated, by reading the previous two installments.

Sergeant Sam Casey, still on suspension from the police force for suspected murder, still pregnant, and still married to Sergeant Jake Mitchell, has a very special ability. When she touches objects or is in certain places, she can see and hear how a person died. As she's venturing through her backwoods to a new development where a friend is having a house built, she finds a jacket button. When she picks it up, she immediately loses herself to a vision and sees the brutal stabbing murder of a 16 year old girl and hears a whisper of who the killer might be. Shaken from her visions, she digs through information to learn more about what she saw and uncovers a 17 year old case of the murder where a potentially innocent man is waiting on death row with only weeks to his execution. Sam jumps into the cause and ends up recruiting former police officer Paul Goddard, who was the primary investigator 17 years ago to help her with her investigation. Paul has a hard time with Sam's abilities at first, but they end up working together to build evidence to free a man who's been imprisoned and has given up all hope of freedom or even life.

This is the best installment to date for the Sam Casey series. The more I read about Sam, the more I enjoy her character and her humorous bouts with hormones. She shows passion and conviction in everything she does and takes calculated risks instead of recklessly throwing herself into danger. I continue to struggle with Jake as a character and really wish Sam would just kick him out. Although he's extremely protective of Sam and shows her some tenderness, he's an emotional void who doesn't appreciate what he has. After three novels, these two really are just strangers and I think if Abby, Sam's mother, loves him so much, she should take him. He acts more like her dad than her husband anyway. The mystery is top notch, the whodunits are endless, and the introduction of Paul is an excellent compliment to the series.

Can get enough of the Sam Casey Mysteries! This one kept you guessing and it's hard to put it down at bedtime!

I loved this story. Very tense, a compelling story. Well written characters and plot development. I am looking forward to reading the next two as well. My "but..." refers to two egregious errors: twice "collaboration" is used where "corroboration" is meant, and the all too often error "just desserts" is used instead of "just deserts". The first error I cannot fathom, unless the character has made this mistake?! The second is all too common. Deserts is what one deserves, not what one gets after supper. Don't let this comment keep you from enjoying this great story! (this refers to the kindle edition)