RESTLESS SPIRIT (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Nearly two decades ago, sixteen year old Catherine DeMarco took a scandalous secret to her grave - a secret that only now has come under the unorthodox scrutiny of Sergeant Samantha Casey, currently on suspension from the force. The teenager's boyfriend was convicted of the crime and his execution date is approaching, unless Sam can nail the true killer before the wrong man dies. The closer Sam gets to the deception at the heart of the crime, the more she understands the true motive behind the killing - and how a killer plans to get away with murder.

Product Details

• Paperback: 299 pages
• Publisher: WORLDWIDE; First Edition edition (2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373265727
• ISBN-13: 978-0373265725
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,610,362 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A chilling puzzle -- Very highly recommended, September 17, 2002

By	C. Penn "WordWeaving" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Restless Spirit: A Sam Casey Mystery (Sam Casey Mystery) (Hardcover)

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.

4.0 out of 5 stars reads like Marge Gunderson (Fargo) having psychic abilities, January 12, 2003

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Restless Spirit: A Sam Casey Mystery (Sam Casey Mystery) (Hardcover)

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

5.0 out of 5 stars A blend of intrigue, suspense, and mysticism, December 9, 2002

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Restless Spirit: A Sam Casey Mystery (Sam Casey Mystery) (Hardcover)

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...).