I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Secrets Laid to Rest (Ladies of SPI Mystery #1) by Catherine C. Hall Published by Cathy Hall on September 19, 2023
Pages: 283
Format: Paperback
Source: Provided as part of book tour
Goodreads
The Secrets of Sutter Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance...
Fall is in the air, the scent of autumn leaves and apple pies, and now a brand new business is opening its doors in small-town Sutter, Georgia.
But not just any business. It's the Golden Girls meet the Ghostbusters when four women find themselves in an unlikely career: Southeastern Paranormal Investigations. Ree Lane, a stylish widow, is more cynic than true believer, while her childhood chum Elle Harper has a knack for getting sensitive info with the help of her homemade pies. The preacher's wife, Betsy Jones, can't be seen with SPI unless she's in her disguise as Nora, a psychic-in-training with a gift for Tarot. And the recently-returned-home Gillian Buchanan is a whiz at technology, especially of the supernatural sort.
Their first case lands on the doorstep when neighbor Doris Tucker is sure her prized vintage dolls are haunted. But there's hardly time for ghost-hunting when the bank director's wife mistakes SPI for a private eye venture. Now they're also hot on the trail of a misbehaving husband. It's a wild ride as the sixty-something sleuths start digging into the past. But have the Ladies of SPI gone too far? And how far will Sutter go to keep its secrets dead and buried?
Catherine C. Hall’s
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
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Secrets Laid to Rest
Purchase a copy of Secrets Laid to Rest on Amazon. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
Julie’s Review:
I was provided a copy of the book for my honest review as part of the tour.
Secrets Laid to Rest was a fun cozy read. It’s a great book to just curl up with when you want to read something easy and entertaining. If you enjoy paranormal investigation in the real world (because usually real world secrets are spookier anyway) and pie, you might like this book.
I enjoyed the friendship between the ladies, and the support and also friendly criticism. A group of friends in a small town starting a paranormal investigation biz is quite fun, especially since they do so much more. I mean, there’s also so much baking.
I both liked and disliked the changes in POV. Getting into everyone’s head is interesting, but when done quickly and switching between so many characters, it kind of feels jarring. I struggle with that personally as I like to get to know our main character very well, and I can’t say there is one main character here. That gave me a surface level getting to know of each lady and their stories, but I can’t say I really felt what they felt.
My favorite character would be Betsy/Nora. I feel like she has so much more she can give and I want to see how she unfurls her Nora side more. I didn’t like how the narration kept calling her Betsy when she was dressed as Nora, it kept taking me out of visualizing Nora. I think that would be my note for future books, once she’s Nora, don’t keep referring to her as Betsy. I also want to know how she continues to manage hiding her activities from her overprotective husband.
The mysteries being investigated are quite interesting. One, with huge bombshells after bombshells being dropped and teased throughout. The ending was worth the wait. Though there really wasn’t much paranormal activity in this one, we had some possibly haunted dolls, some tarot readings, quiet a few sins exposed, and maybe even a ghost sighting.
Guest Post: The Ladies of SPI Origin Story (And How to Develop an Ensemble Cast of Characters)
About the Author
There’s a great song, “I’ve Been Everywhere,” made popular by Johnny Cash (and a couple commercials). If you put the song in Georgia, it would be about Catherine C. Hall, starting when she moved to the Peach State at eight-years-old.
She grew up in Savannah, Georgia, where you can’t throw a stick without hitting a ghost. Even when she was a little girl, Savannah was known for its haunted history and she was hooked!
Broadcast Journalism hooked her as well, so she studied at Valdosta State University way down in South Georgia where it is the heat and the humidity. She worked in a few radio stations but it was WNEX Radio in Macon that turned out to be life-changing. She met a cute deejay from Sandersville, Georgia, and married him a year later.
They moved above the Gnat Line (Oh, it’s real) to the Atlanta area, where they grew their family to two boys and a girl, and she took a turn in the teaching world. And then whoosh! She met the half-century mark wondering what to do? Maybe it was the merlot talking but after years of reading mysteries, Catherine thought it was high time she write one. And she did; it was awful. (And way too short. Who knew readers expected 70, 000 words?)
So she learned her craft, starting with flash fiction, then moving on to short fiction, where she won a few awards. She wrote essays that ended up in books like Chicken Soup for the Soul. She penned assorted humor columns and continued to freelance. And then one day, she wrote another story that wasn’t exactly novel-length but it wasn’t a short story, either. It was a children’s book.
She joined SCBWI, the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and had a wonderful career in children’s writing, including publishing six books. But in the midst of her last two book contracts, life changed unexpectedly when Catherine’s favorite deejay up and died.
When at last she wanted to write again, she heard four women of a certain age, each seeking purpose and joy in where they found themselves. Which for them was a small town in Georgia called Sutter. For Catherine, it was at home, still in the Atlanta suburbs, revisiting the ghost stories of her youth, and finally getting that mystery written. All 70,000 words of it!
You can find Catherine online at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551890907288
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathychall/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cathyhall55/
Website (Psst! Sign up for Cathy’s Spirited Newsletter and get in on secret giveaways!): https://catherine-c-hall.com/
Blog Tour Calendar
October 13th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Secrets Laid to Rest by Catherine C. Hall. Read an interview with the author and win a copy of the book for yourself.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
October 13th @ Just Katherine
Join Katherine today as she shares an excerpt from Secrets Laid to Rest by Catherine C. Hall.
https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com
October 15th @ Book Divas Reads
Join Vivian for a spotlight of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://thebookdivasreads.com/
October 20th @ The Forgotten Books
Join Heather as she features a review of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://www.instagram.com/The_forgotten_books_/
October 20th @ Author Anthony Avina’s blog
Join Anthony for his review of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/category/blog-tours/
October 21st @ A Storybook World
Visit Deirdra’s blog for her spotlight of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://www.astorybookworld.com/
October 25th @ Candid Canine
Join Chris for a review of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://candidcanine.blogspot.com
October 26th @ The Faerie Review
Visit Lily’s blog for her review of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://www.thefaeriereview.com/
October 27th @ Musings of a Literary Wanderer
Join Angela as she reviews Secrets Laid to Rest by Catherine C. Hall. She shares an excerpt of the book as well!
http://musingsofaliterarywanderer.blogspot.com/
October 30th @ Finished Pages
Join Renee as she reviews Secrets Laid to Rest by Catherine C. Hall.
November 1st @ Chapter Break
Don’t miss a guest post by Catherine C. Hall about how to develop a cast of characters over at Julie’s blog today. She also reviews Catherine’s book Secrets Laid to Rest.
November 2nd @ One Writer’s Journey
Join Sue for her review of Secrets Laid to Rest by Catherine C. Hall.
November 4th @ A Wonderful World of Books
Visit Joy’s blog for her review of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/
November 6th @ Lisa Haselton’s Reviews & Interviews
Visit Lisa’s blog for her interview with Catherine C. Hall.
https://lisahaselton.com/blog/
November 7th @ Pick a Good Book
Join Debbie over her blog for a review of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://instagram.com/pickagoodbook
November 8th @ A Lit Life
Join Stephanie for a guest post by Catherine C. Hall about the cozy mystery food connection.
November 9th @ Deborah-Zenha Adams’ blog
Join Deborah as she features a guest post by Catherine C. Hall about why it’s never too late to achieve your dreams.
http://www.deborah-adams.com/blog/
November 9th @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy’s blog for her review of Secrets Laid to Rest.https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/
http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/
November 10th @ StoreyBook Reviews
Visit Leslie’s blog for a review of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://storeybookreviews.com/
November 12th @ Jill Sheets’ blog
Visit Jill’s blog for an interview with author, Catherine C. Hall.
http://jillsheets.blogspot.com/
November 13th @ Word Magic
Join Fiona’s blog for a guest post by Catherine C. Hall about what’s a nice catholic like her writing paranormal like this.
https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/
November 15th @ Jamie Wong
Visit Jamie’s blog for her review of Secrets Laid to Rest.
https://lifeaccordingtojamie.com/
November 16th @ A Lit Life
Visit Stephanie’s blog for her review of Secrets Laid to Rest.
November 17th @ Just Katherine
Visit Katherine’s blog again as she shares a guest post by Catherine C. Hall about why you need an editor and how to find one you can afford.
https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com
November 17th @ Live, Love, and Laugh for a Healthy Lifestyle
Nicole shares her thoughts about Secrets Laid to Rest by Catherine C. Hall.
https://liveloveandlaughforahealthylifestyle.wordpress.com/
Good morning, Julie! Thanks for joining in the book blog tour AND thanks for the lovely review! I had so much fun writing SECRETS LAID TO REST and I’m glad that the spirit of fun comes through the Ladies of SPI. And now, a secret…the preacher’s wife might be my favorite character, too. But shhhh! Don’t tell anyone! (Authors aren’t supposed to have favorites, right?😁)