Angela Panther Mysteries: Unfinished Business

By k. Rudkin: The only thing worse than facing our own mortality is losing loved ones. Especially hard when a parent goes and then what does it mean when you see your dead Mother? According to experts in the business of psychology the images we see are not real. The only time we see a deceased person is when they are in the casket usually. Not so for Angela. Nit only can she see her Mom she talks to her. And hears her Mom talk to her! What happens next is both poignant and funny. Mom and daughter continue to work on understanding what is happening between them, and try to save Angela's daughter before it's too late. Anyone who loves and has lost a loved one would appreciate another chance ...or would they?

United States on Jun 21, 2014

GirlsWhoWearGlasses: Angela Panther has a busy but predictable life. She's happily married and busily parenting. The appearance of her dead mother as a rather pushy ghost is unwanted - even more so when it seems her arrival has triggered in Angela a talent she wishes she did not have. Suddenly, she sees dead people. All over the place. And they want her help.

Angela's struggle to sort out what this all means for her unfolds in a funny, touching story. Carolyn Ridder Aspenson's greatest strength as an author lies in her firm grasp of relationships and her ability to convey them meaningfully. Her sense of humor and her skill with dialogue envelop the reader. Even with dead folks all over the place, one feels a sense of familiarity and comfort in Angela Panther's world.

This is an excellent debut novel, and I look forward to the sequel.

United States on Mar 06, 2014

Meredith Schorr: Losing a parent is traumatic enough, so when Angela wakes up to find her mother hovering over her bed the day after she passed away, you can imagine her reaction. It seems Angela's mother has some unfinished business which she must attend to before going to "the light" - this unfinished business involves helping Angela deal with her discovery that she can see/talk with dead people as well as other issues involving Angela's family members.

I love chick lit and I loved The Ghost Whisperer television show so it did not surprise me that I loved this book. It had the snarky dialogue, spunky BFF and adorable love interest (in this case, husband) associated with chick lit along with ghosts, spirits or celestial beings. (If you read the book, you will know the difference between the three.)

This story had its funny moments but it was also very sad at points - kind of like real life, but with ghosts. The ending made me cry a little. Looking forward to the second installment.

United States on Feb 18, 2014

Terisa: Angela Panther has just lost her mother to cancer. She never expected for her mother to come back as a ghost and she never in a million years would have guessed that she could see and hear her when she did. Now that she can though, the word is out and ghosts are coming to her for help.

This book reminds me a lot of the show The Ghost Whisperer and it even makes reference to it as well. When her mother dies, she comes back to see if Angela could see and hear her because of something that happened when Angela was a small child. The conversations between Angela and her mother Fran are really funny and I laughed every time that Angela said, "Cheese and grits ma!" when her mother would show up and scare her. Fran had a very funny sense of humor and the things that she said and did made me laugh on loud numerous times. Angela's husband, Jake, was very supportive of her new gift and even helped a friend to believe her later in the story. Another main character is Angela's best friend Mel. I LOVED her! The one liners that she and Angela texted back and forth were hilarious.

The background story of this book takes on a very serious issue of teenage drug usage and death. While...

United States on Oct 21, 2013

Debbie: Lighthearted story but yet deals with incredible painful death issues (such as death of parent, children and spouses). The banter between Angela and her mom (the ghost ... er spirit) and also between Angela and Mel was very funny. There's slight twist to the usual story where only one person can see the ghosts, because a couple of the children can see Fran too. And that only serves to make things more complicated. This story dwells mostly on Angela trying to come to grips with this new gift (or is it a curse) that she's got and what she's going to do with it - besides try to make it all go away.
It raises tough questions ... what would you do if the ghost of your mother could spy on your teenage daughter without your daughter knowing? If you were concerned about the child's behavior, would you send in mom? And if so, what would you do with the information?

United States on Oct 06, 2013