Scarlet at Crystal River

Teacher and coach Darrell Henshaw and his nurse wife Erin combine a honeymoon at Crystal River, Florida with the Christmas and New Years' holidays. Always fighting his OCD tendencies, Darrell must also contend with his “gift” of being able to communicate with the dead, who often beseech him to intervene on their behalf to help them achieve justice. When Darrell and Erin arrive in Florida, Darrell sees the ghosts of two itinerant children in a variety of places and they implore him to help them receive justice for their destroyed family. Darrell finally tells his wife what is going on, and the honeymooners risk their lives to help the children. Author Randy Overbeck has written a tautly constructed tale with flawed, but believable characters. His fabulous character development is the secret sauce that keeps readers engaged and turning the pages of a story that moves at a comfortable clip. The plot deftly weaves a mystery, a ghost story, local social mores of the haves and have nots, and an indictment of how poorly migrant workers are treated into an explosive tale. SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER is one interesting whodunit with enough twists and turns and a handful of red herrings to throw off even the most adept mystery reader. If you start out reading this book doubting the existence of ghosts, you’ll be questioning your beliefs when you get to the end.

Nothing messes up a honeymoon like a couple of ghosts, right? And they're children! Nothing gives me chills faster than creepy children, but in this case, Randy Overbeck has given us reason to feel something other than creeped out by these ghost children. These kiddos need justice, and who better to get it for them than Darrell Henshaw? Of course, these children are the exact opposite of what Darrell wanted for his honeymoon, which forces him to come clean, and he and his wife set out to help them. The story is set some 20+ years ago, and some of us remember those days. There were certainly a lot of differences in technology, and I kind of enjoyed the look back. As I expected from this author, the book is well-written, and the pacing is exactly what I want in a mystery. Overbeck also shines when it comes to character development. These characters feel like people you could know, people you could pass on the street or strike up a conversation with in the grocery line. They feel that real. Even Darrell with his gift. Whether I believe people can actually see and hear ghosts or not, it's believable in Darrell. It's just one more part of him. Of course, it's a part of him that can sometimes get him into trouble, but that trouble is one more thing that keeps the pages turning and makes this series so addictive. Scarlet at Crystal River is book 3 in The Haunted Shores Mysteries, and while there are mentions of things from the first two books, I didn't find any reason it can't work as a standalone. I'd say if you like supernatural mysteries, give Darrell Henshaw and this series a shot. You won't be disappointed.