on Tour March 1-31, 2019

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5/5 Stars!

Private Investigator Joe Cavelli has gotten used to hearing voices.

That the voices belong to spirits no longer among the living isn’t a biggie either. He knows a gift he’d buried in childhood has a purpose and is part of who he is and his own personal destiny. Joe assists ghosts (if you will) with solving the mystery behind their demise or tying up loose ends from their lives before they move on to the next realm. Sometimes tears are shed, and emotions run high, but Joe is left with a sense of satisfaction and peace.

His wife, brother and best friend are privy to Joe’s sideline… and life goes on. No pun intended.

Until Angus “Gus” Smith arrives.

Gus is rude, foul-mouthed, obnoxious, pushy, sarcastic… and just plain mean. He was guided to Joe by Max (spirit number one) but he has nothing else to tell Joe. How he died, why he died or where his body is.

Just that he keeps ending up the dark place.

With absolutely no trail to follow, Joe walks a fine line piecing together the life of Angus Smith. With each new bit of information Joe finds, bits of Gus’ memory return, making him even angrier.

But with the help of Everett and his endless game of Clue, the stern Leah and far-out and funky Martin, Mystical Matrix Magician Sebastian, harmonizers Avis and Siva, and even one of the men who attacked him, Gus comes to understand his anger is hindering Joe’s investigation, and his own ability to escape the dark place.

Gus’ new sense of acceptance and direction bring plot twists with them that are jaw-dropping. I’d finally gotten over (mostly) learning about Uncle Leo’s slaughtered meat… and the secret ingredient, to learn the root cause behind  Gus’ condition was even more evil and disgusting… and Gus wasn’t even aware of it.

Stellar writing and complex characters make this page-turner also a study in enlightenment—not new age or anything like that—but into ourselves.

We live with the premise things we say can and do hurt others, but Out of Darkness shows how we can do just as much—if not more—damage to ourselves with our own words and emotions.

Joe’s wife, Alexis, gets gold stars for being the supportive wife of the millennium. His assistant, Tia, is priceless and all too happy to join in the paranormal investigation, and I may even kinda, sorta like Det. Nolan… a little.

This read is definitely a wild ride with a fantastic ending I recommend to everyone.

All parties are guilty of something… just not what you think.

Enjoy!