Southern Bred and Dead by Angie Fox

Book Summary

Southern Bred and Dead by Angie Fox has Verity Long dressed up and heading to a Sugarland Heritage Society fundraiser at the Three Angels of the Tabernacle Blessed Reform Church of Sugarland (that is a mouthful).  Verity is meeting up with Jorie Davis who has some mementoes of Verity’s grandmother that she wants to give her.  Verity is touched by the items Jorie has for her.  She steps back to her car for a moment to secure an item and Jorie disappears.  Verity hears a scream and sees Jorie fall from the church bell tower to her death.  The photograph Jorie had for Verity is gone.  Verity knows it was not an accident and despite Ellis’ disapproval, she sets out learn the truth.  Verity is also helping Frankie confront his brother, Lou.  Frankie wants answers (no matter how he has to get them).  Verity and Frankie are in for a busy and eventful week.

My Thoughts

Southern Bred and Dead by Angie Fox is the 9^th tale in The Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries.  It can be read as a standalone if you are new this engaging paranormal series.  Verity Long lives with her pet skunk, Lucy and her ghostly friend, Frankie “the German” Winkelmann.  One day Verity accidentally dumped Frankie’s ashes out of the urn and onto a rose bush.  That is the day she met her first ghost--Frankie and it has been a wild ride ever since.  I thought Southern Bred and Dead was well-written with developed characters and steady pacing.  Sugarland, Tennessee is a small Southern town full of quirky residents.  We get to meet Maybelle Clemens who is quite a character.  She comes from a family of ministers, so she likes to go out of her way to shock people with her behavior.  I liked all the action in this book.   Verity has her hands full in Southern Bred and Dead.  She must find out who killed Jorie Davis, who was an old friend of her grandmother’s.  Frankie wants to know why his brother, Lou killed him.  To top it all off, Ellis is not happy with Verity’s ghost hunting business and it has caused a rift in their relationship.  The mystery surrounding the death of Jorie was multifaceted.  It was interesting and fun to solve (I love figuring out the guilty party before the reveal).  I liked learning more about Frankie and his family.  We finally learn why Frankie was killed.  I found Southern Bred and Dead to be a more serious book than the others in this series.  There are humorous moments especially with Maybelle, but it lacked that laugh-out-loud humor that is normally present.  That did not hinder my reading enjoyment.  I love visiting Sugarland with its unique residents, cozy small-town feel, plethora of specters, and Southern manners.  Let us not forget the adorable Lucy.  My favorite part of the book was Verity at the speakeasy.  She gets to enjoy some jazz music, meet a new friend, and experience a felonious first courtesy of Frankie.  Southern Bred and Dead is a delight with menacing mobsters, frightening phantoms, a deadly dagger, a bothered beau, a pious pastor, and a sweet skunk.

Southern Bred and Dead is available from Amazon* as well as Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and iBooks.  You can find the other novels in  The Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries here.  Southern Spirits is the first book and the digital version is currently free on Amazon.  The next novel in The Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries is The Haunted Homecoming which will be out on August 17, 2021 (yes, we must wait a year!).  You can find Angie Fox's other novels here.  Thank you for stopping by today.  Tomorrow I am discussing Killer Kung Pao by Vivien Chien.  It is the 6th A Noodle Shop Mystery.  I hope that you have a whimsical day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!  

Kris

The Avid Reader

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