A Killer Welcome by Dionne Lister

 A Killer Welcome

Book Summary

A new cozy mystery series from the USA Today bestselling author of the Paranormal Investigation Bureau series.

Avery Winters was overjoyed to be brought back to life... unfortunately, the dead were waiting for her.

Aussie journalist Avery Winters was content—she had a caring boyfriend, great job, and supportive… okay, so her parents weren’t actually supportive, but she’d accepted she could never be the son they’d wanted seeing as how she was born a girl. Avoiding them seemed to work well, and, she reasoned, no one’s life was perfect.

And that was fine, except whilst covering a news story in a storm, Avery’s cozy life disappeared in a flash. Lightning struck, stopping her heart and blowing her favorite black boots to smithereens. It was pure luck that an off-duty nurse was walking nearby.

When Avery came to in the ambulance en route to hospital, she’d thought the worst was over. She was wrong.

Her lightning-induced hallucinations—there was no way they were ghosts—were impossible to hide. Her boyfriend soon left, and her boss suggested she take extended leave. Unable to cover her rent, she moved back in with her parents. And that’s when the fun really began. Unable to cope with their insistence she was crazy, and desperate for an escape, she responded to a journalist-wanted ad… in the UK, because getting mega far away from her parents could only be a good thing.

Armed with a new fear of storms, companions others couldn’t see, and the hope that leaving the stress behind would improve her mental state, she boarded a plane for London. What she didn’t count on was not being able to leave her ghosts behind… literally. Oh, and that the quaint English village she’d be living in had more skeletons in its closet than the Natural History Museum.

When she stumbles upon a dead body in her rented apartment on her first day, she’s tempted to get back on the plane. But whilst it’s not a good omen, returning to her parents would be worse, so she decides to stay. Only, she’s not sure if it’s the best decision she’s ever made, or the worst.

She’s about to find out.

My Thoughts

A Killer Welcome by Dionne Lister has Avery Winters relocating to England from Sydney, Australia.  After being hit by lightning, Avery was able to see apparitions.  She is not sure what to call them, but Avery is beginning to wonder if they are ghosts and not figments of her imagination.  Avery lost her job and her boyfriend.  Her parents do not believe her and put her in a mental institution to recover.  Avery is hoping a change of location will do the trick and she will no longer see the talking visions.  Unfortunately, Avery has one join her for the drive to her new town.  After getting the key to her new flat from her crabby new landlady, Avery enters to find a woman dead in the living room.  Her scream has the landlady on her doorstep and the landlady’s scream is louder than Avery’s.  The victim soon appears to Avery and asks her for her assistance.   It is tempting to return to Australia, but that would mean living with her parents.  Solving the crime could get Avery the scoop on the murder which would impress her new boss.  Can Avery learn to embrace her gift and figure out who killed the victim?

A Killer Welcome is the first book in Haunting Avery Winters Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series (that is a mouthful).  We are introduced to a number of people including Avery Winters.  Avery is in denial about what she can see since she was struck by lightning which I found frustrating.  With the story in the first person, readers are subjected to all of Avery’s thoughts (which are frequently on the negative side).  There is a great deal of repetition as well.  The mystery is not at the forefront of the story for the first half of the book.  I wanted more investigation and less of Avery’s day to day activities (especially with regard to food). The whodunit can be solved before the reveal.  I had trouble getting through A Killer Welcome. I wanted to like the story, but it really is not my type of tale.  While A Killer Welcome is not my cup of tea, other readers are enjoying it (that is the beauty of books).  I suggest obtaining a sample to see if A Killer Welcome is the right fit for you.  A Killer Welcome is a lighthearted paranormal cozy mystery with gads of ghosts, jealous journalists, a surly landlady, a rude receptionist, a useful constable, and a confusing crime.

A Killer Welcome is available from Amazon*.  The next Haunting Avery Winters Paranormal Cozy Mystery (that is a mouthful) is A Regrettable Roast which publishes November 20. You can find Dionne Lister's other novels here. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit.  I will be back on Monday with Inside the Simple Life by Susan Hougelman.  I hope that you have a relaxing weekend.  I plan on putting together my mother's new bathroom cabinet.  She needs more storage (that woman has more storage in her bathroom than I do in the master bath).  I need to remove wallpaper int her bathroom next (yuck).  Take care of yourself, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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