A funny and fast read small town mystery with a slight touch of paranormal

Dead As A Doornail (A Kenni Lowry Mystery)

By: Tonya Kappes

Rating: 5 of 5

There are only a few mystery series that I return to time and time again. The Kenni Lowry mysteries by Tonya Kappes is one of those. The author has a knack of taking a slightly ridiculous plot line and not only making it realistic but also making it fun and funny at the same time.

I’m generally not a fan of paranormal stories; however, Kenni’s Poppa is not only the ghost of her grandfather but is also the old and long-standing Sheriff who prefaced Kenni in her job in Cottonwood Kentucky.

Poppa shows up whenever there is a murder in Kenni’s jurisdiction and stays until the mystery is solved. So, when a citizen passes away from what looks like natural causes, Kenni is surprised when Poppa pops up.

Poppa gives some reminders of how they worked cases together when Kenni was a child and sometimes helps provide a few clues as well. They work to solve the murder mystery and, each time that Poppa vanishes, Kenni is not sure she will ever see him again.

Kenni’s relationship with her Deputy, Finn Vincent, continues to grow deeper and stronger. His invitation for Kenni to spend some time meeting his parents gets Kenni’s mother on her high horse. Kenni will have to choose which love she wants to follow. I’m definitely hoping for a Christmas story that deals with this issue!

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.