Member Review

The Spirit Girls by Dawn Merriman is the debut of A Rylan Flynn Mystery series. Rylan Flynn can see ghosts that present themselves to her. Her goal is to help them move on. She pays the bills by filming what she does for her You-Tube channel. Rylan is visiting her Aunt Val for breakfast when she sees a female ghost. The ghost leads her to a body hanging from a tree. It turns out to be the ghost’s body. One of the responding detectives is Detective Ford Pierce who makes Rylan heart zing. Ford does believe Rylan can see spirits, but he would prefer she not trespass (like she did the previous evening) and stay safe. When Aunt Val ends up at the top of the suspect list, Rylan will do whatever it takes to clear her. I found the story easy to read. The characters lacked development. We are introduced to them, but I wanted more (besides Rylan grew up with Ford and finds him attractive or her brother is ashamed of Rylan’s abilities because it messes with his career in the district attorney’s office). The Spirit Girls by Dawn Merriman is easy to read. I wish the author had given us more information on Rylan and there were other questions I wanted answered (how she got her powers, her mother, what is in her brother’s old bedroom). The plot never developed to its fullest extent. The story had potential, but it did not reach it. It just scratched the surface. The paranormal element was light (I thought there would be more). I wanted a tricky mystery, some scary moments, and a little humor. I was able to solve the crime early in the story. The twist was not a surprise. The ending was expected. The repetition of details was not needed (the whispers through the walls at home, Rylan’s dead mother, Rylan’s attraction to Ford). I wanted a surprise or two, more paranormal, less romance, and a more challenging mystery. A Rylan Flynn Mystery series has potential, but it was not achieved in The Spirit Girls. The Spirit Girls is a paranormal tale with lost souls, a dishy detective, an accused aunt, a horrific killing, and a sassy spiritualist.