Blood on the Chesapeake

I’m not sure how I found Blood on the Chesapeake, but I’m glad I did. This author is new to me and while the genre isn’t outside my normal reads, random mysteries aren’t necessarily my “go-to”. Yet, that’s how I’ve found some of my favorite authors. The title drew me in and after reading the description, I knew I had to give it a try. I’ve always lived within a couple of hours’ driving distance from the Chesapeake Bay, but for the past 20 years, I’ve lived on the Eastern Shore. Finding a good mystery with a paranormal twist just added to the draw. 😉

So, did Blood on the Chesapeake live up to my expectations? Most definitely. I liked Darrell from the very first chapter. He had one other ghostly encounter in his past and he wasn’t happy that his “gift” was making itself known again. He wanted to ignore this particular ghost, but he couldn’t help himself from wanting to find out more about him. As the danger mounted and people around him weren’t safe, he wanted to back away from the mystery, but that wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

I have to admit that I figured out who the “bad guys” were long before Darrell. I think he might have too, but he was reluctant to place blame on people he didn’t know really well. There were times that he really should have followed his gut feelings, but that’s not always easy either. The supporting characters were great and Darrell found himself surrounded by people who really cared and most importantly, believed in him.

As for the rest of the story, I’m sad to say that Overbeck’s portrayal of a small town on the Eastern Shore wasn’t far off from reality. Although I live on the Virginia end of the Shore, there are places here, just like everywhere, that prejudice is the norm. The character’s love of history helped with the research and I loved that aspect of the story as well. The only one little pet peeve I had while reading Blood on the Chesapeake was that I wished Darrell didn’t compare his ex to his current love interest quite as much as he did.

It looks like this book will be part of a series, and I hope it is. I have no idea if it will include Darrell or not. The Eastern Shore of both Maryland and Virginia are full of ghostly stories and haunted buildings, so I can’t wait to see what Randy Overbeck has in store for readers next.

Blood on the Chesapeake is a good mystery with a ghostly aspect. I enjoyed the writing and the characters. I hope to read more from this author.

A good mystery with a paranormal side. It's well written, engrossing and entertaining.
I liked the characters, the plot and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing.
I want to read other books in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Blood on the Chesapeake by Randy Overbeck. Likable characters, a ghost and a small town setting in a well paced mystery. An enjoyable read. Will be looking for the next book in the series.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

A semi-basic ghost/love story, but pretty good. I feel the ghost may have had too much power, but some decent commentary on racism and how some people we want to change, don't.

A great book about a school teachers who can see ghosts. With the help of some friends he brings Peace to a lost Soul and solves some hidden things.

The characters in this book were very vivid and easy to connect with. I enjoyed that part of the story and I really liked the ghost that kept appearing to the new teacher. I read it pretty quickly and really enjoyed the overall story. It kept you guessing and you never could predict what would happen next.

This book grabbed me from the beginning. It is about a ghost in a school that is appearing to the new teacher and coach. The ghost is asking for help to get justice. It dives in to the early 60s when a black student hanged himself to committ suicide...or so they say. The twist kept going right up to the end. I kept thinking I knew how it was turning out, but boy was I wrong! I highly recommend this book.