Cluttered Attic Secrets

Tina Shaw gets a phone call from her best friend, Leslie, late one night, asking Tina to come to her house. Leslie is sure she has seen a ghostly image in the old house that she now lives in. To say that Leslie is freaked out would be an understatement. When Tina gets to her friend’s house, she does not see any ghosts but she does hear ghostly noises. Although neither of the girls believe in ghosts, they are having a hard time coming up with any other explanation. And when a dead body is found next door to Leslie’s house, the girls become even more anxious. They decide they need to investigate the murder and the ghostly happenings before something terrible happens to them or their friends.

The writing style flows easily and this is an easy read. The suspense and mystery kept pulling me along, and I found myself having to read “just a few” more pages until, before I knew it, I was done. This book seems to be dialogue driven as much as action driven and this combination worked nicely together. The ending was a surprise for me and I did not see it coming. I think this author is very talented in creating mystery and suspense with the written word.

The characters are well developed, well rounded and three dimensional. Tina has her share of problems to deal with: solving the ghostly mystery and the murdered body, dealing with mother, who loves to butt in to her business, and working on her relationship with Hank. These difficulties made her seem more real to me and I enjoyed that.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Although this is the third book in the Tina Tales series, it can be read as a stand alone. But why not grab the first two books in the series and give yourself a treat. All of the books that I have read by Jan Christensen have been great reads.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Victory Editing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the first book I've read by this author. The title intrigued me as well the cover. I could not put this book down, I had to read it in one sitting.
Even though I haven't read any others in the series, I could follow the story and the characters with little to no confusion. I am eager to read the others, it was just that good.
Tina Shaw is now a professional organizer who is involved in a relationship with Hank Silver. Hank is some type of a consultant with the Newport, Rhode Island police department. Tina lives back home with her mother Laura and her Great Uncle Bob. Tina's best friend Leslie calls her after midnight, frantic with fear because she hears odd thumping sounds in her attic. Tina and Leslie check out the attic, but other than it being filled with furniture and boxes, they don't see any signs of paranormal activity. The house is old, it belonged to Leslie's Aunt Margaret, and Leslie inherited when her Aunt passed away. In the light of day the girls begin to explore the attic and love the treasures they discover. They do hear odd sounds and this leads Tina to research some of the older houses in the area. The discovery leads to hidden rooms and passageways and family secrets others feel were best left forgotten. The story was so detailed and well written, I found myself eager to find the hidden truths. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written cozy mystery.