REVIEW: Ghost Layer by Robin D. Owens

In Ghost Layer (Ghost Seer #2) by Robin D. Owens, Former accountant Clare Cermak has been enlisted to use her new gift as a ghost seer to help spirit J. Dawson Hidgepath figure out his death and finally move on. She is reluctant to acknowledge her ability, which she inherited from her aunt, as Clare has already encountered people who doubt her. One such person was Zach Slade, her…boyfriend, for lack of a better term. He believes in her ability now since he’s had several experiences he can’t dispute. Zach’s training as a former cop, now private investigator, has come in handy since coming into Clare’s life with all the crazy situations they’ve found themselves in.

‘He was her solid set point in a tornado, the man who offered heat to offset the cold that was now her life. And for all the darkness and sadness the ghosts infused in her when she helped them pass on, Zach gave her earthly vitality.’

Still struggling to figure out what what is going on between them, Clare and Zach begin the investigation for her client Mr. Laurentine, a multimillionaire who keeps finding bones laying in weird places in his historic home. They know the culprit is J. Dawson, the charming male ghost who is unable to leave this world quite yet. But it seems as soon as Clare steps foot onto Mr. Laurentine’s property, someone or something is out to harm her. Zach’s protective nature goes into overdrive as they sort through the facts and hope they can finish the case in one piece.

‘Somehow they needed to catch their balance in this…relationship. Figure out where they were going, or wanted things to go. He was too deep into this affair, the more-than-an-affair already, in just two weeks.’

Ghost Layer is the fast paced sequel in Robin Owens’ Ghost Seer paranormal romance series. This time Clare and Zach are faced with a new case to solve while they try to define their fledgling relationship.

I was really looking forward to book two after getting to know Clare, Zach, and Enzo in the previous novel. I again enjoyed Clare’s unique gift, being able to see and help spirits move on to what comes next. She had a lot of growing pains here, though, as she was still learning more about what she was capable of. Clare seemed to have a more closed off attitude about her abilities where she wasn’t comfortable with people scrutinizing her. Unfortunately, she came across as prickly or difficult to her client, Mr. Laurentine. He was one of those characters that I loved to hate. He was just so smarmy and obnoxious. I honestly didn’t blame Clare for giving him attitude. lol

Zach was still his serious, brooding self, denying his own “gift”. Although, we learn more about its origins in this book as well as what it means. I think he actually had more personal growth this time than Clare did. He began to accept his new job as a private investigator, plus Zach started to better understand how deeply he cared for Clare. For some reason, the dialogue didn’t seem to flow as smoothly as it did in book one, but I’m not sure if it was just the tension between our protagonists or something else. The secondary characters were once again very solid and played a big part in the plot. Enzo, her spirit guide in the form of a ghost dog, was just as energetic and spunky as ever, having both some very funny and quite serious moments with Clare and Zach.

I think paranormal fans will enjoy these quirky characters while they solve the mystery of what happened to J. Dawson. It was entertaining and unique.

Book Info:

Published September 2nd 2014 by Berkley | (Ghost Seer #2)

What lies beneath…

Clare Cermak’s adjusting to a new man in her life—and a lot of ghosts. The passing of Clare’s aunt gave way to a sizeable inheritance of not only money, but also the ability to communicate with the dead. At the same time, she met Zach Slade, a private detective with a rough past, and just like Clare, he’s not yet ready to accept her gift—or his own.

But Clare has another matter to look into. A multimillionaire needs her help after relocating an old ghost town to his mountain estate. The bones of a murdered prospector are making nightly appearances in his guests’ beds. When the gold miner’s ghost contacts Clare, she promises to help find the name of his killer—but someone doesn’t want the past revealed and might find her first…