REVIEW: Ghost Maker by Robin D. Owens

In Ghost Maker (Ghost Seer #5) by Robin D. Owens, Accepting the fact that she is a ghost seer, something that is passed down in her gypsy family, has been challenging enough for former accountant Clare Cermak. But she didn’t realize the danger it would bring to her life or to that of her boyfriend Zach Slade. Still reeling emotionally and physically from her last case, she knows she needs to find the ghost healer who can assist her in repairing the damage an evil ghost did to her spectral self. Easier said than done, though, when Clare is also helping Zach with his latest case to find a missing boy…before evil can find him first.

‘She blinked several times and leaned against Zach. No, she wasn’t dependent on him. He helped her when she needed help; she helped him when he needed it. The best of all partnerships, friends and lovers.’

Zach would lay his life on the line to protect Clare, but there was nothing he could have done to prevent her from being harmed by an evil entity on her last case. And he hates that part of her job. But he’s determined to find a way to get her healed, even as he jumps headfirst into a new case for a missing street kid. What they uncover as they sort through the leads is a killer on the loose in Manitou Springs, threatening the lives of local teenagers. With the help of his police contacts, a ghostly former nun, and his coworkers at Rickman Security, Zach, Clare and her ghost dog Enzo will have their hands full as they hope for a good outcome.

‘He sucked in a slow breath and let it out. Think positive. They would find the ghost healer and he’d fix Clare’s wound fast and easy.’

Ghost Maker was another interesting installment in Robin D. Owens’ Ghost Seer series. This time around, Clare, Zach and Enzo had to scurry around to find a way to heal Clare’s supernatural wounds and locate a missing street kid before a killer could get to him.

I really like the world Owens has created for this series and it seems like with each installment the characters–as well as the readers–learn something new. There were a lot of little tidbits of information that Zach, Clare and Enzo uncovered in this story that will help them understand their ‘gifts’ more. And that will help them on future cases, of course. I love the learning process they’ve been immersed in. It makes the story seem more realistic that they’ve had to figure things out as they go and that they started from a more skeptical frame of mind.

For some reason, I had a little trouble with the dialogue being disjointed and had to read over some passages again to get the meaning of the conversation. Owens tends to write characters as you would expect them to sound: short and specific for Zach where he’s a former cop; detailed and concise for Clare, the former accountant. But it didn’t have the flow I’m used to here. Other than that, I was very happy with the way Zach and Clare’s relationship is beginning to feel solid and permanent. Although they’ll have some growing pains and need to compromise along the way, which will keep things interesting. But thankfully that sweetness of a new romance as well as the intense passion they felt for each other was still very much apparent.

A good dose of supernatural entities, a new relationship being tested, and the hunt for a killer made Ghost Maker a solid story to read. I can only imagine what’s next for Clare and her eclectic group of friends.

Book Info:

Publication: Published October 18th 2016 | by InterMix | Ghost Seer #5

Clare Cermak has a gift for speaking to ghosts of the Old West, but in the latest from the author of Ghost Talker, she may soon join their ranks…

With Clare’s health fading, she and her partner—the love of her life—detective Zach Slade, head to Manitou Springs, Colorado, in search of the only healer who can help them: the ghost of Sister Juliana Emmanuel, whose healing skills live on in the afterlife.

Unfortunately for Clare, the nun’s ghost is elusive, and the town is teeming with spirits who all want to speak with Clare—newer ones, street kids who’ve been killed and want their bodies found and their murders avenged.

Now, with the help of Zach and Sister Juliana, Clare must find the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she will face an evil that could destroy everything she and Zach hold dear—including their love…