Book Review: Relatively Dead

Relatively Dead is about Abigail who has just moved to the Boston-area with her boyfriend. She goes on a house tour one day and begins seeing what can only be described as flashes of the past. Not only does she see them, but she feels what the people in her visions are going through whether it be sorrow, joy, or whatever. With the help of her new friend, Ned, she sets out to find who these people are and what the visions mean to her life.  

I can't really decide how I feel about this book. There wasn't anything wrong with it other than I feel like something was left out or I missed something. I'm just not satisfied with the outcome or lack of explanation about why Abigail sees these things or why these people and events were showing themselves to her. I have a hard time even classifying this book as a mystery, even though Sheila Connolly usually writes in the cozy mystery genre. It's like, sure there were mysterious elements there, but they really didn't propel the book. Abigail does spend a big part the book trying to solve the issues at hand, but it just didn't have the tensity of "this needs to be solved" like most mysteries do. This book could have actually been really great if there was more background story about the people in her visions. 

Sheila Connolly is kind of a so-so author to me, but I do think this book was a little better than the other two that I read from her. When I say so-so, I just mean she's a good author and storyteller, but for some reason I never really make a connection with her characters. The other books I read from her were One Bad Apple (Orchard Mystery #1) and Through A Glass, Deadly (A Glassblowing Mystery #1) which she wrote under the name Sarah Atwell. When I read those books I didn't realize that both authors were the same person, but I read them close together and remember thinking both main characters seemed like the same person. So, it makes perfect sense both authors are the same person. 

So, I don't know, I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars even though I am leaning more towards 2 stars. But, I'm going to give that extra 'pity star' because I'm just nice like that and this book wasn't horrible and it did have an unique premises, I just wish it was executed in a slightly more intriguing manner.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Beyond The Page in exchange for an honest review.