Keira is ready for her life to return to normal. Though, to be fair, normal is a tall ask when your ability to see ghosts has landed you the job of groundskeeper in a small town’s cemetery.
When Keira receives an invitation to dinner at Dane Crispin’s crumbling ancestral estate, she knows she can’t refuse. The last living descendant of the Crispin family is reclusive. Keira only met him once…on the night he tried to kill her.
The mansion is steeped in history that is equal parts complicated and bloody. Keira senses the presence of restless spirits the moment she steps through its door. And Dane, waiting for her inside, wants to ask for her help.
Although I missed the first book (I read book two and this is the third) in this series, that hasn’t prevented me from keeping up with what went on. The author does a good job of including details that bring the reader up to speed.
I recently read that Coates’s books can be categorized as cozy horror/paranormal. To me, cozies are those mysteries with adorable covers (especially when cats are included) and clever titles. When I read the reasoning behind it being classified that way, it made sense. There’s a mystery, a paranormal element, humor (seriously, Zoe should moonlight as a comedian), and no gore. I think even non-horror fans could appreciate this series.
A lot of things are happening in this novel. There’s progress in the ongoing story arc of who Keira actually is. She learns more about Artec and why she’s on the run from them. Mason’s reason for leaving medical school in his last year is revealed. And Dane Crispin may not be the baddie he seems – he may just be misunderstood. Considering he tried to kill Keira the last time they met, she takes a leap of faith in accepting his dinner invitation and helping him.
The slow burn romance, I’m talking glacier pace here, between Mason and Keira continues. Apparently they need to be hit over the head (maybe by Zoe, who has no filter) to realize how the other feels, because it seems obvious to everyone else. Harry, a very…eccentric character, also gets more page time, and I adore his dry humor.
This isn’t the last book, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next one. If you’re a fan of eerie, atmospheric books with a mystery, you can’t go wrong with this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Books and Such 
Excellent review, Teri.
The description grabbed me the second it said, “Keira only met him once…on the night he tried to kill her.”
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And then she accepts his dinner invitation. Kind of makes you wonder what kind of crazy she is, lol.
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I really like books in this niche and have never been able to describe what they are cozy horror is a very good way to describe them, thank you for that, and this review because I am not good at finding these unique and very amazing reads. The best thing about this sub-genre, in my humble opinion at least, is that allows the reader to follow the mental journey of the character, an introspection into the development of the human being, which I think is what gives the cozy feel. I like your review a lot. You are the first one able to describe this sub-genre well enough to put a name to it, and for that I am grateful to you. I feel like this will help me find more like this one. I will keep an eye out for this.
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Well, I can’t take credit for giving a name to it (I came upon it while looking for cozies for a book club), but I think some of this author’s books fall into that subgenre. Glad you enjoyed the review, and thanks for visiting!
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Thank you again, as well. I will check back again later, I love your blog.
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“Apparently they need to be hit over the head,” haha, sometimes people in real life, too, are clueless about their own attractions! Good review, Teri!
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You’re right about that, Priscilla, lol. Guess that makes these characters very believable.
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This sounds appealing. I love the idea of a good creepy mystery, minus the gore. Excellent review, Teri!
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Thanks, Mae! I could see you enjoying this series and maybe several of her other books. Not sure if you’ve read Coates before.
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I have one or two on Kindle but need to catch up with them!
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Thanks for sharing this one, Teri. Sounds like a great read!
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It’s a captivating paranormal mystery that moves along at a good pace, Jan. A pretty quick read.
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I haven’t read creepy mysteries so far. This sounds really good. Excellent review, Teri!
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Maybe you’re meant to give it a try, Yesha – thanks!
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Thanks for your mindful review, Teri. Admittedly, I’m not much of a horror fan, so it was very helpful. The cover looks like a lot of fun. I think I’ll really enjoy this series. Hugs.
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I could see you enjoying this, Teagan. I didn’t mention that there’s an awesome cat that’s sometimes smarter than the humans around her. I think Daisy is her name? She adopted main character Keira.
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I’ve been tossing the idea around in my head of having one of Lilith’s kittens (with the dragon daddy) come into the Atonement serial. If I do, then she would have a non-dragon but supernatural trait.
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This is a fantastic idea! Lilith’s progeny – love it.
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This series seems to check a lot of my boxes, oddly enough. Hmmm.
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Maybe it’s time for you to check out Coates, Craig. She has an extensive backlist and is continuing with this series.
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Cozies have very strict criteria. It sounds like this one may fit into that classification or it may be more of a soft-boil (which is a mystery classification that has largely disappeared) I loved my class on Women in Mysteries in college but it has made me very uptight when people miss use cozy to describe a book 😂. I will learn to let it go eventually…maybe 🤦🏻♀️. Excellent review!
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Thanks, Tessa! Our book club assignment a couple months ago was to read a cozy (we don’t all read the same book, just choose one that matches the theme for that month). I never knew there were subgenres of cozies out there, so it was a nice surprise. I remember soft-boil mystery categories, but haven’t heard of a book falling into that genre for a while. I think you’re right about it disappearing.
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I don’t normally read horror, but cozy horror might work for me.
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It wouldn’t be a bad place to start if you wanted to delve into cozy horror, Wendy. Some light chills, but no gore.
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“Apparently they need to be hit over the head (maybe by Zoe, who has no filter) to realize how the other feels,” bwahahahaha! You had me laughing so hard with that line Teri!
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Glad I could amuse you, Sophie, lol. It’s the definition of a slow burn romance for sure.
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This sounds appealing. I love the idea of a good creepy mystery, minus the gore. Excellent review.
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Some readers try to steer away from the gore, so it’s nice there are still books like this out there. Thanks for visiting, Tyler!
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