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Mary O’Reilly #5
Darkness Exposed
Jeannine appeared in the room across from Mary. Her face was streaked with tears and she was visibly trembling. “Mary, I remembered,” she cried. “I remembered and it was awful.”
The time has finally come for Mary to investigate Jeannine’s murder. As all clues point to someone in Bradley’s old neighborhood, Mary and Ian move in to the former Alden residence and pose as newlyweds to set Mary up as bait for the killer. With Stanley and Rosie at their side, they expose the darkness hidden in the depths of Bradley’s old neighborhood.
The time has finally come for Mary to investigate Jeannine’s murder. As all clues point to someone in Bradley’s old neighborhood, Mary and Ian move in to the former Alden residence and pose as newlyweds to set Mary up as bait for the killer. With Stanley and Rosie at their side, they expose the darkness hidden in the depths of Bradley’s old neighborhood.
282 pages, ebook
First published September 21, 2011
313 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Terri Reid
105 books830 followersTerri Reid is the author of the Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mysteries. An indie author, Reid uploaded her first book “Loose Ends” in August 2010. By the end of 2012, “Loose Ends” had sold over 82,000 copies and, as of the writing of this bio, was the number one bestselling book in Amazon’s ranking of Ghost Stories in the Book/Literature & Fiction/Genre Fiction/Horror/Ghosts section and the number two in the same area in the Kindle eBooks section. She has eight other books in the Mary O’Reilly Series and has enjoyed Top Rated and Hot New Release status for many of them in the Women Sleuths category through Amazon US. Her books have been translated into Spanish and Portuguese and are also now available through CreateSpace and Amazon in print versions. She is also working on an audiobook for “Loose Ends.”
Reid has been quoted in several books about the self-publishing industry, including “Let’s Get Digital” by David Gaughran and “Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors” by Claire and Tim Ridgway. She was also honored to have some of her works included in A. J. Abbiati’s book “The NORTAV Method for Writers—The Secrets to Constructing Prose Like the Pros.” She has also had the distinct privilege of guest blogging for Joe Konrath.
Reid is from Northwest Illinois, near the town of Freeport, the home of her fictional characters. Her background is in marketing and public relations. She is married, the mother of seven children, and the grandmother of twenty-three.
She has her grandchildren convinced that she talks to fairies and animals - and they talk back.
Reid has been quoted in several books about the self-publishing industry, including “Let’s Get Digital” by David Gaughran and “Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors” by Claire and Tim Ridgway. She was also honored to have some of her works included in A. J. Abbiati’s book “The NORTAV Method for Writers—The Secrets to Constructing Prose Like the Pros.” She has also had the distinct privilege of guest blogging for Joe Konrath.
Reid is from Northwest Illinois, near the town of Freeport, the home of her fictional characters. Her background is in marketing and public relations. She is married, the mother of seven children, and the grandmother of twenty-three.
She has her grandchildren convinced that she talks to fairies and animals - and they talk back.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
February 22, 2012
The stories are good, the mysteries are good, the clues are good, and so I will keep reading. However, there is a Christian agenda, with a lot of mention given to abstinence. And while some of the jokes are funny, most, along with all of the conversations, are too cutesy, too sweet, slightly childish in tone. The language is too nice, it hurts the stories because it sounds so fake, for instance the harshest term used to describe a man who murdered his wife and three children is "creep." Really? I can think of much better words for a person like that. The violence, the criminals, the injuries sustained by the characters, the dangerous situations, are all in stark contrast to the light, almost silly, speech of the main characters. It's distracting. The editing in the Kindle edition of this book is abysmal too. The margins were all over the place and there were several obvious mistakes repeated throughout. I feel like this author has promise, because I appreciate the clues given to the mystery, and the twists in the outcomes, but it would not hurt the characters to be more true-to-life and speak like grown-ups.
October 4, 2011
I couldn't wait for this book, and Ms. Reid did not disappoint. I read it in two days, it was very good, but it's like brain candy! It left me wanting more...I can't wait to see what happens next. I'm glad that Mary (the main character) doesn't make stupid choices that are totally predictable.
January 2, 2012
This one was one of my favorites. As Jeannine's story unravels, you feel such sadness for the character and what occurred in her final parts of her life. The deeper look as to what occurs behind the exterior walls of suburbia was fascinating. The reveal of Paul Taylor's murderer was a good short read to the overall mystery.
General comment about the books: I must admit that five books in, the romance between Mary and Bradley wasn't as interesting to me. Also, the overuse of "damn" said by every character (general catchphrase?), the constant lone tear that always seems to fall down everyone's cheek, and Mary's perpetual bellowing of her being a trained law enforcement officer got pretty old. I started to roll my eyes whenever that was brought up. We get it...she used to be a cop on the mean streets of Chicago.
"Well, damn."
General comment about the books: I must admit that five books in, the romance between Mary and Bradley wasn't as interesting to me. Also, the overuse of "damn" said by every character (general catchphrase?), the constant lone tear that always seems to fall down everyone's cheek, and Mary's perpetual bellowing of her being a trained law enforcement officer got pretty old. I started to roll my eyes whenever that was brought up. We get it...she used to be a cop on the mean streets of Chicago.
"Well, damn."
June 6, 2016
I can't say that this is the best book in the series, but at least we finally get some closure on the Police Chief, Bradley Alden's missing/murdered wife, Jeannine. Terrifying secrets are revealed about the "good" neighbors living in Bradley's old neighborhood surrounding Jeannine's death. With Jeannine's ghost remembering certain details of what might have happened to her eight years ago, Mary and her new acquaintance, Ian MacDougal (who is a Scottish hottie professor who also sees ghosts and studies the paranormal in conjunction with criminal investigation) pose as a couple moving into Bradley's old home to investigate Jeannine's death.
I can't say that the mystery was very secret after the first encounters with each neighbor occurs. I almost immediately pinpointed the culprit and found it amusing that the rest of the neighbors gave off even creepier vibes as suspects. Nonetheless, it was still an interesting follow-up to the conflict following Bradley for eight years, finally giving closure to his wife's mystery.
On the side, we are given a not-so-distracting side story involving an arsonist. While the two cases do not tie together, there are certain elements concerning idealism, emotion, as well as the supernatural that sort of (if you really want to make that connection) ties the two cases together (not really, but I try because it makes me feel happier).
Once again, as always, my one favorite factor of the Mary O'Reilly series keeping me in enjoyment is none other than the characters. So even if the plot runs flat, I still really enjoy following the world of Mary and all of her companions. I can't say that I'm a hundred percent in like with Bradley Alden (he seems like standard male hero creation, which is fine and safe), but the rest of the men (living or dead) appeal to me so much more than he does. Mike Richards, the fireman ghost kind of takes a slight backseat in this particular story when it seems he can't seem to follow Mary away from Freeport, so I was a little disappointed. He still gets some book time though, so that's not too bad.
Ian turned out to be a delight to have as a new partner for Mary's ghostly investigations with his studies and knowledge as well as the ability to see ghosts as well. What I'm really appreciating is that the author doesn't try to incorporate unnecessary love triangles; Ian has a sweetheart back home in Scotland and he makes rather clear that he is very much in love with his fiancee Gillian. There is no romantic tension show between him and Mary; for instance, when they kiss each other (while it came as a surprise to me that they did it so naturally without hesitation) in front of the neighbors, they both agree that it doesn't feel awkward because there's no spark (like kissing a sibling; though how many people know a pair of siblings to actually kiss each other on the lips?). HOWEVER, I let that one slip by and just contribute it to the author's need to emphasize that there will be no romantic conflict going on to interfere with the resident main couple. While it's a little forced (because who wouldn't feel flustered around a black spandex shirt wearing Scottish professor with an accent and those darned "man boobies"?) I just appreciate that there seems to be no inclination towards a love triangle. Love triangles are one of the few tropes of romances that I really, really don't care for, even if I'll accept it under reasonable circumstances.
While I still love Rosie and Stanley, there are some points in the book where I sort of wished that they weren't trying to portray the meddlesome, nagging grandparent-types. They became too overprotective of Mary (even if for good reason) but those instances didn't seem to really sit as very significant aside from showing that they are indeed Mary's best friends who care for her well-being. But Mary has enough people worrying about her well-being already without her two best friends trying to talk her out of doing things that they darn well know she won't budge from. I'm just saying, as best friends, sometimes even if you know your best friend is doing something stupid, you know that saying something isn't going to change his or her mind at all. Then again, I guess it doesn't hurt to keep trying and being insistent.
Finally, there's Jeannine whom I really found I liked a lot. She had a great personality, young and witty and I found myself thinking that it was a pity that she was both dead AND Bradley's wife. She and Mary had great conversation and understanding of one another and would have made a very interesting pair (in an alternate universe of Mary O'Reilly fun, Jeannine and Mary would have made a great set of best friends).
On an end note about the characters, we get to see Sean O'Reilly a bit more too, but still not enough to satisfy my own wants. I'm almost hoping that Ms. Terri Reid might consider making Sean a main player in one of future projects? Just a thought. I don't know why, but despite not seeing much of him, I really do like this guy -- maybe because he's that ideal protective big brother I've always wished for, or maybe because of the fact that he's protective but not too overbearing, or maybe just because he's got a "sibling-evil" type personality wherein, even though he spends time protecting the baby sister, he doesn't hold back from being the jerk that big brothers can be when teasing for good old sibling rivalry fun.
Of course, I must say, I'm thinking that if not for the straight forward, well-paced progression of these short novels, as well as the emphasis on the mysteries and the supernatural, the characters might fall flat for most readers. What I'm starting to pick up is that, while each character indeed possess their own distinct personalities, they also tend to all have the same personality as well. I'm not sure how to explain it so that it makes sense, but sometimes I feel like the characters are too perfect: everyone has the same justice-seeking idealism, good morale, comprehensible and understanding bantering and witticisms, hero-like qualities... I could go on and without certain defining character traits, such as Mary's stubborn ex-Chicago police tough girl pride, Bradley's overprotective male ego ideals, or even Mike the fireman ghost's smarmy and flirtatious charm, I probably wouldn't be able to tell one voice from another.
This particular trait plays in favor of the Mary O'Reilly world as well as becomes a disadvantage. The disadvantage shows in that it cannot quite stand alone as a unique world full of unique people without the supernatural and mystery elements as well as the author's own witticisms to hold it up. I have never read a book (or five books) where almost every character who is significant to the world is completely likable without any annoying, defining character flaws. Bradley comes a bit close to it, but I overlook that for his love line with Mary. Otherwise, everyone in this universe who has anything to do with Mary and her mysteries are almost too perfect to be true. It's a good thing and a bad thing -- the bad being what I've mentioned already. The good thing about how these characters are created: I love all of them (as I've stated time and time again). There's no harm in following a group of exceptionally likable characters; my own preference is that I really don't care for angsty confrontations if they can be avoided, though I know that a lot of people like that emotional tension between characters. But everyone in this universe like each other within Mary's supernatural mystery investigation clique, which is nice and safe. For one, I don't mind it too much just because then we don't take away from the mysteries by including too many unnecessary relationship conflicts.
Still, the world just seems too perfect, but I guess when you're someone who sees ghosts all the time and have to try to survive the murderers in almost every book, no conflicts among the usual round of characters in your clique is probably a good thing. I know, I'm hard to please and can get a bit contradictory, but the ultimate deal is, I still really, really like this series and will continue to follow the books (and hope that Sean O'Reilly gets to be seen more often).
I can't say that the mystery was very secret after the first encounters with each neighbor occurs. I almost immediately pinpointed the culprit and found it amusing that the rest of the neighbors gave off even creepier vibes as suspects. Nonetheless, it was still an interesting follow-up to the conflict following Bradley for eight years, finally giving closure to his wife's mystery.
On the side, we are given a not-so-distracting side story involving an arsonist. While the two cases do not tie together, there are certain elements concerning idealism, emotion, as well as the supernatural that sort of (if you really want to make that connection) ties the two cases together (not really, but I try because it makes me feel happier).
Once again, as always, my one favorite factor of the Mary O'Reilly series keeping me in enjoyment is none other than the characters. So even if the plot runs flat, I still really enjoy following the world of Mary and all of her companions. I can't say that I'm a hundred percent in like with Bradley Alden (he seems like standard male hero creation, which is fine and safe), but the rest of the men (living or dead) appeal to me so much more than he does. Mike Richards, the fireman ghost kind of takes a slight backseat in this particular story when it seems he can't seem to follow Mary away from Freeport, so I was a little disappointed. He still gets some book time though, so that's not too bad.
Ian turned out to be a delight to have as a new partner for Mary's ghostly investigations with his studies and knowledge as well as the ability to see ghosts as well. What I'm really appreciating is that the author doesn't try to incorporate unnecessary love triangles; Ian has a sweetheart back home in Scotland and he makes rather clear that he is very much in love with his fiancee Gillian. There is no romantic tension show between him and Mary; for instance, when they kiss each other (while it came as a surprise to me that they did it so naturally without hesitation) in front of the neighbors, they both agree that it doesn't feel awkward because there's no spark (like kissing a sibling; though how many people know a pair of siblings to actually kiss each other on the lips?). HOWEVER, I let that one slip by and just contribute it to the author's need to emphasize that there will be no romantic conflict going on to interfere with the resident main couple. While it's a little forced (because who wouldn't feel flustered around a black spandex shirt wearing Scottish professor with an accent and those darned "man boobies"?) I just appreciate that there seems to be no inclination towards a love triangle. Love triangles are one of the few tropes of romances that I really, really don't care for, even if I'll accept it under reasonable circumstances.
While I still love Rosie and Stanley, there are some points in the book where I sort of wished that they weren't trying to portray the meddlesome, nagging grandparent-types. They became too overprotective of Mary (even if for good reason) but those instances didn't seem to really sit as very significant aside from showing that they are indeed Mary's best friends who care for her well-being. But Mary has enough people worrying about her well-being already without her two best friends trying to talk her out of doing things that they darn well know she won't budge from. I'm just saying, as best friends, sometimes even if you know your best friend is doing something stupid, you know that saying something isn't going to change his or her mind at all. Then again, I guess it doesn't hurt to keep trying and being insistent.
Finally, there's Jeannine whom I really found I liked a lot. She had a great personality, young and witty and I found myself thinking that it was a pity that she was both dead AND Bradley's wife. She and Mary had great conversation and understanding of one another and would have made a very interesting pair (in an alternate universe of Mary O'Reilly fun, Jeannine and Mary would have made a great set of best friends).
On an end note about the characters, we get to see Sean O'Reilly a bit more too, but still not enough to satisfy my own wants. I'm almost hoping that Ms. Terri Reid might consider making Sean a main player in one of future projects? Just a thought. I don't know why, but despite not seeing much of him, I really do like this guy -- maybe because he's that ideal protective big brother I've always wished for, or maybe because of the fact that he's protective but not too overbearing, or maybe just because he's got a "sibling-evil" type personality wherein, even though he spends time protecting the baby sister, he doesn't hold back from being the jerk that big brothers can be when teasing for good old sibling rivalry fun.
Of course, I must say, I'm thinking that if not for the straight forward, well-paced progression of these short novels, as well as the emphasis on the mysteries and the supernatural, the characters might fall flat for most readers. What I'm starting to pick up is that, while each character indeed possess their own distinct personalities, they also tend to all have the same personality as well. I'm not sure how to explain it so that it makes sense, but sometimes I feel like the characters are too perfect: everyone has the same justice-seeking idealism, good morale, comprehensible and understanding bantering and witticisms, hero-like qualities... I could go on and without certain defining character traits, such as Mary's stubborn ex-Chicago police tough girl pride, Bradley's overprotective male ego ideals, or even Mike the fireman ghost's smarmy and flirtatious charm, I probably wouldn't be able to tell one voice from another.
This particular trait plays in favor of the Mary O'Reilly world as well as becomes a disadvantage. The disadvantage shows in that it cannot quite stand alone as a unique world full of unique people without the supernatural and mystery elements as well as the author's own witticisms to hold it up. I have never read a book (or five books) where almost every character who is significant to the world is completely likable without any annoying, defining character flaws. Bradley comes a bit close to it, but I overlook that for his love line with Mary. Otherwise, everyone in this universe who has anything to do with Mary and her mysteries are almost too perfect to be true. It's a good thing and a bad thing -- the bad being what I've mentioned already. The good thing about how these characters are created: I love all of them (as I've stated time and time again). There's no harm in following a group of exceptionally likable characters; my own preference is that I really don't care for angsty confrontations if they can be avoided, though I know that a lot of people like that emotional tension between characters. But everyone in this universe like each other within Mary's supernatural mystery investigation clique, which is nice and safe. For one, I don't mind it too much just because then we don't take away from the mysteries by including too many unnecessary relationship conflicts.
Still, the world just seems too perfect, but I guess when you're someone who sees ghosts all the time and have to try to survive the murderers in almost every book, no conflicts among the usual round of characters in your clique is probably a good thing. I know, I'm hard to please and can get a bit contradictory, but the ultimate deal is, I still really, really like this series and will continue to follow the books (and hope that Sean O'Reilly gets to be seen more often).
July 29, 2018
Although the mystery in this one was easy enough to sort out early on, I still enjoyed the ride to the end. For anyone who enjoys Cozy mysteries, and main characters who'd make good neighbors.
October 9, 2013
This book has given me hope for the series. I almost stopped reading the series after the last book, but the last few pages had me pressing the buy-with-one-click before I realized I had flipped the page. This is the book I had been waiting for. It had everything that i love to read wrapped up into one drama, suspense, and a little mystery that the last few had lacked. I would have liked a little more romance but that's always the case with me. There was also more humor than the other books and it was a welcomed change. It's worth reading the others to get to this one. Just hope the author continues on this path and doesn't fall back on old cliches.
Favorite quote;
It's actually a quote by Emily Bronte...
The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow;
But a tyrant spell has bound me
And I cannot, cannot go.
Favorite quote;
It's actually a quote by Emily Bronte...
The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow;
But a tyrant spell has bound me
And I cannot, cannot go.
October 5, 2011
The long awaited 5th book in Terri Reid's series, finds Mary, Bradley, Ian, Stanley, Rosie and the ghost of Jeannine trying to discover just what did happen to Jeannine eight years ago when she disappeared. As Mary becomes more involved by pretending to be married to Ian and expecting their first child, her life is put in danger; and all Bradley can do is sit and watch from the sidelines. All know now that Jeannine was murdered and that it had something to do with where she and Bradley were living and that one of their neighbours may well have been responsible for her death. A brilliant follow up to the earlier novels, and I for one can only hope there will be some more Mary O'Reilly books.
July 2, 2014
These aren't the most well written books but I still can't stop reading the series. I do think the dialogue between the characters is a bit too immature at times, and Rosie seems to get more ditzy in each story but is still a successful Real Estate agent. It also bothered me that everybody, including Jeanine, didn't wonder what happened to the baby? I rated this book a three but I feel that if the author had put in more effort and had a good editor this book could have been a five. I feel as if she is more worried about quantity than quality. I'm still reading the next one though!
November 29, 2016
Okay, I'm starting to lose interest. It really annoys me that the "gang" can solve these mysteries so easily when a trained crime professional couldn't. I'm just not buying it. And why does everyone adore Mary? What a cozy life to have that many people obsessed with your welfare? I'd say the fact that no one wonders about the welfare of the baby once they see a non-pregnant Jeannine ghost is a major oversight. The only reason I'm reading the next book is that I'm looking for a quick read instead of a novel.
January 11, 2014
Another grand paranormal tale from Terri Reid, with new 'skills' for our beloved characters. However, I was once again distracted by the typos, the missing words, the wrong tense, the wrong SEX of the character being discussed! Seriously, I will proofread any & all copies for free!
February 25, 2014
I've got to take a break from this series! The dialogue is so silly between the characters that I spent more time rolling my eyes than being drawn into the mystery. Rosie and Stanley better meet an untimely death soon, or I'll never finish the series.
January 19, 2016
Real life fairy tale
Again the story moves along and is quite entertaining. It also keeps the reader guessing what comes next. There is resolution within the plot and yet the story goes on. Highly recommended!
Again the story moves along and is quite entertaining. It also keeps the reader guessing what comes next. There is resolution within the plot and yet the story goes on. Highly recommended!
January 23, 2014
Another enjoyable read except that Terri Reid has a thing for basements as storage for the macarbe
November 14, 2015
Another great read in this series. Now I need to go back and read book 1.
January 8, 2017
Nice
Aww fairytales are so much fun. I love a good ghost story. I hope Mike gets to stick around for awhile.
On to the next adventure.
Aww fairytales are so much fun. I love a good ghost story. I hope Mike gets to stick around for awhile.
On to the next adventure.
May 26, 2021
Five books in and it is time for closure on the mystery of Police Chief Bradley Allen's wife. Eight years ago, heavily pregnant, she disappeared from their house. He's spent most of the intervening years trying to find her.
If you've made it this far into the series you know that Jeannine Allen, is not only missing, she's dead. The baby? No-one knows.
There's a secondary story concerning a series of local arson attacks, one of which involves a murder, but outside of taking up some pages it's completely redundant. Why it is included is beyond me.
It brings me to note that a series which is mostly cosy in tone is stepping into grounds which a lot of people might find distressing, me among them. Forcible abduction, sexual abuse, use of drugs to establish dependence, etc. This is strong stuff, except that it is mainly diluted as the light tone of the series continues unabated throughout.
There's a very strong hint as to the identity of the criminal about half way through "Darkness Exposed" - in other series you might consider it a red herring but that is not the way things work in the Mary O'Reilly books.
The ending is completely contrived - there is only one person it could possibly be and the local police decision that you can't just go breaking in on people without proof is ridiculous. There's ample proof, they should be rolling out the SWAT teams, calling in the National Guard, etc., rather than letting the author get away with the "boyfriend saves the heroine at the last moment."
Coming up ... where is the now eight-year-old child? Will Mary and Bradley tie the knot so she can finally go past second base?
Terri Reid seems to have it all mapped out, a drip of information and a little development in each book, but I am beginning to lose interest. It's quite well written but the series is a bit like dipping into a box of chocolates, sooner or later you reckon you've had enough (full disclosure, I don't particularly like chocolate, which is one of the things my chocaholic wife loves me for).
While the growing relationship between Mary and Bradley has kept me going this far I feel the series is running out of steam - the plotlines were never great and there's only so far you can go with heavy petting before you lose interest.
I'll probably read one more before making a decision whether to abandon or continue the series.
P.S. The covers continue to be dreadful.
If you've made it this far into the series you know that Jeannine Allen, is not only missing, she's dead. The baby? No-one knows.
There's a secondary story concerning a series of local arson attacks, one of which involves a murder, but outside of taking up some pages it's completely redundant. Why it is included is beyond me.
It brings me to note that a series which is mostly cosy in tone is stepping into grounds which a lot of people might find distressing, me among them. Forcible abduction, sexual abuse, use of drugs to establish dependence, etc. This is strong stuff, except that it is mainly diluted as the light tone of the series continues unabated throughout.
There's a very strong hint as to the identity of the criminal about half way through "Darkness Exposed" - in other series you might consider it a red herring but that is not the way things work in the Mary O'Reilly books.
The ending is completely contrived - there is only one person it could possibly be and the local police decision that you can't just go breaking in on people without proof is ridiculous. There's ample proof, they should be rolling out the SWAT teams, calling in the National Guard, etc., rather than letting the author get away with the "boyfriend saves the heroine at the last moment."
Coming up ... where is the now eight-year-old child? Will Mary and Bradley tie the knot so she can finally go past second base?
Terri Reid seems to have it all mapped out, a drip of information and a little development in each book, but I am beginning to lose interest. It's quite well written but the series is a bit like dipping into a box of chocolates, sooner or later you reckon you've had enough (full disclosure, I don't particularly like chocolate, which is one of the things my chocaholic wife loves me for).
While the growing relationship between Mary and Bradley has kept me going this far I feel the series is running out of steam - the plotlines were never great and there's only so far you can go with heavy petting before you lose interest.
I'll probably read one more before making a decision whether to abandon or continue the series.
P.S. The covers continue to be dreadful.
September 3, 2017
I LOVE this series. In all honesty, I have suffered for years from clinical depression, and was suffering from a very serious downturn. This series helped get me through. The friendship, the camaraderie, the family, the love and laughter, helped tremendously. It was extremely helpful in getting me to that turning point back to me.
I laughed till my belly hurt, then cried until I couldn't see the words. I felt anger and betrayal for those whose journey was suspended. I found redemption, grace, and, most of all, hope. I loved the ghosts/spirits (except for those malevolent ones), the mortals, the story lines and resolutions. I loved the lessons these stories conveyed, and the poignancy with which they were told.
I have several favorite characters, Mary and Bradley (and, by extension, Clarissa), being the foundation. Ian is someone I want to meet, and get to know, and just listen to him talk. Hopefully, he wears the black shirt (but don't tell Gillian I said that...it's strictly platonic, I swear). Mike. Dear Mike. I cried so hard for him for some reason, especially the role he was given. It was a sweetness that I didn't even know i was craving. I love Mike. I want Mike on my side. Always. Rosie & Stanley, such a opposites-attract couple, yet full of love. The O'Reilly clan. Can I move in with them?? Or maybe just visit Ireland with Sean??
I suspended all other reading until I got through the entire series, and feel as though these characters are my friends and family. Please, please, please, give me more!
Note: I would love to give this series 4 1/2 stars, or even 5, but the grammatical and punctuation errors just don't cut it for me. Miss Terri, your writing is superb. Let it be polished until it glows. Let me be your proofreader (beta reader?).
I laughed till my belly hurt, then cried until I couldn't see the words. I felt anger and betrayal for those whose journey was suspended. I found redemption, grace, and, most of all, hope. I loved the ghosts/spirits (except for those malevolent ones), the mortals, the story lines and resolutions. I loved the lessons these stories conveyed, and the poignancy with which they were told.
I have several favorite characters, Mary and Bradley (and, by extension, Clarissa), being the foundation. Ian is someone I want to meet, and get to know, and just listen to him talk. Hopefully, he wears the black shirt (but don't tell Gillian I said that...it's strictly platonic, I swear). Mike. Dear Mike. I cried so hard for him for some reason, especially the role he was given. It was a sweetness that I didn't even know i was craving. I love Mike. I want Mike on my side. Always. Rosie & Stanley, such a opposites-attract couple, yet full of love. The O'Reilly clan. Can I move in with them?? Or maybe just visit Ireland with Sean??
I suspended all other reading until I got through the entire series, and feel as though these characters are my friends and family. Please, please, please, give me more!
Note: I would love to give this series 4 1/2 stars, or even 5, but the grammatical and punctuation errors just don't cut it for me. Miss Terri, your writing is superb. Let it be polished until it glows. Let me be your proofreader (beta reader?).
April 6, 2022
Would get more stars if not for the plot contrivances, arbitrarily stupid behavior, and abysmal lack of research/common sense regarding how drug dosages depend on sex, weight, and age. The amount of drugs it would take to knock out a young, very fit and muscular man would likely kill a woman or an old man. The amount of drugs it would take to safely knock out an old woman wouldn't knock out a young and very muscular man. With the drugs in the drinks the killer had no way of controlling dosage anyway, or controlling for everyone's metabolism. But of course they were somehow all knocked out simultaneously and without any fatalities because magic dentist drugs. Even in the most controlled environments, anesthesiologists sometimes fuck up and/or have to adjust because of unexpected variables.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2019
The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star rating is the editing was awful. The 1st few books in the series were fine but the editing has gone downhill in the last couple with this one being the worst. It's a great series so I will deal with it but I hope the other books are better. This book was the hardest to read because of the subject matter, the things Jeannine (Bradley's wife) had to deal with prior to her death had me cringing. Despite that I think it may be my favorite book so far. Looking forward to the next one.
February 1, 2021
The time has come and we are able to find out what happened to Jeanine.
Mary and her new friend Ian go undercover as a married couple at Bradleys house that he still owns, to discover which of the neighbors did it. Not only that but Mary fakes being pregnant and offers to go under hypnosis to help Jeanine.
I have to say this book finally gave some closures on Bradley, and did cause some tear jearkers in between the chapters. I do have to say I hope we can solve the next mystery of Bradleys child.
Mary and her new friend Ian go undercover as a married couple at Bradleys house that he still owns, to discover which of the neighbors did it. Not only that but Mary fakes being pregnant and offers to go under hypnosis to help Jeanine.
I have to say this book finally gave some closures on Bradley, and did cause some tear jearkers in between the chapters. I do have to say I hope we can solve the next mystery of Bradleys child.
March 26, 2017
Darkness Exposed
What a heart wrenching book. We finally have answers to questions that have been teased and hinted at in the previous books. The story was so fantastic that I couldn't put it down. I just had to know what would happen next. I was surprised by one part of the ending. I was not expecting that. Both mysteries were so well written. Even though there was a lot of heartache, I was so happy with the epiphany that a certain crotchety old man has. I so highly recommended this series for any mystery lover.
What a heart wrenching book. We finally have answers to questions that have been teased and hinted at in the previous books. The story was so fantastic that I couldn't put it down. I just had to know what would happen next. I was surprised by one part of the ending. I was not expecting that. Both mysteries were so well written. Even though there was a lot of heartache, I was so happy with the epiphany that a certain crotchety old man has. I so highly recommended this series for any mystery lover.
March 4, 2019
This one has to be the intense one yet, I love how the whole group has come together to help find the murderer of Jeannie, Bradley's missing wife the torture she went through and then Mary, I think I know where Bradley's daughter is and who she is, I started on book 6 already.I love Ian and hope him and are friendly sexy ghost Mike stick around for awhile, Mike cracks me up. I feel so bad for Mary right now, and I hope she finds her way back in book 6.
February 3, 2024
Tears
Well I have never read a ghost mystery That Brought me to tears . this is a story of People who are close to each other becoming a family with ghosts Working against evil
I think this is the best one out of 5 so far. The others are very good but this one had a little unexplained something.
Well I have never read a ghost mystery That Brought me to tears . this is a story of People who are close to each other becoming a family with ghosts Working against evil
I think this is the best one out of 5 so far. The others are very good but this one had a little unexplained something.
February 16, 2018
The cliffhangers are killing me
Binge reading and my eyes are burning but I gotta have more, finally Jeanine and Bradley get their answers, and after more trials so do Mary and Bradley
Binge reading and my eyes are burning but I gotta have more, finally Jeanine and Bradley get their answers, and after more trials so do Mary and Bradley
March 4, 2018
Scary as heck!
This one freaked me out! Still, a very mysterious plot! I read through it too fast! And now I have to go buy the next one. Cute characters keep me coming back for more!
This one freaked me out! Still, a very mysterious plot! I read through it too fast! And now I have to go buy the next one. Cute characters keep me coming back for more!
May 6, 2018
Finally we know
Finally in book 5, we get closure for Jeannine but it's a horrible story. Bradley trusted the wrong person 8 years ago. Mary saves the day with a little help from her friends.
Finally in book 5, we get closure for Jeannine but it's a horrible story. Bradley trusted the wrong person 8 years ago. Mary saves the day with a little help from her friends.
March 25, 2019
Mary O'Reilly series
Just starting #6. I've put everything else on hold until I finish this series. Wasn't too sure when I saw there were
20 books in the series. Love all the characters and how one book flows into the next. Good clean reading.
Just starting #6. I've put everything else on hold until I finish this series. Wasn't too sure when I saw there were
20 books in the series. Love all the characters and how one book flows into the next. Good clean reading.
June 4, 2019
Such a good story
Love this series. The author did a good job at weaving this mystery (which was more of a mystery than other books so far in this series) but I figured it out. Nice little twists to be to the root of the murder of Jeannine. Fast paced & well written.
Love this series. The author did a good job at weaving this mystery (which was more of a mystery than other books so far in this series) but I figured it out. Nice little twists to be to the root of the murder of Jeannine. Fast paced & well written.
Read
July 18, 2019As I read this series, I see the progress of the author and her writing skills. The books are more substantial than they were at the beginning and it is getting difficult to put them down. Thank you for keeping the storyline fresh and interesting.
March 17, 2023
Solving Jeanine’s murder
This book was very dark because of all Jeanine endured before her death. If you have any triggers, don’t read this one. It was really well done, though, and definitely answers a lot of questions
This book was very dark because of all Jeanine endured before her death. If you have any triggers, don’t read this one. It was really well done, though, and definitely answers a lot of questions
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