When Axe Cooper is murdered while picking up Chinese takeout, he’s pretty irritated about the loss of a good dinner, not to mention being dead. Not prepared to move on just yet, Axe decides to stick around and haunt his best friend Lily Chan while trying to figure out why anyone would kill a janitor. In the meantime, Axe is hired by The Ghost Post to track down recently deceased writers.
As he learns more about his new phantom friends, Axe realises that his murder is not an isolated event and that if he doesn’t learn to fly like Superman, Lily could be next.
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I've been a writer since I could hold pen to paper, which is a lot longer than I care to admit. I live in Kenya with my family and other animals. When I'm not writing, I pretend to work as an environmental consultant.
Where else can you find a story that centers around Chinese food and cowboys? This story was a fun read. It was very fast. My only complaint was that it was too short. There was one point in the story where the author missed a key point that she specifically brought up, but then appeared to have forgotten about it later, making me wonder why she brought it up in the first place as it was a little bit confusing. Hence, it didn’t get five dragons.
Outside of that one confusing detail, or lack thereof, the story itself was very fast paced, and flowed pretty smoothly. The characters were easy to relate to. The scene was set very well without being over done, and Ms. Ehsani kept humor in a story that would otherwise be very morbid and dark without taking away the seriousness of the conflict.
My favorite character *she opens the book and starts digging into it* was Lee who is a no nonsense woman of the living who was a friend of the recently diseased. She has the ability to help him after his untimely demise. She soon becomes a favorite of the local haunts as they realize she can see them. She comes across as a slightly cantankerous, no nonsense, get-to-the-bottom-of-things kind of woman. I like her. She has a dry sense of humor, a quick whit, and is a very…entertaining character throughout the entire book.
The main character is believable, but isn’t necessarily the traditional good guy. However, he makes a very good protagonist.
The assistant on the diseased side ,by the name of Shadow, does not really have a defined “side” (good vs evil). He’s a little bit of both with a wicked sense off humor who basically only shows up if there is going to be some sort of *thinking face* problem. *devilish gleam* He likes to stir the pot a little . But he’s not the bad guy. He does have good advice. He just likes to antagonize the situation…*nose wrinkle*…for the fun of it.
All in all, the story is an interesting take on what happens after you die. The options that are available, and some of the paths that you may take. But who knew you could have a job after you died? I don’t really know what the payment is, but it’s interesting. LOL!
The one thing that really caught my attention about the author is that she’s originally from South Africa, she’s currently in Kenya, and the story is in Vancouver. She did a really amazing job of creating the people, and the setting of the people of Vancouver without having to go to any kind of extreme. I would guess that she’s been there with as well as she portrayed the city. I was was very impressed with how to the book came out overall, and look forward to the next book in the series. I just hope the next one’s a little bit longer.
I did really enjoy this book as Axe is neither an empty-headed chest beating alpha, or someone who suddenly develops Sherlock-like powers and solves the whodunit with an unlikely clue and a snap of his fingers - he comes of as being a realistic guy [aside from the whole being dead thing]. I also liked that the secondary characters were interesting enough to carry me through the more bog standard tropes in the plot.
This will either be a love it or hate it issue, but I really enjoy the lack of detail and world building - it really puts the readers into the mindframe of Axe, who is himself learning facts and developing skills as he goes. Nothing comes easily, which adds more realism to things.
However the lack of extra information did also mean that the ending was very abrupt - I wondered if I'd managed to miss a page and went back to check. I hadn't.
Overall; I will very probably buy more books set in this world myself, as I've found myself really wanting to be able to answer the questions I've been left with. Despite the sometimes more standard elements I do like the main characters, the mix of crime and mystery in the plot, and I am eager to get to know the rest of the cast a bit more in future entries to this series.
Often when I’m looking over the shelves for a new book to read, the title of the book is the first thing that captures my attention. I like book titles that make me pause and wonder what the book could possibly be about. In reading the title before the synopsis, I try to get a feel of what the author is trying to convey. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m not so right. The title Lethal Takeout captured my attention and imagination. Just reading the title made me wonder, what could be lethal about takeout. Is it the food that’s lethal or the delivery? As I read this book by talented author, Vered Ehsani, all my questions were answered. Lethal Takeout is the first book in The Ghost Post Mystery series. Now the main character Axe Cooper (cool name right?) is having a really bad day. It’s raining, he just dropped his Chinese takeout he was planning to have for dinner and share with his friend, and oh yeah he’s also just been murdered. Axe Cooper and friends must find who murdered him and why. He must also right any wrongs he committed or he will lose his memories of who he is and be earthbound forever. Or at least that’s what the “winged freaks” told him when he refused to go into the tunnel of light. So with his gang of new ghost friends and his old friend, Lee, who sees dead people, Axe embarks on solving the mystery of why he’s newly dead. In solving his own murder, Axe stumbles upon clues to several other deaths that have occurred around Chan’s Chinese restaurant and the law firm where he worked. The characters in the story are likeable and eccentric. They will remind of you people you have met before and may or may not have liked, but definitely left an impression. The storyline is crisp and moves at an enjoyable readable pace. There is humor, which is sometime dark, but will have you chuckling out loud. I truly enjoyed reading Lethal Takeout and look forward to reading the next installment of The Ghost Post Mystery series. This book is suitable for adults and YA. It is available at Amazon for Kindle.
Thanks for reading. Robin bookreviewsbyrobin@gmail.com booksforreviewbyrobin.blogspot.com
I loved the book until I got to the end, and then I felt like flinging it at the wall (which wouldn't have been good for my eBook reader). Up to that point, the story was well plotted and fast paced with interesting characters, lots of Chinese food, and several intriguing problems. And then, the ending goes splat. I expected Axe, Lee, and their friends to have some trouble getting proof for the bad guy's actions, maybe a final confrontation and a fight, but they only talk, someone cries over MSG and voila, they've got the proof they need. That annoyed me no end.
But except from an end that felt like running into a wall that shouldn't have been there, it was a great book. I will try another volume in this series to see if the next one has a better developed ending. If it does, this is a keeper. It's so hard to write humor and the author pulls it off without breaking a sweat.
My favorite Character was Timmy, and I'm still wondering how Axe got his name. So, I've got things to look forward to.
I quite enjoyed this story although in some places it left me a little confused. The main character and his best friend were too much fun to put the book aside, and the riddle of the main character's murder provided enough tension. I liked the way the main character had to learn the ropes bit by bit, and I bet there's still more to learn in future volumes. Well worth the time I spent with it.
Axe Cooper is murdered just after picking up Chinese takeout for him and his friend Lee. He receives the visit of two angels to take him with them but it seems he can’t still go. Axe needs to solve his murder, and in the way, he will also need to solve other murders.
This was a fun and quick listen. The main character in this story is Axe Cooper, a Janitor, also ex-engineer, who is murdered, and the first thing he thinks is that Lee is going to be annoyed by not having dinner. He has a peculiar view of life, and this is translated into the text in various funny and quirky situations. His friend Lee is a no-nonsense person, also janitor, with the ability to see ghosts.
I found the book fast paced and very dynamic. There are multiple side characters making the story rich and entertaining, and although the we don’t know much about how things work, it’s just fine, since Axe doesn’t either, and we discover everything along with him.
I have a small complaint about the book, and it’s the ending. I felt it rushed and not very clear. I expected them to get some proofs about the murderers, and maybe a bit more explicit. It seems there was a great buildup that finally didn’t amount to much.
Steven Jay Cohen’s narration was exquisite. I especially enjoyed how he was able to transmit the characters’ emotions and become Axe in this story. It is also amazing the fact that all characters, and they aren’t a few, were perfectly recognizable with their unique voice and style. The audio production was spotless.
I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook, and I am looking forward to future installments, where we can know more about Axe and Lee.
I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
I was unaware of this book until very recently, and it surprised me in many ways (all of them good). I have read her paranormal steampunk set in early Nairobi and loved them, so I was surprised to see that this is set in current times in Vancouver. I really enjoyed the imaginative turn taken with the afterlife/ghost theme as it is so different from the ordinary yet is written so clearly that my imagination visualized everything easily. The characters certainly are and become real very quickly. I plan to read more in this series because it is so interesting! I have the audio, and I am certain that the soft spoken delivery of Steven Jay Cohen really did add many positives to my enjoyment. I requested and received a free review copy via AudioBookBOOM from the publisher, author, or narrator.
Being shot should not be the highlight of anyone's life yet, in the capable hands of Ms. Vered Ehsani being shot leads to all sorts of, mmmm, interesting possibilities. Tight plotline with no sidetrips to describe a character from hair root to toe tip. We get to know them by either floating beside them or following them about. (You DID see the series title, didn't you?) A ghost story like none you've ever encountered. I also enjoy the accurate urban setting - Vered's trademark. Go ahead and Google the location, if you must. You'll discover that her stories are roadmaps, snapshots of life, and death, on this planet.
Ax Cooper is murdered when he goes to pick up take out food.Where does he go from there?Well,to his friends house.She can see him.She is also possibly next on the killers list.The afterlife is just as busy as the befoe life it seems.Steven Jay Cohen is perfect for the narration.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”
I loved this story !! The style of writing, it's wit and humour. The story moved on and didn't get bogged down nor ever boring. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly to everyone looking for a fun and delightfully entertaining read.
As a former Vancouverite let me say that the book accurately described both the geography and the area descriptions so accurate ! So much so that I really miss Chinatown, but not the rain monsoons.....
I really enjoyed this book. So much so that I'm craving a moment to read the next one in this series! I did find this story a bit short, but excellent with character development. It absolutely leaves you looking for the next adventure this ghostly crew will get up to.
This was a fun story about a man who became a ghost. Axe (the new ghost) found out that he had to right his wrongs so that he wouldn't lose his memories. Very entertaining and easy to read.