Ghost and Found

Reaper Witch #4

by Elle Adams, Sarah Kempton (Narrator)

Welcome to Hawkwood Hollow, where the dead outnumber the living.

Life as a ghost-hunting witch is never dull. When Maura's date with Detective Drew Gardener is cut short after the body of a shifter shows up in a local park, she finds herself tasked with finding the shifter's ghost. Unfortunately, things are never that simple.

First, the shifter's ghost doesn't show up. Then Maura finds herself in charge of training a new coworker at the inn as well as helping the local ghosts with their various problems. With tensions rising among factions of the local werewolf pack, this isn't the best time for Maura to get involved in solving a murder, too…especially as the pack has no confidence in her ability to help them.

As the plot thickens, Drew's life ends up under threat, and Maura refuses to back down. The slight issue is that her Reaper powers are acting up, and she's starting to worry that her early retirement will end in an early grave.

Can Maura fix the situation and catch a killer, or will the next ghost she sees be her own?

Genres: Audiobook, Mystery, Fantasy, Paranormal, Cozy Mystery, Magic, Ghosts

Audible Audio

First published July 13, 2021

About the author

Elle Adams lives in the middle of England, where she spends most of her time reading an ever-growing mountain of books, planning her next adventure, or writing. Elle's books are humorous mysteries with a paranormal twist and tons of magical mayhem.

She also writes urban and contemporary fantasy novels as Emma L. Adams.

Reviews

[Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining paranormal urban fantasy murder mystery. #4 in the Reaper Witch series about Maura the half-reaper/half-witch and her ghost twin brother.

Maura and Drew's date is interrupted by the discovery of a dead shifter in a shifter park. The victim was about to enter into a marriage with a prominent shifter of another faction, in an effort to settle tensions in the pack. His death makes those tensions worse, and detective Drew has to figure out how to ask hard questions of his pack's chief. Then a second body turns up, but the pack cares more about a witch being in their territory than they do about the fact that she's dead. Maura wants to help Drew by talking with the ghosts of the two victims, but she can't find them. She can't find the ghosts, she didn't feel them die, and her shadows aren't working for her like they should, making her fear she's losing her reaper powers.


Allie and Carrie don't have as much of a role in this book as they have in the previous ones. Allie still needs to find a bartender to replace the inn's former one, and thinks she has a good bet in a former resident of Hawkswood Hollow, Gia. Gia is a witch about the same age as Maura, and, to Mort's delight, Gia can see and hear him. Gia left town several years back, driven out by the former coven leader, Mina.

Drew asks Maura to help him find out who killed Davey the shifter and Belinda the witch by contacting their ghosts. The shifters are offended when Drew brings Maura with him into shifter territory to question people. Drew and Maura interview the pack Chief, his wife, and his younger daughter Shawna, who was due to marry Davey in another week. The Chief and Shawna are both rude and hostile, but reveal that it was the Chief's idea to have Shawna and Davey marry. Davey's family was against it, but Davey was in love with Shawna and agreed.

Next Drew and Maura made the first of many visits to the Chief's older daughter Tessa, who lives by herself a little north of town on an old farm. Tessa is not on good terms with her dysfunctional family, but she's able to cast some light on the people involved.

Davey's parents don't want to let any witches examine his body to find the cause of death. When they finally agree, the determination is that Davey died of hemlock poisoning. But how on earth does someone force a healthy shifter to take poison? Belinda has no family to object to an examination, and she is determined to have also died of hemlock poisoning. But then Belinda's body vanishes from the morgue. Who would steal her body? And to what end?

Mina's lackeys, led by Marie and Angela, are still hoping for her return, and their animosity towards Maura is bottomless. When Maura can't find the ghosts of the two victims with her reaper skills she wants to seek them through her witch powers. Problem is, doing it that way requires some specific herbs, and the apothecary is still closed. The only other source of the herbs is the coven's headquarters, but they won't let Maura in, even though they're supposed to allow any witch in need to get herbs from their stores.

Maura tries to open the door and enter anyway, but she gets a sudden shock from the handle. She then tries to shadow walk through the front door of the headquarters, but fails. When Drew backs up Maura's request for the herbs Marie tells Drew the coven hasn't been getting any herb supplies since Mina's departure. When Gia hears this she is convinced Marie is lying, so Maura and Gia sneak in to the coven's headquaters to raid their supply room. There they find that the coven's members have removed all the necessary ghost summoning herbs and hidden them somewhere else.

Maura's reaper skills have been glitchy and keep failing her, making her worry that she is losing her reaper powers. She didn't feel either Davey or Belinda's deaths, and she can't summon their ghosts. Maura doesn't know if she can't find the ghosts she seeks because she's lost her ability, or because they already passed on.

On another visit to Tessa's farm Maura finds a buried bag. Inside the bag are all the herbs she needs to summon ghosts, as well as some other herbs that aren't used for ghost summoning. Maura knows the other herbs are used to create a spell that puts people into a really convincing state of apparent death. When Maura is still unable to summon the ghosts of Davey and Belinda, even with the herbs, she begins to think that maybe Davey and Belinda never died in the first place.

The situation is coming to a crisis on a full moon, when wolf shifters have a harder time keeping a clear head. Will any of them listen to Maura long enough for her to explain that the murders are fake? Gia guesses that Maura's reaper skills are being blocked by a spell, and casts a hex-removal spell on her. With her reaper abilities back Maura is more confident about facing hostile shifters.

Maura can't reach Drew, and decides something has happened to him. She takes Gia with her on a shadow walk to wherever Drew is, and finds him in wolf form locked in a cage in the fields near Tessa's house. The witches are doing some kind of flashy spellcasting nearby, likely trying to communicate with Mina.

It turns out that Marie and her cronies pushed Belinda into using the sleeping spell on Davey so the shifters would think he was dead. Their plan was to get the pack caught up with infighting so they wouldn't notice or care what the witches were up to. Drew and the police would focused on the pack. Maura would be hexed and unable to use her reaper powers to interfere. This would free the witches to spellcast without being caught. "Killing" Belinda served to keep her mouth shut and to muddy the waters further.


I found this volume to be entertaining and absorbing. I did not foresee the ending, which is always a pleasure. If you've enjoyed Maura's previous adventures you'll likely enjoy this one as well. I would recommend beginning the series with #1, but I don't think it would be too confusing to begin with #4. Adams gives enough explanation of who people are to keep a new reader from being lost.

I listened to it as an audiobook, read by Sarah Kempton. 5 hrs 15 min. Sarah does a very good job of differentiating voices among the main characters, partly through using varying British accents. She has a pleasant voice and is easy to listen to.

Please forgive any misspellings of names. By listening instead of reading I was unable to see the author's chosen spellings.

[Mike Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining urban fantasy/cozy mystery style series

This is an entertaining urban fantasy/cozy mystery style series. It leans more urban fantasy but with a touch of cozy mystery. A great cast of characters and an entertaining storyline. A young woman who is half which half Grim Reaper. At one time she was a reapers apprentice as well as her brother until one day her brother was killed and against reaper policy she bound his spirit to her. From then on she left the Reaper counsel and was bouncing around dead end job to dead end job and randomly helping people out with issues concerning ghosts. Then one day she got a job to help with a poltergeist and in doing so finds a new home in a supernatural town where the local Reaper gave up more than two decades ago and the town is full of ghosts as well as other supernatural‘s. The town is a bit out-of-the-way and the Reaper counsel has not noticed. She gets a job at a local hotel/restaurant where she works with the owner and her daughter. She than goes around dealing with issues with ghosts and solving other mysteries including murders on occasion. Her boyfriend is the local chief of detectives/chief of police. Together they look and do many different crimes and mysteries. A fun and entertaining series. Check it out

[Amanda Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maura's losing her powers..

As chaos breaks out in the werewolf pack when Davey, who is about to marry the chief's daughter in an attempt to join two factions of the pack, is murdered Maura's powers dessert her. She can't call up Davey's ghost and is parents refuse to hand over his body for investigation.

As the facts about the engagement come out it's looking more likely that the chiefs family are somehow involved especially when another death occurs, Belinda, a rather aimless "seer", is also found dead in werewolf territory.

With the remaining members of the coven refusing to give Maura the potion ingredients to call either ghost and her powers weakening by the hour how is she going to prove who killed the victims? And with a full moon about to occur the werewolves are no help being quick to blame each other. Maura needs her powers back fast.

[bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moira is back and causing trouble… this time with the werewolves. When a pack member turns up dead her boyfriend and police detective, Drew, enlists her help. However it seems more is at play with this crime and Moira’s witchy senses are tingling.

I continue to love this series. It might be slowly getting higher in my favourites than the library witch mysteries (which I love!). Moira and her ghost brother, Mart, play the best and comedic sleuthing duo and always make me laugh.

I really liked how this one ties into the coven and it is clear there is more going on… especially with the disappearance of ex-coven leader. I can’t wait for the next one.

[Miss W Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost and Found is Book 4 in the Reaper Witch Series by Elle Adams.
I LOVE this series. Maura is half witch, half reaper.
This story was great as we got to learn more about the shifters in town.
Something wonky is happening with Maura's reaper powers and
the coven that isn't a coven is up to mayhem .

This was as great story which wonderful characters.

The author has a talent for great world building .

I enjoy the relationship between Maura and Drew and how they work together.

I highly recommend this book and start with the first book you will LOVE it too.

[Mychael O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elle Adams Strikes Gold

In this latest installment, Chief of Police, Drew, asks for Maura’s assistance in investigating the murder of a werewolf. Unfortunately, Maura’s reaper powers are on the fritz, and she can’t figure out why. There are plenty of twists and turns in this latest whodunnit from Elle Adams. You won’t be able to put the book down!

[Angela Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good use of magic

I'm enjoying this series, although Maura doesn't show herself to her best advantage this time around. Jia looks to be a good addition because she comes with so many question marks! And the reader can be assured of a strong archenemy when Mina's presence is felt even in her absence. The mystery yields several surprises, and I anticipate many more.

[Judi Easley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of fun...

This series has turned out to be a lot of fun. Maura is a half witch-half Reaper, so she's an outsider to both groups. Now she's dating a werewolf who happens to be the chief of police. She's already caused the disbanding of the local coven. And it looks like the werewolves might end up in a war because of her this time. Who will she take on next? Recommended.

[Mrs. Garen L. Herd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Book 4 finds Maura with a new friend and co-worker and the local witch coven is really acting sneaky. There are murders, mystery, plenty of danger, magic, shifters, witches, ghosts, and humor. Highly entertaining.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series. Escpecially Mort as annoying ghost is fun.
This time there are problems with the werewolves and of course the witches are in the middle of things. Maura is helping Drew with his investigation and loses part of her Reaper skills.
Entertaining read.

[altheah Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A New Friend and a Good Friend all in One

The length people will go,for the wrong reasons. The plot twists where great did not see them coming. A good lesson in things are not what they appear to be.Great read ,great characters,And her brother is funny.

[Donna Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read!

Another fun read from Elle Adams! Maura once again runs afoul the local coven while trying to solve a murder, although the body seems to be missing. I cannot see what Maura gets up to next.

[JANE VAN HORN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This is another great book in the Reaper Witch series by Elle Adams. I can't wait for the next book.

[Lois Alston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story

The reaper working with the police trying to solve what they think are two murders. But in reality are just scams done by the witches.

[Matthew Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed

Your stories are excellent and the characters,humor and mystery are fascinating and fun to read and I am looking forward to your next book.

[stephanie huntington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and engaging

[Krista Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Another great read by Adams. Cute story and characters. Can't wait to read more from this author. Funny little town

[Doreen Tuell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read!

I really liked this story. It was followed with witches and reapers, werewolves and ghosts, murder and mystery, magic and a bit of snark.

[Carol J. Carman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home run

I love the story of Maura, a dealer/witch and her shifter, Chief of Police, boyfriend. The intrigue of the leaderless coven continues

[lisa langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok

Drew was dark haired not blonde in book 2 mentioned he was different to usual werewolf he had darker hair

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good series. This book, however, reminded me of a dog chasing it's tail. Same old stuff over and over again. Slow burn is barely warm. Resolve something, anything, please.

[Kym · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unbelievable

It should not take me a week to read this book but its to the point that its annoying. As the saying goes 'the blind leading the blind'

[Stephen Levesque · Rating 5 out of 5]

his is a well written and has well developed characters. The story is catching and with the strong characters makes for a very enjoyable read. Very entertaining! Great Reading Everyone!

[Sheri Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. I'm really seeing the potential that this series could go on for a very long time (fingers crossed).

[Sandra Tonkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

Mayhem and mischief. People, behaving badly. The bad witches are at it again but all is well in the end

[jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

To me once I started all of Elles ghost books I could not put the books down. A must series to read.

[Suzanne Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

One to the next reaper witch book

[Patricia Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book

The plot lines are interesting and kept you guessing. I guessed wrong! The characters are fun and continue to grow.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

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