Spirits of the Saguaro

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries #3

by Sara Bourgeois

Claire Caldwell has finally settled into her strange new normal. Two months after the Robert Harrison incident, she's learned to trust her spirit fox's warnings and Rosa's ghostly advice as she runs her animal sanctuary in the desert.

But some visitors bring their own darkness to Perdido Springs.

When famous artist Aurora Brightwater arrives to paint the "desert spirits," she brings more than just her canvases and her sparkling laugh. She brings grudges, theft, and a cruelty that hides behind flowing scarves and talk of universal energy. Then Aurora turns up dead in her studio, a palette knife through her heart, and everyone she's wronged becomes a suspect. The artist who steals others' work... dead. The documentary filmmaker who seems cursed... filming everything. The exhausted ex-husband she abandoned... watching from the shadows.

As Claire investigates with her veterinarian boyfriend Sam, she discovers Aurora left a trail of destroyed careers and stolen dreams across the Southwest. But in a town where the dead talk, the dolls in the motel have their own agenda, and something that used to be human roams the desert at night, finding the truth means distinguishing between those who wanted Aurora gone and whoever actually made it happen.

In Perdido Springs, the veil is thin, the spirits are watching...

Welcome back to the desert, where inspiration can be deadly.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary

315 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2025

About the author

Sara Bourgeois is a Midwesterner through and through. She spends her time writing, reading, herding cats, and standing in her driveway during tornado warnings. (You can't see them from the basement.)

Reviews

[Pat Orr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series

I just can’t stop reading these books!
Such vivid detail regarding the area and the wonderful people!
I hope this series has a very long run because I do not want the stories to end!!!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent story and series is one I’m very excited about. And one that’s hard to stop reading once you’ve started.

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Spirits of the Saguaro, the terrific third book in The Haunted Ranch Mysteries by Sara Bourgeois, sees the small Arizona desert town of Perdito Springs still trying to recover from the death of bank manager, Robert Harrison. Harrison was a man who was hated by the town’s residents for his crimes and cruel treatment.

Now a well known artist is coming to town and several people are hoping that her popularity will help them recover their losses and rebuild.

But artist Aurora Brightwater brings more than popularity, she brings antagonism, old hatred’s and divisions with her. And that leads to murder.

Spirits of the Saguaro is a fabulous book. The story went in different directions than I had anticipated, the characters were very well drawn and the side plots are great.

There’s a side story about a filmmaker as well as the plot that’s following the slow burn romance between Claire and Sam.

The entire community, the shops and their owners are very involved, and we’re getting to know each one better as the mysteries play out.

The mystical world of Perdita Springs, which includes the Fox guardian, the ghosts of the ranch, and the mysterious past of the area and mines is a developing element.

This excellent story and series is one I’m very excited about. And one that’s hard to stop reading once you’ve started.

Highly recommended! A real winner.

Cover by Book Covers by Melody

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries (8 book series)
Death Rides The Desert #1
Bones and Cactus Blooms #2
Spirits of the Saguaro #3
Tombstones with a View #4
Body Beneath the Wither #5
Death Waits at Dead Rock #6
Skulls and Sunlit Secrets #7
The Bone Charm #8

[C Cager · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my review in Book 1...

Please, I'm begging you Sara (SB), get an editor. Or, if you already have one, get a Beta reader too. Because someone is missing ridiculous repetitions-phrases repeated not once or twice but several times by more than one character-sometimes to the same people, logical fallacies, and outright contradictions within two pages of each other: the sheriff tells one character not to leave town until he's given permission, and he says he's not going anywhere because he doesn't have anywhere to go; but a page later, one of the people who heard him is asking Claire - the main - does she think he'll really leave. And either SB or Claire is fuzzy on the use of the word 'apparently' or phrases such as '...or so I've heard...', "everybody seems to think/know/feel...' etc. when explaining things that happened in Perdido years ago and therefore Claire can't have first hand knowledge of because she's not a native of the town. As I said before, her characters - human, animal, and possibly a kitsune???? or some spirit force - are great and so is her world building which is why I'm still here. But, I hate constantly being thrown out of the story. If this book had been edited well... at least four stars.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters are hilarious, dangerous, and downright strange and that is just the animals. Claire Caldwell has seen and experienced things most of us have only kidded each other about, ghosts, zombies, and a very intelligent fox. Her veterinarian boyfriend worries about her talking to the animals and to vacant spaces but still loves her. I hope she tells him what is going on soon. He seems like a keeper and someone she needs. The whole series is a strange one, but I suspect that's what keeps a lot of us coming back. It's not quite a horror, but I am glad it isn't because I have had enough of fictional horror to last a lifetime. It's all our waking dreams put down in words and slowly made sense of. That as close as I can come to a description. I do know I will be reading the entire series, eventually, but one book at a time, because it's all I can take, for now.

[Kathy Wortham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do the dead ever die?

She changed the ranch she inherited into a sanctuary for animals. But that wasn't the only thing she inherited. A talent for seeing ghosts, a red fox guardian, a sassy kitchen ghost that liked to cook and a talent for seeing what others didn't. I love these books. There are towns like this, areas of the country like this. Where nothing seems to ever leave, just layers on layers of life reality linger. And its more prevalent in the Southwest.
The author has a way of turning everyday life into semi hilarious mishaps. She also brings alive the small town characters in a way that makes you feel like you're there.

[Sherrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spirits of the Saguaro

Third book in this series…writer has formed characters that I want to visit as the journey continues. Seemingly loose plot has a lot of work aimed at staying on track in a way that allows subplots to enter and exit effortlessly. Humor regarding the characters brings out the human side. El Diablo, Harry, Potato keeping Luis in good clean TicToc fodder 😉
Why are artists dying? Why steal the techniques of other artists? Who is Aurora Brightwater working with in her plan to be “the artist guided by the Universe”? What is really up with shadows and ghosts?
Now waiting for the next episode!

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire needs her own time

Claire is invited into another murder mystery. She is just trying to live her life and some alone time with Sam. However the ghost won’t stop until she gets involved and finds the killer.
Sam is just trying to find some time with Claire. However between his patients, emergencies and her murders he doesn’t think that will ever happen. So he just starts to tag along. I thought that will be a great time for all and hope to see more together time for both of them.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has a serious Creepy factor!! A lot of stuff - beyond the expected murder - is happening in Perdido Springs. There are the images caught on film, the return (?) of a previous evil dude, and the dolls..... yikes, the dolls!! Oh, and Rusty is more than what he seems (which we already sort of knew). Claire is really getting in deep. Her relationship with Sam is flourishing but decisions will need to be made soon. Also, she needs to let him know what is really happening in their town. I can't wait to read book 4.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating Murder Mystery

I enjoy the authors colorful descriptions on the desert town and its quirky inhabitants. This story was particularly of interest to me as it focused on artists, a gallery owner, and the consequences of stealing other’s work. Plus the supernatural had a significant role in this tale.

[Lavada Haga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

Claire is trying to figure out who murdered an artist who paints desert spirits. It turns out the artist is a thief and not very nice. Plus there is a filmmaker that captures spirits on film! And very strange dolls. A lot going on.

[Imelda Entract · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark themes

Deeply mystical and intriguing potency holds your attention down to the final moment. Full of complex characters I could see it making a hot movie

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good as usual. I am really loving this series.

[Janet Epperson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoying this series.

[Pandora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute series

[Conny CONE · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thoroughly captivated by this book and eagerly anticipate the release of the next installment in the series.