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Dread Dirt Road
Welcome to beautiful, magical (and murderous!) Prince Edward Island, Canada!
When Necromancer Casey Cooke is forced into a summer-long vacation back home on the Island, it's not long before she's asked to look into a case right in her own backyard. Torn between gorgeous dragon detective Beau Deschamps and her friend, RCMP liaison Dana Hickey, Casey's quickly drawn into a string of murders that end up a bigger mess than the one she left behind in Toronto and may just push her over into death's realm herself before she can stop the killer!
When Necromancer Casey Cooke is forced into a summer-long vacation back home on the Island, it's not long before she's asked to look into a case right in her own backyard. Torn between gorgeous dragon detective Beau Deschamps and her friend, RCMP liaison Dana Hickey, Casey's quickly drawn into a string of murders that end up a bigger mess than the one she left behind in Toronto and may just push her over into death's realm herself before she can stop the killer!
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 29, 2025
About the author
Patti Larsen
1,335 books559 followersI write a lot of paranormal books for someone who is afraid of the dark. And I wonder why I have to sleep with the lights on. Sometimes life is a teenaged B horror movie and I'm the one who investigates when the scary music is playing. But the voices are calling and resistance is… Yes. I am a Star Trek geek, too. And a fan of RPG’s. With a slight coolness factor since I've been told I'm allowed to join the pops.
Naw. I like being a nerdy girl :)
Naw. I like being a nerdy girl :)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 1, 2026
Cathasaiga "Casey" Cooke utilises her abilities as a necromancer to solve unsolvable murders. At least, that's her usual gig. She's on a not entirely voluntary vacation at her grandmother's place on Prince Edward Island, and the investigation she's about to be drawn into is a doozy.
Normally I adore anything that Patti Larsen writes; this story was the exception that proves the rule. I felt that many of the paranormal concepts needed fuller explanations. And I couldn't find a warm character to latch on to - often a saving grace. Sadly, this series is apparently a miss for me.
Normally I adore anything that Patti Larsen writes; this story was the exception that proves the rule. I felt that many of the paranormal concepts needed fuller explanations. And I couldn't find a warm character to latch on to - often a saving grace. Sadly, this series is apparently a miss for me.
July 9, 2026
Acquired Kindle edition 21 June 2026 when offered free on Amazon.
Main narrative problems: Plot made no sense; there were lots and lots of murders in the paranormal community that were never investigated or even reported, so no one knew about them? That right there made the whole thing difficult to believe in. Paranormal powers allotted to various species were often not identified/explained. Worst of all, the characters had no depth.
The writing was terrible. Dear heavens, could Larsen have put in some effort and used a few more present participles? /sarcasm/ There was no declaration in her extensive after-matter that she did or didn't employ AI whether to write or just assist in the creation of this silliness, but surely, Shirley, if someone human -- or, as she puts it, "normal" -- had even glanced at this, the syntax would have improved.
And were there any species of paranormal beings not included in this concoction? Pixie, witch, necromancer, siren-with-mermaid-ancestry, dragon/dragon-shifter, Unseelie fae, mage, banshee, gremlin, incubus and succubus: Have I left any out? All gathered in a neat little paranormal sanctuary community, so you'd think they'd be able to protect each other -- if they so desired. Yet all their powers were useless against . . . . the unexplained, all-powerful, and banned-because-it's-so-eeeeevil "touch magic."
The first-person, present-tense narrative is annoying, but even more annoying is the first-person narrator, Casey Cooke. Nothing about her is particularly likeable, nor is there anything despicable about her. She's just supremely annoying. Larsen never explains why Cooke was banished -- okay, it's a sort of administrative leave disguised as "vacation" but it's really a paranormal banishment -- from her job in Toronto and sent back to her grandmother's place in the paranormal enclave of Verdant on Prince Edward Island. Cooke did something terrible that got her into monumental trouble, but she seems fully prepared to repeat her mistakes while "on vacation," and has a lot of help from both the official and unofficial authorities on PEI.
I guess if you're an inveterate fan of paranormal cozy mysteries, this might appeal. Just make sure your eyeball muscles are in good shape and ready for a strenuous rolling workout.
Main narrative problems: Plot made no sense; there were lots and lots of murders in the paranormal community that were never investigated or even reported, so no one knew about them? That right there made the whole thing difficult to believe in. Paranormal powers allotted to various species were often not identified/explained. Worst of all, the characters had no depth.
The writing was terrible. Dear heavens, could Larsen have put in some effort and used a few more present participles? /sarcasm/ There was no declaration in her extensive after-matter that she did or didn't employ AI whether to write or just assist in the creation of this silliness, but surely, Shirley, if someone human -- or, as she puts it, "normal" -- had even glanced at this, the syntax would have improved.
And were there any species of paranormal beings not included in this concoction? Pixie, witch, necromancer, siren-with-mermaid-ancestry, dragon/dragon-shifter, Unseelie fae, mage, banshee, gremlin, incubus and succubus: Have I left any out? All gathered in a neat little paranormal sanctuary community, so you'd think they'd be able to protect each other -- if they so desired. Yet all their powers were useless against . . . . the unexplained, all-powerful, and banned-because-it's-so-eeeeevil "touch magic."
The first-person, present-tense narrative is annoying, but even more annoying is the first-person narrator, Casey Cooke. Nothing about her is particularly likeable, nor is there anything despicable about her. She's just supremely annoying. Larsen never explains why Cooke was banished -- okay, it's a sort of administrative leave disguised as "vacation" but it's really a paranormal banishment -- from her job in Toronto and sent back to her grandmother's place in the paranormal enclave of Verdant on Prince Edward Island. Cooke did something terrible that got her into monumental trouble, but she seems fully prepared to repeat her mistakes while "on vacation," and has a lot of help from both the official and unofficial authorities on PEI.
I guess if you're an inveterate fan of paranormal cozy mysteries, this might appeal. Just make sure your eyeball muscles are in good shape and ready for a strenuous rolling workout.
June 26, 2026
YES!
I have no idea how Patty Larsen comes up with her characters and storylines, but she hasn't disappointed me yet. This series promises to be another triumph, with a very sexy dragon investigator and necromancer combo that sizzles.
Be prepared to find the resolution of this Prince Edward Island murder mystery a satisfying surprise as you find yourself impatient for the next installment.
I have no idea how Patty Larsen comes up with her characters and storylines, but she hasn't disappointed me yet. This series promises to be another triumph, with a very sexy dragon investigator and necromancer combo that sizzles.
Be prepared to find the resolution of this Prince Edward Island murder mystery a satisfying surprise as you find yourself impatient for the next installment.
June 29, 2026
I absolutely loved this, I love the imagination of the author!! I love the characters and the storylines. Had me hooked from the very beginning and I couldn't put the book down till I finished it. I wanted to know who did it!!
June 17, 2026
What a great read! I'm going to get more of the series. I'm so glad I met this author and bought this book. The main characters are awesome
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews