Cause of Death

by Sheri Lewis Wohl

All Vi Akiak wanted when she came to Spokane was to earn her medical degree, get a job in the medical examiner’s office, and keep her biggest secret safe. She didn’t plan her attraction to Kate Renard, the beautiful K9 search and rescue handler who lived next door, and she really didn’t plan on chasing a serial killer. Kate is delighted when Vi moves in next door. She's attractive, fascinating, and best of all, she likes dogs. When dead bodies start turning up in forested recreational areas around Spokane, Vi and Kate must work together to find the killer before they end up the next targets. In the race for survival, they discover that love may be the biggest risk of all.

Cover Artist: Tammy Sedick
Genres: Intrigue & Thriller / Paranormal & Urban Fantasy / Romance
Tags: Big City, Animals, Medical Romance, Psychological Thriller, Magic
82,000 words

Genres: Lesbian, Paranormal, Crime, LGBT, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2019

About the author

From the author's website: A reader since I could pick up a book, my goal in grade school was to read every book in the library. I didn't quite make it through every book, but I came darn close, and thus my love of literature was born. I started writing in high school and have continued through today. I didn't follow my muse to college, at least not at first. Instead, I floundered around and managed to complete a degree with concentrations in Psychology, Communications and Women's Studies at Eastern Washington University. But, the pull of the written word wasn't done with me yet, and I went back to school to complete a Masters in Humanities through California State University. With a thesis on Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's vampire tale "Carmilla", it was a gothic writer's dream come true.
Today, I'm still writing and reading a ton of books. With the advent of electronic publishing I can carry any number of books in my Kindle. I'm never without a touch of fiction. I'm a member of Romance Writers of America, the Transylvanian Society of Dracula, Team Blaze (a local triathlon group), and a local K9 search & rescue team.

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I liked this but it wasn’t as great as I was hoping for. This was a crime-suspense book with a light paranormal flare. Parts of it were really good and I was glued to the book, but I also found a few parts to bog down a bit which was odd for a suspense book. If you have read Necromantia, you will recognize the characters of Circe and Diana who are the main secondary characters in this book. You can read this book without reading Necromantia first. I could be wrong but I think the character of Circe also showed up in the The Talebearer. That is another serial killer/slight paranormal book that I liked better than this one. If anything I thought this book was a little too close to that one as I kept getting a sense of deja-vu.

I thought the two mains were interesting and I loved the dog, how could you not. The POV of the book would follow both main characters and also the serial killer. I don’t know what it was but I found the serial killer scenes to be boring. Usually, that kind of thing creeps me out but I found myself almost dreading those parts because I was bored instead. There were a lot of scenes with the killer so I found myself wishing for less time with them and more time spent on the possible romance.

There is a romance but it is very light. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I would have enjoyed it more to just have the characters getting to know each other and a few sparks, instead of trying to push it farther when there was not enough time. Also, which is something that really bothered me, the first kiss happened off screen so to say. I actually flipped back in my Kindle to make sure I didn’t miss it but nope not only do we not get to witness the first kiss but we don’t get to witness the second kiss either. To me this is building a romance 101 that you have to show the first kiss!

While this book had areas that bothered me, I did like the excitement of trying to catch a killer. As I noted above this has a light paranormal tag on it. I do not think you have to be a paranormal fan to enjoy this. The paranormal aspects were so light that I actually thought they were not really needed. I love paranormal anything but Wohl didn’t really dig far enough into the paranormal part to make those scenes really shine.

If you are new to Wohl I think I would suggest The Talebearer over this one. Still this was a pretty good read that had some excitement. If you need a change of pace over all the romances of late, this might be a good choice.

An ARC was give to me for a honest review.

[Corporate Slave · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was INTERESTING!! So I really didn’t know what to expect from this book because I’ve never read the author and never cared for this genre before!
So this is a story of spirits, murder and serial killers. It is not a lesbian romance ! Yes the characters are mostly lesbians but there was no romance (just a scene or 2).
Having said that, I actually liked the storyline! It was very intense, very entertaining and thrilling!
So if you are in the mood to change a little bit, refresh from the “norm”, I highly recommend this!
Don’t expect any sex scenes, any kind of romance, fluffy stuff or angst! The only thing that could’ve been better in general, is the dialogue between all characters in the book.

“I received an ARC for an honest review.”

[Joc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another really good paranormal thriller and I enjoyed it as much as I did ‘The Talebearer’. Vi moves from Alaska to Spokane to begin her medical degree and at the same time work in the Medical Examiner’s office. Her mother was murdered many years before which is what has made Vi choose the career she is following. She finds a lovely rental cottage on a farm in Spokane and it’s a bonus that the landlady, Kat, is smart and attractive. Kat is also K9 search and rescue handler with a dog that takes an instant liking to Vi. When a body is found by Kat and Lucy, which ends up at the medical examiner’s office, Kat and Vi are drawn into a search for a killer.

The story has a good pace and I was engaged from beginning to end. This type of paranormal thriller appeals to me, especially when the visions are subtle and an integral part of the story but not the focus. Kat and Vi’s relationship is a nice, easy one even though neither of them have lot of experience with relationships. It’s a gentle romance but with a stronger emphasis on the serial killer.

The Seeker (as he calls himself) has his own voice in the novel which made it fairly easy to pick out who he was but it doesn’t detract at all from the mystery or action. There’s a lovely balance of tension, nail-biting moments, gentle romance and unexpected aspects in this story.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first read from this author and honestly I don't think her style of writing works for me. The issue I have with it is it's more tell than do and more monologue than dialogue. It's just not my cup of tea.

Now the premise of the story was actually pretty good. Kinda like Ghost Whisper meets CSI type thing. What really, really didnt work for me was that I felt in trying to keep the Seeker's identity a secret it held the story back. Interactions that could have had a bigger impact were set aside. Also, it seemed everytime the point of view was switched the story had to backtrack like a few hours in time which made it redundant to me. I also felt the romance was unnecessary and just thrown in their for the characters. It could have been left out and the story would have been just fine. I wish there was more focus on the medical part and the murders.

Like I said, maybe this writing style isn't for me...well I know this writing style isn't for me. And while the premise of the story had me wanting to read it, the lack of action and interaction kept me from liking it. I give this one 2.5*

***ARC from Netgalley for an honest review from me :) ***

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I’ve read enough serial killer thrillers to last me a lifetime. So when I started reading Cause of Death, I was not completely ready to enjoy it. I liked the introduction to the MCs and the MCs themselves from the start. Vi’s backstory intrigued me and I felt the chemistry with Kat immediately. That was enough for me to like what I was reading at first. Then I realized that while I’d been reading the first serial killer scenes distractedly, I was getting more involved in them as I read on. And then I began appreciating them as well, and the way they are woven in with the romance (and more) aspects of the novel.

After her grandmother’s death, Vi leaves Alaska for Spokane, Washington to become an autopsy assistant while she studies to be a forensic pathologist. Kat is her landlady but also a K9 handler (Lucy sounds like the sweetest dog) and a computer genius. Her best friend Circe is married to a cop, Diana, and also has unexpected links to Vi. I really liked these characters, all of them, and wouldn’t say no to a sequel, or more. I’d love to spend more time with them.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[MJSam · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new author for me, and it’s also a sequel to Necromantia, which I didn’t realise. As with most of this month’s books, I wasn’t blown away by it.

This one features MC Vi, who is a native Alaskan (and POC) who has moved to Spokane to start medical school and also work as a Medical Examiner’s Assistant. She’s also got a secret that I won’t reveal because it’s a spoiler. The other MC is Kat who owns a farm and also works as a K9 handler doing searches for missing people or bodies. Vi is renting Kat’s guest house and this is how they meet.

Now, I’m going to start this review by admitting it’s based only on about 2/3s of the book. I finished the book but didn’t read the whole thing because it features one of my least favourite things in a crime story, it includes the killer’s perspective. I don’t care why the bad guy does it, the cops can tell me that, I don’t need to be in his/her mind, plus what he was doing was gross. So apart from some brief stuff at the beginning and end I skimmed pretty much all of the ‘Seeker’ (also a dumb name) scenes. I will also say that there were too many of them and it killed the momentum of the story.

Kat and Vi are fairly interesting characters and we get both of their POVs which helps with understanding their relationship. They’re each attracted to the other immediately but there’s not much ‘action’ here, in fact, the first kiss is mentioned in passing, and given that I was skipping scenes, I thought I’d missed it, but it is actually just referenced after the event. This whole book takes place over maybe 2 weeks (Vi arrives 3 weeks before she’s supposed to start Med school and hasn’t started by the end, if you don’t count the epilogue). The leads spend a lot of time together, what with living so close and the crime stuff, but this is still insta-love.

There’s not that many secondary characters, but the main two are Circe and Diana (the two MCs from Necromantia). The info about Circe was such that I actually stopped reading and went and had a look to see if she had her own book and was unsurprised to find she did. I may have enjoyed this more if I’d read that first, but too late now! I won’t go into Circe’s storyline here but she pops up quite a bit, so fans of the previous book will probably enjoy that. Diana also features in a few scenes as well.

Vi had other issues outside just moving/starting school and one is family connections, which I won’t spoil but felt like they didn’t (with one obvious exception) get enough attention. Kat also has a stalker who is mentioned a few times but that goes nowhere and I just found it an unnecessary plot line.

There were also way too many coincidences in this book. Between the killer and Vi’s family stuff it was just too much. I loved Lucy and Zelda (dogs are always good). But overall found this ok but not great. Less of the ‘Seeker’ and more of the relationship between the leads (over a longer time frame) and Vi and her family stuff would have made this 100% better. 2.5 stars rounded up

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, first I want to say there isn’t anything inherently bad about this book. The writing is decent and the characters are interesting (for the most part), but I personally didn’t enjoy it all that much.

I did finish it, but there was a point where I thought about DNF’ing it. I didn’t connect with the characters, and the plot left me indifferent. I’m an emotional reader, I like when a book can stir some feels whether they’re happy or sad, so this book fell flat.

When I reread the blurb right before starting it and realized this book had a paranormal element to it, my excitement for it grew. The premise gave me Tru Calling/Ghost Whisperer vibes and I was all for it, but I was a bit disappointed that the paranormal twist wasn’t more prominent in the story. Actually, it was barely there at all, and I don’t think it added anything to the book.

As I said, the writing wasn’t bad, but some of the dialogue felt off, and I had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit in the beginning. Vi, a medical student from Alaska, moves from Anchorage to Spokane, Washington to attend medical school. She rents Kat’s, a K9 search and rescue handler, little cottage and they become friends. Lucy, Kat’s dog, takes a shine to Vi instantly which really made me happy. But within like, a week of arriving, she learns that she has a long lost sister and that her mother’s killer is now on a killing spree in Spokane? What are the odds of anything like that ever happening in life?

Anyway, this title might not have been for me, but I think if you’re looking for something a little different in the lesfic genre you might want to give it a try.

Many thanks to Bold Strokes Books for providing me with a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bee Sherrard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. Most of Ms Wohl’s books deal with the paranormal, you know things like shape shifters, vampires, etc. But when I read the synopsis for this one it didn’t mention any of these themes, so I decided I’d give this book a try and I’m so glad I did.
Vi Akiak left her home in Alaska for the chance to get a medical degree, not to cure the ails of others but to enable her to take care of the dead. While in Alaska she worked for the local medical examiner's office so getting a similar job with the Spokane Medical Examiner’s office was going to work out well with her classes at the Washington University School. She had recently lost her Grandmother who’d raised her after the untimely death of her mother.
Kate(Kat) Renard was living the dream. She used to work in the business sector but when her father won the lottery months before his death he bought her a small farm where she could do what she always dream of raising various animals while also working with the local Search and Rescue, along with her dog Lucy. Somewhat introverted she found working with S&R very rewarding helping to find people who were lost, injured or sometimes searching for the dead. She had a small house on her property that she rented out and luckily her new tenant was none other than Vi, a very pretty lady from Alaska.
Now the two become involved working to find the Seeker, a serial killer, while falling in love. So with the help of Kat’s S&R team they use their skills to work together seeking justice for the victims left behind by the Seeker. Once I started reading, I found it hard to put the book down. Fast paced with just enough twists and turns make this a great read. From now on I’ll have to give this author’s books a second look. Very, very nice read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cause of Death by Sheri Lewis Wohl is one creepy and well-written murder mystery. It is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a while.

The story revolves around Bavilla (Vi) Akiak and Kate Renard. Vi is a young woman, originally from Alaska, who is moving to Spokane, Washington to begin medical school to eventually become a pathologist. During her schooling she is also working as an assistant with the Medical Examiner’s Office in Spokane. She rents a small house next door to Kate, a farmer and search and rescue handler, and her dog Lucy. The two women become friends quickly with an attraction that hints there could be more in their future. But Vi has a secret involving the death of her mother. That secret involves a serial killer that the two of them must work together to find before he or she comes after them.
This is a great story premise, and I must say I was kept interested through the entire novel. We get to be in the minds of the two ladies as well as the serial killer in third person POV. The POV covers all three characters in every chapter. I have to confess that I was rather creeped out when I was reading the serial killer’s thoughts. That is a good thing though, since it shows how well the author developed the killer’s persona. The secondary characters are also well written and add depth to the overall story.

I really enjoyed reading this rather chilling murder mystery, and if you are into reading these types of thrillers, I think you will enjoy it as well.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. WOW! A little bit of this and a little bit of that and not much romance. However, there was much flirty self-talk. This mystery/thriller some romance was scary and unsettling as the crimes and reasons for the crimes unfolded. Vi Akiak, medical student, medical examiner assistant, dealing with the death of her mother and grandmother, and her "gift". Kate Renard, K9 search and rescue handler, farmer/rancher. Both women are a little weary of relationships but the draw is there. It is difficult not to like both Vi and Kate. Especially Kate with her willingness to be a good listener and possessing a supportive personality. Although Kate makes some interesting decisions, you have to appreciate that her heart is in the right place. This read has some interesting secondary stories which needed to be flushed out more. For example, Circe and Vi, I needed more information as well as Drs. Kelsey and Durze. The lack of information caused the read to feel a little disjointed.

ARC provided by NetGalley via Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

[nik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, Sheri Lewis Wohl, and Bold Strokes Books for this ARC. I am happy to share my unbiased review on Cause of Death by Sheri Lewis Wohl below.

I never thought I would use the word "refreshing" in a review of a book about a serial killer, but I am going to and I will tell you why. The main character of this book is not only a lesbian, but she also happens to be an indigenous Alaskan. Both of these details were refreshing to me because there is not much representation in the literary world for either lesbians nor indigenous peoples. So, thank you Sheri, for representing them both in Vi. I believe she was a beautiful character, inside and out.

I do not typically care for books with spiritual storylines, or POVs from more than one character, but this book changed my opinion on both fronts. The spiritual aspect was not overdone and the POV switching back and forth from three different characters was not hard to keep up with and I was actually a fan of it.

There are quite a few storylines woven together and while some authors have a hard time making that flow, Sheri Lewis Wohl does it effortlessly. Everything captivated my attention, it flowed together perfectly, and I did not feel like I was missing any answers at the end of the novel.

Cause of Death gets 5/5 stars from me. I look forward to reading more from this author!

[Best Lesfic Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is more crime than romance. In fact there is very little romance. There is crime, some vague paranormal stuff and stumbling-upon-a-sibling-never-knew-the-existence-of with paranormal abilities running in the DNA.

Read the full review @ https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...

[MEC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third in a loosely linked paranormal romance series set in Spokane, Washington.   I would recommend you read the first two, Necromantia and  The Tale Bearer; but, I would warn you not to read them one after the other as there is a definite pattern that works when read in isolation, but becomes annoying if read back-to-back or in a relatively short period of time.  This may be why I didn't seem to enjoy this one as much as the previous books - sometimes OCD reading habits are a detriment.

Vi Akiak has moved to Spokane to attend medical school.  After the brutal murder of her mother, and because she's visited by the dead, she has resolved to pursue a career as a medical examiner as a way of using her abilities to help others.  Alone and new in the city, she rents a small cottage from Kate Renard,  part time farmer and member of a K-9 Search and Rescue group.  As with the other books by Wohl, bodies start popping up with an alarming frequency - and Vi is stunned to find that the murder's distinctive signature matches that found in her mother's death.   Circe Latham and Zelda make a rather significant appearance in this book - linked to Kate as they are both part of the Search and Rescue team and linked to Vi in their ability to see the dead.

This is a pretty light read and follows a similar formula to the other books in the series and focuses more on the characters than the procedures or mystery/investigation with the murders.  The killer's POV is included but I don't know that it worked as well as it did in the previous books or maybe its just that I read them too closely together.   He's no Jaguar (how bad is it that I loved the villain in the last book so much) and I may be reaching my level of credulity that there are so many smart serial killers in one town who are able to hide their crazy-ass selves so well and for so long.   If there are any more in Spokane - they better band together and go after Circe and her crew as they are pretty adept at uncovering hidden bodies.

The romance was light and PG - there was a bit of an instant attraction, reinforced by the fact that Kate's dog approved of Vi as soon as she saw her, and they kind of hurtle forward in the story both in pursuing the murder investigation (omigod, Kate ... you are an idiot sometimes) as well as in a relationship.   I actually found myself back-paging because I missed their first kiss and the fact that they actually had sex.   Things moved along so quickly and without a lot of depth and I just didn't get the chance to really connect with the characters or the story.  I would have loved to see a bit more about Vi and her background, she should have been a much more riveting character based on her background, her abilities and how she has taken the chance to move from Alaska to Washington in order to pursue her goals.

Overall - a light paranormal romance with a psycho-killer and some great dogs.

Side Note: I'm seriously beginning to worry about Spokane - this city seems to be a mecca of bat-shit crazy serial killers who manage to run under the radar while they perpetrate gruesome murders.    Also, if I were a member of the Spokane police department, I would start wondering a bit about Circe and how often she stumbles across dead bodies - yeah, she's a K-9 Search and Rescue volunteer, but don't killers often insert themselves into investigations?  If nothing else, I'd put a tail (and full on CSI team) on her 24/7 as there is a high probability that she's going to find another body.   In fact, I'd probably be looking closely at any lesbian with a dog in Spokane as suspect.

[Tiffany Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book by Wohl that I have read and as excited as I was after I read the blurb, I am really disappointed. I found myself skipping chunks of this book especially on the chapters dedicated to the killer. There was so much (what I felt at times) unnecessary filler and not enough romance. I also had to page back to make sure I didn’t miss the “first kiss” because it was no where to be found. And yet it happened, just off the pages instead of on. The other thing here... and I don’t want to spoil it but there was a bit of another story line which was half resolved... there was no resolution between one of the mains and family... although I’m not sure if I missed it in my haste to skip pages or if there really was no resolution. There was also a mention of a stalker situation for the other main that was hinted at a few times but never really went anywhere.

I’m giving this book 2.5 stars. It’s not bad... it’s well written, it just didn’t click for me and I feel like there were still some unanswered questions and undeveloped story lines.

[Lisa B · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This is a serial killer, paranormal, romance that doesn’t actually manage to achieve any of the genres with a high degree of success. The romance, which really just amounted to the odd mention here and there, and zero chemistry, I think would have been better left out all together. The paranormal aspect of the book was an interesting if not new idea, but this was not really explored very much either. Being an avid reader of Cornwall, Reichs, Baldacci etc I did rather enjoy the portions of the book dedicated to the Seeker. However, even this portion held no mystery as it was obvious to the reader well before the end of the book who the killer was. I have to say that these portions almost appear to have been written by a different hand to the rest of the book as they flow much better and don’t appear nearly as forced or stilted. Overall, I was looking forward to reading this book and did feel rather disappointed.
I was given a review copy by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another reviewer has described this book as CSI meets Ghost Whisperer, and that's a spot-on description! Throw in one of the main characters being from Alaska, and I already had high hopes for this story. The cover was eye-catching and crisp, and I appreciate that. The author did not disappoint me, either. The chemistry between the two main characters was well-written and made complete sense to me. Throw in a super smart and super loveable dog and there was no way I was putting the book down without a fight. Unfortunately, sleep won out. Still, I finished this in two sittings.

The pace was brilliantly done, the suspense was just enough, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I had no idea who the serial killer was until almost the end. Something that doesn't happen often. I would be a very happy new fan of Ms. Wohl if a sequel were to emerge in the future.

I enjoyed this one that I'm not only giving it five stars, but it's one I can see reading over and over again.

[Aleana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


Vi meets Kate who is a dog handler that does search and rescuse when she rent her house on Kate ranch.

Vi is from Alaska who moves to Spokane to become a forensic pathologist it became her calling when her mother was murder. Vi has a secret she can see the dead and she always believes that the person who killed her mother is still out there and the person in jail isn't the killer and she may be right because her first time at her job at the ME office she finds similar crimes that mirror her mother's.

With the help of Kate her dog Lucy and Kate friend Circe and her dog Zelda and Circe wife Cynthia team up to find the killer and we also find out the surprising connection Vi and Circe share.

This isn't a romance story but do see that Kate and Vi like each other this story deals with spirits and finding justice for the victims and finding the killer. I have to say this is one book I didn't mind seeing different point of views.

[Colleen Corgel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard earned 4 stars for me. There's a ton of stuff in here that I enjoy very much, such as the light paranormal aspect of the book, and the relationship between our two leads is very nice if a bit of a slow burn. The case was engaging enough that I didn't really set this title down once I started it. Almost all of Wohl's books are like that, mostly because she does have an easy writing style that flows right off the page. However, one of my gripes about her writing is that sometimes there doesn't feel like there's any urgency to her cases. The menacing bad guys, no matter how cartoonish, creep ever closer to the leads, but sometimes the pace makes it feel so, very slow. Wohl's baddy this time is actually legitimately creepy, but rarely do we actually see him affect the leads. As he plows through secondary characters, usually through his point of view, our leads are just getting on with their potential romance. This dichotomy doesn't work well when the leads feel too separated from what the killer does during the events of the book.

Overall, though, I know that Wohl is really good at creating paranormal romances with some horror/thriller aspects. She also works hard to bring in more women of color into her works. Here, we have Vi, who is an Alaskan native, who's driving motivation to being a medical examiner is tied to the very real problem of Indigenous/Native/First Nations Women being murdered or going missing. All of these elements work very well in this book. It is one of her better ones, and I hope that she can blend some of her best elements together more often.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vi moves to Spokane to start medical school and work as a medical examiners assistant. She moves next door to Kat, her landlord, a K9 handler, and extremely attractive. What starts as a simple enough move across the country for Vi, soon turns into a race to find a serial killer.

This book was a little bit of a struggle to get through. For lack of a better way of saying it, it just felt like there were a lot of words, unnecessary words. I felt like I was getting bogged down in the long paragraphs of thoughts and introspection, when it could be a lot more action driven for a crime novel. But overall I enjoyed the journey, Sheri Lewis Wohl always creates interesting adventures that surprise and excite. The light romance was a nice balance for the crime aspect of the book, and the group of secondary characters are fascinating as always and the dogs shone as well. I won't hesitate to pick up another book by this author.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[MaxDisaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jesus Christ. I mean it was reasonably good, but all of my feelings about the book are overshadowed by the fact, that I'm now going to see jars full of human eyes whenever I close my eyes...
Yup, nightmare material for sure. Can't say it was terribly scary, the Seekers POV bored me more than anything else (and I get scared pretty easily), but the eye stuff was just disgusting...

[Danni Mladenovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice thriller with a huge impact of mystery. It's a very interesting read if you're not bothered by a very background romance. If you, however, find romance story to be very important, this is not the book for you. I liked the writing, and the characters development, but I wish the romance plot was a bit more in front than it was.
That being said, if you're in search for a great mystery novel, this is the book for you, and I heartily recommend it.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attractive native Alaskan Vi Akiak moves to Spokane to start her medical degree and moves in next door to the equally attractive (of course!) Kate Renard who's a K9 search and rescue handler. Vi has a new job with the local medical examiner's office when suspect bodies start turning up and it soon becomes clear a serial killer is responsible. In the meantime Kate and her K9 buddy are called in to conduct searches and thus they are both involved in the web of the serial killer.
This read is a combination of thriller and romance with a touch of the paranormal thrown in. I wasn't totally keen on Vi being able to see the dead but coped with it. As for the romance it  tends to just bubble away in the background,  there was some nice chemistry between Vi and Kate but I think the thriller premise was the hero of this book. A nice read with an interesting storyline and equally interesting characters.

[Laure · Rating 1 out of 5]

🏳️‍🌈👩‍❤️‍👩📚👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩🐕💻👩‍⚕⚢📖👭🏳️‍🌈

That’s in exchange of an honest review that I received an ARC of Sheri Lewis Wohl’s « Cause of Death» from BSB (via NetGalley). So, here it is.

My rating : 1⭐️

The story sets in Spokane – Washington, USA and focuses mainly on 3 MCs…. on psychic Bavilla « Vi » Akiak, a medical examiner assistant and doctor-to-be from Alaska & Kate « Kat » Renard, a beautiful K9 search and rescue handler who lives next door, who is also Vi’s landlady, on the one hand … And, on « the Seeker » on the other hand …

Being an amateur of mysteries and paranormal stories, an animal lover & a lesfic romance lover, I loved the idea of the this novel …. I had high expectations, like I had for « Necromantia » the first one I’ve read by this author …Well, I shouldn’t have !! Because I’m very disappointed, and, sadly, not for the 1st time …



Before going farther about what I think about « Cause of Death », I’d like to explain something : Since :
- it’s in the same location & « Circe and Diana », the MCs of Necromantia appear in the novel as secondary characters ;
- it’s the same kind of story (paranormal mystery) and the serial killer from Necromantia is mentioned ;
- Vi is related by blood to Circe (they have the same father) and share the same gift (or curse, name it like you prefer …)
=> it seems weird that « Necromantia » and « Cause of Death » are not put in a « Spokane mysteries series » along with « The Talebearer » since this one (which I haven’t read) seems to be located in the State of Washington as well. It would make more sense to me because, seriously, without reading at least Necromantia first, the reader can miss a lot of things …



This being said … Here are a few other things (list non exhaustive) I’d like to say which explain why I didn’t enjoy this novel (whereas I really wanted to love it) and why I was, several times, tempted to not finish it … :

° the book, like its « older brother », had a lot of potential but not a single thing seems to be worked deeply. (and I won’t talk about the typos …)

° the author’s writting style (which is more like a huge monologue and which « juggles » between 3 different character angles) gives the feeling to be caught in the mud of a marsh and makes you struggle very hard to move forward and get out of this trap … : the seemingly endless rambling about the Seeker (his childhood, his father, etc …), that’s highly tiring and, even if I’m not fan of horror stories, I would have prefered some « action » instead of this … And, you also have the seemingly endless rambling about the MCs : it’s put in a slight different form each time but when you look closer you see that you’ve got the same info over and over again …

° some info are redundant from a novel to the other. And, like itw as already the case in the « first » book, some things (other than the « rambling » …) are redundant inside the novel itself. It’s boring and, breaks the flow of the narration.

° I’m not from the US and I’m not a cop but, based on what I’ve always read and all we can see in TV series & movies (warning : I’m not saying here they are right …) since they occured in several different states, it, seems more than very weird that violent crimes like the ones perpetrated by the Seeker in this story were not already registered in the national database and between the FBI hands (nope, I’m don’t buy Diana’s explanation about why it’s not done) … + that a burned-out computer genius turned farmer/dog handler, 2 psychic new found half-sisters (one being a dog handler « for the form » and the other a ME assistant & doc-to-be) & a local PD detective are the ones who, in less than a week, find the pattern and elucidate the mystery which lasts since years (decades ?), is very pretentious and insulting for the federal agencies if you ask me. I don’t say the « MIBs » are always the best but here, they really are pictured like dummies unable to solve a high profile case (since they weren’t even able to detect it in the 1st place … ) + Kat, like invested by a PI mission, going, alone (of course, without saying anything to anyone) in the Seeker’s home is totally stupid & ridiculous (so ridiculous we could think we’re in a reallly bad TV series … ). But like if it wasn’t enough she does it all over again the day after with his second place !!!! Talk about her being a genius + all the coincidences & the fact that little Spokane has not one, not two but three serial killers in the short frame of time make all the « thriller » side of the story NOT CREDIBLE AT ALL !!!!

° now, about the lovestory … Well, if you can call it that since it’s more like another out of the blue « instalove ». In Necromantia I tolerated the « instalove » between Diana and Circe because both had some paranormal habilities (but, even if I thought it was cool to see Paul, a secondary character, having his own romance, I wasn’t fan of his « instalove » for Lisa … because none of them have any special habilities). Here, Kat doesn’t have any « gift » in the paranormal field so, her relationship with Vi is a typical « instalove » romance and … those who read regularly m reviews know thar I don’t like them !! OK … Let’s put the « instalove » aside for a while … WTH !?!?! When something interesting would have happened (finally) in the novel it’s totally shut down. Guys and gals, know that in this book, we don’t witness the first kiss … and we don’t get to witness the second kiss either. Gosh !!! IDK this such a book exists but it seems to me that in « romance for dummies » to build a romance… you have to actually show, at least, the first kiss. So … Why … but why did the author do this to us ??? And I won’t even talk about the details of the MCs’s 1st intimate encounter (or the lack of them actually) … 🤯😞


I bet I could go on and on and on but I think you've got the idea … 😋



If I had to make a very short and quite different version of my review, it’d be something like this :
- Did I enjoy this book? => Nope !! I wanted to but I just couldn’t because I really struggled to read it from the beginning to the end. Seriously, I was tempted to not finish it more than once. So much potential wasted … that’s really disapointing.
- Did I find the characters believable? => Nope … and it’s not even the psychic side which bothered me. As a matter of fact, it was the only thing which was believable from my POV
- Is this book now included in my « must be re-read »-list? => No !!
- Will I purchase the paperback? => No !!
- Would I read another book by this author? => Not any time soon (maybe never)
- Would I recommend this book => Nope !! But, if people want to give it a try to make their own opinion, well, they’re free.

Hey guys and gals, if you grab your own copy, enjoy (or not) your reading …


🏳️‍🌈👩‍❤️‍👩📚👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩🐕💻👩‍⚕⚢📖👭🏳️‍🌈

[Sue Plant · Rating 4 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this quirky book

k9 rescue
and a trainee m.e who has visits from ghosts...
and a murderer who collects eyes
whats not to like...

the k9 aspect of the book drew me to this one and i wasnt disappointed plus the visits of ghosts was an added bonus

the killer collects eyes that he considers are windows to the souls and he is also collecting those...and he has gotten very good at murdering people

vi and kate are drawn to each other but they both come into the murderers sight

not a bad storyline and i hope this is the first in a series as i feel this one could go a bit further

[lucyreads_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting, enjoyable read although it didn't end up hitting all the marks for me.

This was a mix between a romance book and a thriller/suspense novel but I found that both aspects were underdeveloped. The romance is between Vi and Kat who are both attracted to the other as soon as they meet but they don't expect anything to come from it until they begin to spend more and more time together. I feel like their relationship was cute, they had a good connection but I just wanted a little more from it. Also, the first kiss happens off page which I found odd. I'm glad to see I wasn't the only person bothered by this detail but I found myself skimming back as I thought I must have missed something.

I liked the aspect of these women, and their friends, trying to figure out who the serial killer is. It was interesting to see them trying to put the puzzle together. However, the killer also has their POV in this book which is usually an aspect I love but I found myself bored by the killers perspective. It wasn't creepy or eerie like I wanted but frankly, just rather boring.

Another problem I had was that there was a couple of plotlines that never seemed to be expanded. It's mentioned that Kat previously had a stalker, it's a subject mentioned just a couple of times, yet it never goes away. It felt like an odd aspect to add when it had no relevance to anything. Also, I felt like the paranormal aspect could have been better developed. There is a paranormal aspect here Vi can see dead people which I thought would be a big part of the plot but it never really went anywhere.

Whilst this review sounds negative I did actually enjoy reading this book. It was a light and entertaining read, it just wasn't perfect for me.

*ARC copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Domi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a bit of thriller, a bit of paranormal and a bit of romance thrown in there. It follows Vi Akiak when she moves from Alaska to Spokane, Washtington where she'll work at the Medical Examiners office and start medical school to become a forensic pathologist. She rents a cabin from Kat, a K9 handler/farmer, and they get involved with a series of murders.

The paranormal part is Vi seeing dead people, the story is not leaning heavily on this subject so even if you dislike paranormal stuff it's no reason to not pick up this book. The thriller aspect with the serial killer is well written although you get to know who it is rather quickly since you also get chapters from his pov. Don't expect a romance book though, even the first kiss is off-page(!) and I personally dislike that. A lot. I get that this is not the usual romance novel, but if you do write book with two lead characters meeting, paying a lot of attention to their attraction for each other and describing the rising feelings against a back-drop of murders and a serial killer than I will expect that part to be fleched out better. As it is, it seemed a rather rushed going through the steps to get them into a relationship by the end of the book.

So, if you like a decent thriller with a little bit of spirits mixed in and don't expect angst, romantic scenes and a lot of declarations of love then you're good with this book and it will give you a few enjoyable hours.

[Mar · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I requested this book on NetGalley and for receiving the ARC I agreed to give an honest review.*

I loved half of this book.

This book was told in alternating perspectives between the new medical assistant, Vi; a search and rescue dog handler, Kate; and the serial killer. The sections focusing on Vi and Kate where handled fairly well. I was interested to see what happened next and I was invested in their relationship.

I did not like the sections that where focused on the killer's perspective. While Vi and Kate and most of the other side characters felt fleshed out, the killer did not. He felt more like a cartoon villain than a person committing horrendous acts.

Not only did the killer not really feel like an individual, but the switching between the perspectives was not handled well. The killer's POV section almost always interrupted Vi's and Kate's sections. Whenever there was a big reveal or suspenseful moment happening, it would be cut off by the killer's section. I can understand what the author was trying to do with this; they were trying to create more tension by making the reader wait longer but it did the opposite. Instead of increasing the tension, it cut it and decreased it. And this started to become predictable. Every time there was a building of tension with Vi and Kate, the story would jump to the killer. Doing this so often lessened the effect.

[MiserableFlower · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had a lot of potential.... it just didn’t make it. The 3 POV swap was a little annoying a first but then I got used to it. The murderer and his schtick was interesting and I was wondering how they’d go about actually getting the bad guy... which is why it was so frustrating that it just flipped. Having Kay lose all common sense and break into a killers house not once but twice is complete crap. Had he not attempted to murder Kay but being a better written villain he would have flipped those tables and could have made life difficult for Kay and crew..... instead our hero just got him monologging..... and then the story was all happy endings and perfect story’s. If The whole scenario, had it been a real case, would get thrown out of court and the perp would have disappeared .... which honestly could have made a good second book... instead there’s this....

It was also REALLY frustrating to have the chemistry between the two main characters be told to us as a 2 second blip as the story barrels on and not that it was established in a meaningful and well rounded way. I also can’t BELIEVE that the author ends the story with them getting married.... even though it hasn’t even been a real in this story -_-

[Miss R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book on NetGalley and for receiving the ARC I agreed to give an honest review.*

I would recommend this book. It is a worthwhile addition to the lesfic/serial killer genre . It tells the story of Vi, a medical student/mortuary assistant and Kat, a K9 dog handler/computer genius and their search for the serial killer known as 'The Seeker'. The psychic aspect of the book, with Vi's ability to see the dead, gives a new and interesting twist to this mystery thriller and is handled with a deft touch by the author. Also, unlike previous reviewers I enjoyed the switching of perspectives from Vi and 'The Seeker' as I felt this gave the reader a more thorough understanding of the motivations of the killer. and his murderous drives. My main criticism of this book is the ending, which was all too abrupt. There was very little tension involved in the final scenes that dealt with the apprehension of the killer. Sadly, this and the schmaltzy epilogue let the book down at the most crucial point in the story. Despite an underwhelming ending this was an enjoyable enough read.

[Miss R · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I requested this book on NetGalley and for receiving the ARC I agreed to give an honest review.*

I would recommend this book. It is a worthwhile addition to the lesfic/serial killer genre . It tells the story of Vi, a medical student/mortuary assistant and Kat, a K9 dog handler/computer genius and their search for the serial killer known as 'The Seeker'. The psychic aspect of the book, with Vi's ability to see the dead, gives a new and interesting twist to this mystery thriller and is handled with a deft touch by the author. Also, unlike previous reviewers I enjoyed the switching of perspectives from Vi and 'The Seeker' as I felt this gave the reader a more thorough understanding of the motivations of the killer. and his murderous drives. My main criticism of this book is the ending, which was all too abrupt. There was very little tension involved in the final scenes that dealt with the apprehension of the killer. Sadly, this and the schmaltzy epilogue let the book down at the most crucial point in the story. Despite an underwhelming ending this was an enjoyable enough read.