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An Emily Kincaid Mystery #3
Dead Sleeping Shaman
While an end-of-the-world revivalist group shakes up Leetsville, Emily Kincaid is deep in the northern Michigan woods researching her latest story for the local paper. But her walk gets cut short when she comes upon an eerily motionless woman propped against a tree . . .
Emily soon learns that the victim, an eccentric psychic and leader of a shamanic healing group, harbored painful memories of the area-and had mysterious ties to certain revivalist members. What could have lured her back to the place she feared so greatly? Why did someone want her dead? As the last day draws near, Emily races to solve this mystical puzzle and expose the killer. An old ghost town, a forgotten grave, and closely guarded family secrets may hold all the answers. Praise for the Emily Kincaid Mystery series
"Buzzelli's well-crafted third Emily Kincaid cozy . . . [features] sharp prose and spirited characterizations."—Publishers Weekly
"Readers will find the same strong sense of place and great characters that are hallmarks of Sarah Graves and Philip Craig."—Library Journal
Emily soon learns that the victim, an eccentric psychic and leader of a shamanic healing group, harbored painful memories of the area-and had mysterious ties to certain revivalist members. What could have lured her back to the place she feared so greatly? Why did someone want her dead? As the last day draws near, Emily races to solve this mystical puzzle and expose the killer. An old ghost town, a forgotten grave, and closely guarded family secrets may hold all the answers. Praise for the Emily Kincaid Mystery series
"Buzzelli's well-crafted third Emily Kincaid cozy . . . [features] sharp prose and spirited characterizations."—Publishers Weekly
"Readers will find the same strong sense of place and great characters that are hallmarks of Sarah Graves and Philip Craig."—Library Journal
327 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2010
15 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli
15 books177 followersElizabeth Kane Buzzelli (aka Elizabeth Lee) is a Michigan based novelist whose 12th book is due out in 2016. She teaches fiction writing at Northern Michigan College and has written for the NORTHERN EXPRESS, the ROMEO OBSERVER, the DETROIT NEWS, and the RECORD-EAGLE. She is a member of the Author’s Guild, International Association of crime Writers, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers’ of America, Michigan Writers, and Detroit Working Writers and has three mystery series out, or about to be published.
In the Emily Kincaid series her novel DEAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN was chosen one of the best mysteries of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews. A new series (written as Elizabeth Lee) is now out with the third: NUTS AND BURIED (based in Texas) to be published this November from Berkley Publishers. Another series, beginning with A MOST CURIOUS MURDER, (Crooked Lane Publishers) will be out in July, 2016, with the second: DEATH OF A SAD POET, scheduled later in the year.
In the Emily Kincaid series her novel DEAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN was chosen one of the best mysteries of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews. A new series (written as Elizabeth Lee) is now out with the third: NUTS AND BURIED (based in Texas) to be published this November from Berkley Publishers. Another series, beginning with A MOST CURIOUS MURDER, (Crooked Lane Publishers) will be out in July, 2016, with the second: DEATH OF A SAD POET, scheduled later in the year.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 6, 2020
I picked the book mainly because it took place in my state...Michigan, and also because it fit into one of my never-ending challenges. I found it was...in a good way...a 'simple" read. it didn't require a great deal of thought and the writing flowed nicely. Anyone that doesn't want blood and guts cluttering up their murder mysteries will find this series fits that requirement perfectly.
October 25, 2010
Tired of the sad sacks. I think the writing was good but I just couldn't connect with the main character, who seemed to always be playing out some psychological drama with her ex, her only friend, or the universe generally. You don't have to be happy or well-adjusted for me to like you as a character, just don't go around feeling sorry for yourself all the time.
March 10, 2017
I really like these characters. From would be writer of mystery books, Emily Kincaid, to Deputy Dolly, who takes her job very seriously. Then there is owner of the restaurant "Eats", who posts pictures of her "ancestors" on the restaurant wall. Her crazy neighbor, Harry Mockerman, who teaches her about nature and how to survive. Her lovable dog Sorrow, who is taking his time about getting trained, but makes up for it by being so good natured. Her on-again-off-again relationship with her self centered but handsome ex-husband adds just enough annoyance at Emily to keep her human and interesting.
September 20, 2024
I love this entire series with one exception, which I won't spoil for anyone by identifying it. The book is still excellent, a significant portion of the crime involved was simply a sore point for me.
June 22, 2017
Good sequel
This one Bharat e kept me wondering well into the story. As always, Deputy Dolly is a character worth following. Love Sorrow, the dog, as well.
This one Bharat e kept me wondering well into the story. As always, Deputy Dolly is a character worth following. Love Sorrow, the dog, as well.
October 12, 2018
Not as strong a contender as the second in the series, I felt. I think I did not find the charisma of the shaman quite believable.
February 5, 2017
The book starts out good. Then it slows down for a bit. It took persistence to finish it. I wanted to know what was going to happen, but there were times I found myself reading very slowly.
The character of Emily is interesting and is the most fleshed out in the story as the main character. I have the feeling that in the earlier books Dolly is more fleshed out as is their relationship. So, while this book can be read as a standalone, you might get more satisfaction if you've read other books in the series as well. This is the third book in the Emily Kincaid series.
The mysteries themselves have red herrings. You are given everything from Emily's point of view, so you can solve the mysteries along with her, or at least come to similar conclusions.
I gave this book 4 stars out of 5. Overall I enjoyed it. It was slow in parts, but the events kept me reading. I wanted to know what was going to happen both with the "end of the world" group and with the mystery of the dead sleeping shaman.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The character of Emily is interesting and is the most fleshed out in the story as the main character. I have the feeling that in the earlier books Dolly is more fleshed out as is their relationship. So, while this book can be read as a standalone, you might get more satisfaction if you've read other books in the series as well. This is the third book in the Emily Kincaid series.
The mysteries themselves have red herrings. You are given everything from Emily's point of view, so you can solve the mysteries along with her, or at least come to similar conclusions.
I gave this book 4 stars out of 5. Overall I enjoyed it. It was slow in parts, but the events kept me reading. I wanted to know what was going to happen both with the "end of the world" group and with the mystery of the dead sleeping shaman.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
April 21, 2010
Troubles never come singly: Emily Kincaid finds a dead body; a cult that's predicting the almost-immediate end of the world comes to Leetsville; and Emily's annoying best friend, police officer Dolly seems to have joined the cult, instead of being up to her ears in investigation. There's some good news for Emily, too, but as the predicted doomsday approaches, the whole town, in fact the whole region, is on edge and ready for disaster.
August 3, 2010
It wasn't a bad book at all, very easy to read once I got into it. The ending was a bit over dramatic, but for an end of the world count down, it was pretty on course.
September 17, 2016
Probably more like 2.5 stars. I have enjoyed the characters and setting in this series but the books are getting a little repetitive and predictable.
September 23, 2016
Slow like the town it was set in. Bleh.
April 5, 2017
Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli is a rather rare jewel among writers. She can make you laugh, keep you interested and make you angry with a certain character all at the same time. It is these conflicting emotions that make me return to her writing time and again.
In this book, Emily literally stumbles upon the scene of a murder and once more, things are not as simple as they might first seem. I am always thrilled to see what she and Dolly do with the information they gather. I love the interaction between those two ladies, and for me, Dolly is always what makes the book.
There is more ex-husband drama to be had in this story, and it gave me a good reason to smile, watching the way Emily shuts him down. I liked the way the story flowed and thought the mystery was interesting and original.
I love the setting of these stories and the way the author describes the place that her main character lives as well as the surrounding areas. She makes great use of not only proper word choices, but of the seasons, the time of day, etc. for a full immersion reading experience.
This book kept me entertained for the better part of a day, with few breaks in between. If you like mysteries that think outside the box, this is perfect.
This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
In this book, Emily literally stumbles upon the scene of a murder and once more, things are not as simple as they might first seem. I am always thrilled to see what she and Dolly do with the information they gather. I love the interaction between those two ladies, and for me, Dolly is always what makes the book.
There is more ex-husband drama to be had in this story, and it gave me a good reason to smile, watching the way Emily shuts him down. I liked the way the story flowed and thought the mystery was interesting and original.
I love the setting of these stories and the way the author describes the place that her main character lives as well as the surrounding areas. She makes great use of not only proper word choices, but of the seasons, the time of day, etc. for a full immersion reading experience.
This book kept me entertained for the better part of a day, with few breaks in between. If you like mysteries that think outside the box, this is perfect.
This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
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November 17, 2017Busselli peoples her mystery with unique, flawed, and somewhat unlikeable characters. Even hero Emily irritates me as she dithers over her ex spouse and his disturbing personality. Small town northern Michigan offers the same microcasm as most small towns. The achingly beautiful autumn color followed by the quiet stillness of a Michigan winter's day rings true as does the local eatery with all the cast present. Finding the long ago truths of several peoples keeps the reader guessing almost to the end.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews