by Lorie Lewis Ham

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Spirit Wind. You will also find a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

Spirit Wind is Marilyn’s 17th mystery featuring Tempe Crabtree, a deputy sheriff in the fictional town of Bear Creek, California up in the Sierra Mountains. This book has her and her pastor husband, Harry Hutchinson, headed to Tehachapi for a trip that is part vacation, part ghost hunting.

Hutch isn’t very happy that their planned vacation to the coast has been derailed by a trip to check out a ghost in Tehachapi at the request of Tempe’s friend Lorna Collins, who is a ghost hunter. However, he gives in to Tempe’s desire to help a friend. Tempe has had a lot of experience dealing with spirits due to her Indian heritage, and Lorna hopes that she will be able to help her help a friend contact her mother.

Things get complicated when someone is murdered just before they arrive and a local detective keeps trying to draw Tempe in to help her solve the murder, which has Hutch even more out of sorts. Things get even tenser when someone tries to run them off the road.

This book is a very quick read, filled with interesting history of the area and plenty of local flavor. It is a good mystery, with just the right blend of the supernatural, which leads to an unexpected ending. I love Tempe, and I usually enjoy the banter and fun relationship between her and Hutch, but this time out I found him to be a bit annoying. However, that just adds to the authenticity of their relationship–no couple gets along all the time. If you enjoy a good mystery, with a touch of paranormal and great characters, don’t miss Spirit Wind.

The first chapter of Spirit Wind will be featured in Mysteryrat’s Maze podcast in September– with Halloween just around the corner, it will be the perfect time of the year for a mystery about ghosts!

EVENT: Marilyn will be speaking at the San Joaquin Sisters in Crime meeting in Fresno on September 7. More info can be found on our Valley Writers and Readers Group Meetings Event Page.

To enter to win a copy of Spirit Wind, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “spirit,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 24, 2019. U.S. residents only. If entering via comment please include your email address and if entering via email please include your address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and a contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.