Alibi's Ghosts by L.S. Hullinger

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers…the place that aims to satisfy your bookish appetite every day of the week; weekends and holidays included!

For those of you marking the occasion, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day to you!  For those of you celebrating something else, here’s hoping your day was filled with festivities and emotions appropriate to the event.  That being said, today’s book was not actually chosen to coincide with the MLKJ day event…and yet, it fits.  How so?  Well, his dream was for a world free of prejudice, where men and women were seen for who they were, not the color of their skin.  The book selection I present you with today also deals with a bit of prejudice, some seeing of the light, and an overall understanding that sometimes our fellow man (and woman) are in need of a helping hand…even if they can’t ask for it in so many words.  Curious?  You should be.  It’s a fun and fast read filled with mysteries even the younger set can enjoy unraveling.  Friends, readers, and passerby’s, I present to you today book of choice…

Alibi’s Ghosts,

The Larger-Than-Life Small World of a Medium’s Daughter

By

L.S. Hullinger

Whew!  With a title like that, how can you NOT stop and take a look…or at least I knew I couldn’t.  I love the word play in the title; “larger than life”…small…and medium (though obviously not speaking about someone’s size in this case).  It really makes a word loving girl like myself sit up and take notice.  Now, on to the story…

Alibi (aka Alexandra Vernon) is a great kid through and through; in fact, it’s no wonder the spirits choose to communicate with her….she’s a gem!  She feels with her whole heart and listens with her entire being despite the fact that those open aspects of her personality get her in trouble more often than not.  Well, you can’t really blame the parents entirely, I mean if you found your child making Dagwood sandwiches every night three days in a row when they don’t even know what one is or vehicles moved without explanation and a somewhat guilty looking eleven year old close at hand, you might be skeptical to believe every word that leaves her mouth as well.  LISTEN UP parents…the kid is not always fibbing!  Such is the case here and thanks to Alibi’s mother she has a little leeway (I should hope so considering her line of work) but it doesn’t mean that she can explain away anything and everything away due to ghostly influence…especially since some of those influences have to remain a secret!  (Aka her grandfather’s and cousin’s presence….SHHH!)  Oh my; wasn’t life suppose to be easier when you were eleven?  *sigh*  Anywho…

The character building here was just enough to get you involved in their lives without over educating you on the who/when/why/where/how of it all; a good balance for both the target audience and beyond.  Their interactions with members of the community help show a world more accepting than that of witch-hunting times but yet not ready to set a place for their lingering aunt’s or uncle’s spirits at the supper table.  This acceptance and non also extends to Alibi.  We see and feel it with her friend Daisy who happens to come for a visit during this week of week’s.  She’s always been jumpy of Alibi’s mother’s powers, let alone their ghost magnet of a house, but what will happen if she finds out Alibi sees ghosts too?  That’s a story for another slumber party, but the results may surprise you.  Moving forward…

This isn’t just a story about a medium, her daughter and the community in which they live and serve.  At it’s heart is a mystery that needs solving and from the looks of things, Alibi’s gonna have to be the one to do it.  It requires a quick mind (check!), an uncanny ability to both listen AND understand (check!), and a pureness of heart only obtained from wanting nothing more than to help someone in need (i.e. no earthly gain for oneself…check!  Hey, clearing your name of trouble isn’t an earthly gain folks…just a useful byproduct of giving your assistance….).  For all those reasons and more, it makes a great read for both the younger set and the young at heart.  Though dealing with spirits and the afterlife, it doesn’t do so in an uber-creepy way leaving it accessible (hat’s off to the author on that accomplish!) while helping to explain some of these concepts in an honest and open manner.

In conclusion, a wonderful read from a new-to-me author that I would recommend to one and all no matter the time of year.  It’s a fast read with a lot of heart that will raise your spirits higher than her cousin’s crow (Poe) can fly (yep…her cousin had a pet crow that sorta warns her when his pranking self is about…hehe).   So if you’re ready to take on the problems of the living with the help of those that have passed, grab your clue sheet to record your observations and H.I.B.E.S. events (or Heavily Influenced By Entity Spirits events) and embark on a little paranormal adventure with Alibi and friends.  Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

Review copy courtesy of author L.S. Hullinger.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as her other works, be sure to visit her official site or follow along on Twitter.  This book was released in print June 2012 and should be available now on a bookstore shelf or online retailer near you.  Oh and listen up!  She has another work out right now entitled Cyndi Hazard, Empathic Detective that from the chapter sample at ‘Alibi’s’ end…sounds like another great pick for the old wish list!

Until next time…happy reading!