A MATCH MADE IN HELL

Author: Terri Garey ISBN: 9780061136160 7/2008 PARANORMAL Publisher: AVON

A brush with death and a brief trip to the hereafter left vintage clothing store owner Nicki Styx an unwilling ghoulfriend to the dead. She can see and hear spirits, and boy, do they want to be heard! Luckily, her new boyfriend, sexy doc Joe Bascombe, is there to help, especially when Nicki faces her latest ghost, a woman in pink sequins who holds the key to some family secrets. Unfortunately for Nicki, it turns out that there are more skeletons in the family closet than she thought, including a twin sister and a mysterious house full of spirits and surprises. Things go from bad to worse when the devil himself shows up, determined to lure Nicki from Joe's side. Will she give in to temptation and sell her soul (or someone else's) for one incredible night? Demons may be a ghoul's best friend, but with this particular hottie, it could be a match made in hell!

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

A MATCH MADE IN HELL by Terri Garey is laugh-out-loud funny! Nicki Styx is back and I am so glad! She first appeared in DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY, which I loved. When I realized this book was about the entertaining, delightful and other-worldly Nicki, I was thrilled.

Nicki has a gift for seeing dead people. Mostly, the dead come to her for help, and she does her best to put their issues to rest. When Lila Boudreaux walks into Nicki's store and announces her daughter's been in a car wreck and needs someone to find her, Nicki knows she can't say no. How could she refuse a dead woman's (hopefully) last request? So Nicki and Joe, her Emergency Room doctor/boyfriend, go in search of Lila's daughter Kelly. In the end, they find more than they bargain for. Until she looks her in the eye, Nicki has no idea that Lila's daughter is her twin sister, Kelly.

This plot is as filled with surprises and twists as any I've seen. Just when I think I've got the family relationship figured out, I find I've misguessed—again. It wasn't until the very end that I realized the lineage claiming Nicki and Kelly, and when I did finally get it I couldn't do anything but hang my jaw in amazement! Very nicely done. I love being stumped—and Ms. Garey gave me a good shock with this one!

One of the things I really like about Nicki Styx is her selflessness. It showed up strongly in the first book and it is a theme in this one as well. Nicki has been thrust into the position of speaking to the dead, and although it's obvious she'd rather not have the demands of solving the dead's mysteries foisted on her, she deals with every issue that comes up. She does do what she would have others do to her, and is an admirable character for that reason. Even when Kelly eyeballs Joe, Nicki weighs what's best for everyone rather than being completely selfish. I like her—a lot.

A MATCH MADE IN HELL is a story of uncovering truth, relinquishing guilt and liberating the living—and the dead. Nicki is a character who I sincerely hope will resurface in future volumes. I loved this story!

Kay James