Dadgummit
Series: Dreamwalker Mystery (Book 4)
Publisher: Camel Press (August 1, 2017)
Paperback: 312 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1603815932

Synopsis

Amateur sleuth Baxley Powell is on vacation at Stony Creek Lake in the north Georgia mountains. Her parents, best friend, and ten-year-old daughter are camping with her. Almost immediately, a young man’s body is found beside the lake. Strangely, there’s no apparent cause of death. The local police have heard about Baxley’s skill at closing unusual cases, and at their urging she agrees to help.

Her psychic sleuthing leads the police to a halfway house. There they encounter eight comatose victims and an odd man named Jonas, who also has supernatural abilities. Baxley senses Jonas cruelly drained their life force energy. Jonas escapes, taking the sheriff as a hostage. Deputy Sam Mayes, a Native American, leads the manhunt, and he keeps Baxley close, knowing she’s the key to capturing this powerful criminal.

Baxley’s paranormal talent of dreamwalking, which she uses to traverse the veil of life, draws the unwanted attention of beings believed to be Cherokee folklore. Jonas stole a treasured artifact from them, and they want it back. They hold Baxley’s best friend and two others because they know Baxley can help them. As the clock ticks, Jonas taunts this crime-fighting duo and proves to be a wily adversary.

With the body count rising, Baxley and Mayes realize they are up against an entity who appears to be invincible. Do they have the power to subdue an energy vampire, turn the tide of evil, and save the day?

Guest Post

Am I a scaredy cat?

By Baxley Powell, amateur sleuth

Since I’m a dreamwalker and therefore “different,” people think I don’t have normal reactions. I’m here to tell you that’s a complete falsehood. I cry when I stub my toe. I laugh at puppies frolicking in the park. I weep when a friend dies too young. I get nervous when I see a cop with a radar gun. (I get nervous about their Tasers too, but that’s another story.) I get misty-eyed when I see a couple in the first blush of love.

What I’m trying to say is that I’m as normal in my emotional reactions as everybody else. I’m completely human, but I have a few extras under the hood. I didn’t ask for these unusual talents. They came to me by virtue of my genetic heritage. Long ago I learned that denying what you are doesn’t change a thing. You are what you are.

These days I’ve added police consulting to my resume, along with pet sitting and plant care. Consulting sounds so benign, so office-y and safe, but it never works out that way. When I consult on a case, I use all the resources at my fingertips in this world – and the next. Let me tell you, some of the people and spirits are pretty scary.

As a kid I got trapped in the drift, that’s the limbo between here and there, so every transition I face a remnant of that primal fear. Once on the other side of the veil, I don’t always find the spirit I seek. There are tricksters, bad boy spirits, demons, and I’m sure there are other terrors I haven’t discovered yet. You might say fear keeps me on my toes.

There are unwritten rules about spiritual encounters I’ve learned through practical experience. For instance, spirits can’t tell me straight out who killed them, but they are allowed to show me scenes from their lives which may be relevant to their demise. Most of the time, they aren’t allowed to talk to me or answer my questions.

I think of my forays into the afterlife as tactical missions: get in, do my job, and get out. That’s more of a goal because dreamwalks rarely go that smoothly. In addition to spirits that don’t want to be found, spirits that are uncooperative, and harmful spirits, there’s also my Other World guide and mentor, Rose.

Mentor makes one think of a kindly, helpful person. Perhaps one who is older and wants to share the benefit of their experience. Rose is nothing like that. She’s got an agenda, and she’ll use whoever she wants to achieve it. Allegedly, Rose is undercover in the demon world and she’s an angel, but I’ve begun to doubt her story.

Three times now I’ve reached out to Rose during life or death situations. Three times she’s helped, but she demanded an hour of my life in return for each favor.

The thought of Rose being in charge of my body for three hours scares the tar out of me. However, since either I or a loved one would be dead otherwise, I believe the decision to accept Rose’s help was the only decision I could make. Now I’m stuck with fear of when she’ll collect the debt, and where it will happen, in my world or hers.

To try to regain some semblance of balance and normalcy in my life, my family is headed to the Georgia Mountains for a camping getaway before school starts again. Far as I know, Rose will still know where I am, thanks to her cross-worlds tattoo tracking system, but I’m not inviting her to join us for any of our revelry. Rose can party on her own time, with her own friends, thank you very much.

Because whatever we are, we are not friends. I am flat-out scared of her.

[For more about Baxley’s vacation in the Georgia Mountains, check out her latest appearance in Dadgummit by Maggie Toussaint]

About The Author

Southern author Maggie Toussaint writes mystery, suspense, and dystopian fiction. Her work won the Silver Falchion Award for best mystery, the Readers’ Choice Award, and the EPIC Award. She’s published seventeen novels as well as several short stories and novellas. The next book in her paranormal mystery series, Dadgummit, releases August 2017. Maggie serves on the national board for Mystery Writers of America, is President of Southeast Mystery Writers of America, and is Co-VP of Low Country Sisters In Crime.

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