Death in Secret

Quite likely the sweetest murder mystery I've read. Intriguing storyline. The characters are all so cheery, all well-adjusted, all interacting so jovially and lovingly with each other (the Good Gals/Guys, anyway). Half the dialog is written as “‘...', [Character] said laughing.” Strong female, minority, and LGBTQ characters. So kumbaya I could squee, and honestly that's why I stuck with it: because I needed that today.

On the less-enthusiastic note: it was kind of painful reading. “The dialog is a bit stilted, and too often used as an exposition device for introducing plot points,” Ed said laughing. Misspellings galore, most distressingly when she writes (shudder) “Sangre de Christo.” Supernatural elements weaving in and out unexpectedly. Occasional jarring shifts from third-person narration to first, from the viewpoint of an otherwise invisible (human) character. Serious technical goofs (e.g., GPS readings from inside a mine. I'll accept the audio recordings of a conversation with a ghost, because why not.) Most importantly, the characters—good, bad, neutral—just aren't convincing. I did like the book, might even pick up another of Johnson's books one day.