Lyn Benedict – Ghosts and Echoes

The second book in the Shadows Inquiries series, published 2010.
Genre: urban fantasy
Cover: I like it.



Sylvie Lightner is no ordinary PI. She’s just saved the world but lost her lover in the process. And putting those she cares about in danger has never been part of her job description. Distracting herself from her grief, Sylvie investigates what appears to be a simple robbery only to uncover a complex case of organized murder with a magical edge.
But she has even more pressing mystery to solve. Chicago cop Adam Wright has picked up a spiritual hitchhiker: the ghost of a dead man who desperately wants to live again. Wright believes Sylvie is the only one who can rid him of the spirit – a spirit she finds strangely familiar…


After all the chaos and loss of the previous book, Sylvie took a month vacation, just lounging on the beach. But now she is back, and Alex wants her to take a few cases she really is not interested in at first.
Someone is committing robberies, without forced entry and without disabling the alarm systems, and still, the alarms don’t go off. Sylvia really wants to refuse the case, but Alex persuades her, and they do need to earn some money. If only it wasn’t a woman she dislikes so much hiring her.
And then there is a cop from Chicago, claiming to be possessed by a ghost, ever since the events from last month. Blood rained out of the sky, he got struck by lightning and died, but lived again, only to share his body with some other. No one believes him, his job is on the line, and his marriage is almost on the rocks. No one can help him, but he dreamed of Sylvie and now he has found her, she is going to help him. He will not leave her side until he has some answers!

Sylvie agrees to go on a stakeout of the mall which will be the most likely to be hit by the burglars, and to her surprise, she does encounter them. Only to be put asleep for almost an hour! Waking up, she finds the doors unlocked and open, and the alarm blinking green that everything is alright. But the burglars are still inside, so she will catch them in the act. Unfortunately, they use their magic devices again, and both she and Wright are unconscious again on the sidewalk, to be roughly awakened by some cops.
Sylvie is getting used to being harassed by the cops, her employee whom was murdered a few weeks ago, had lots of family on the police force, and they all blame her for his death. Even though it was a satanic cult performing a blood sacrifice to gain more power. And now the whole coven has disappeared, but she cannot tell the cops that the God of Justice took care of the problem for her, now can she?

This story is fast paced, lots of action, and dark magic. Necromancy, Hands of Glory, ghosts and just icky things. Rich teenagers, thinking they can do whatever they want, and Sylvie’s little sister Zoe is in the center of it all.


I was very much looking forward to reading this book, as I enjoyed the first one so much. And to be honest, I am disappointed. I still liked Sylvie, even though she seems to accept things too much this time. But my problem is, I really dislike all the other characters. Alex who keeps lecturing Sylvie on stupid things, the possessed cop, and the ghost, and Zoe. So even though the story is a good one, that kept me reading, I disliked the other characters so much that I could not really enjoy this book. I do hope the next one is better, bur I won’t be picking it up very soon.

6 stars.

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian