Fair Market Value

The Body Shop, Book 1

By: Hailey Edwards

Narrated by: Candace Joice

Forgot to feed your goldfish before your untimely demise? Need to jot down a will? Say a goodbye? See the Grand Canyon? Then come visit us at The Body Shop, where unfinished business is our business.

Mary Frances Talbot—Frankie—is a necromancer, probably. Hard to say since she never met her parents. She can see the dead, talk to the dead, and a few other things that aren't strictly legal. It's fine. No worries. As long as she doesn't get caught.

The whole not getting caught thing was going well until Samuel Harrow blew back into town wearing a Savannah Police Department uniform. He might be a witch, but he hates magic. He's not a fan of Frankie either. Which explains why he's her ex.

When Frankie's less than legal side gigs result in dead vampires, she knows she's in trouble. Big trouble. And that's before Harrow offers to help. With him waving a Get Out of Jail Free card in her face, Frankie doesn't have much choice but to accept.

But that doesn't mean she has to forgive. She'll certainly never forget him breaking her heart or turning her over to the police or . . . Yeah. They were doomed from the start. Something tells her this investigation will be too.

Contains mature themes.

©2024 Black Dog Books, LLC (P)2024 Tantor Media

That ending!

The first half is a bit slower paced but the second half will keep you on your toes trying to guess who the bad guy is!

Cannot wait for book two!

This was a great first book in a series, it has Marys, Gods, paras and some pretty good twists. Hailey is great at world building without sacrificing the store and developing lovable characters. I cannot wait for the next book.

Another great Hailey Edwards series!

I am hooked. Great premise, characters, mystery, elements of fantasy, enough twists and turns, great narrator. I absolutely recommend!

Unique and fun urban fantasy- a shiny new series

Frankie: “Are you telling me you walked into a sex dream?!”
Mattie: “I’m not not telling you that…”
I’ve only seen this kind of necromantic mystery procedural in the TV show Pushing Daisies, so right off the bat this had the feeling of something shiny and new. Adding to the freshly different vibe were a crow (which also brought fun with shiny finds), a family dynamic with Frankie’s dream walking foster brother and green thumb foster sister, and couple of side characters with personality for detours, misdirects, and jokes.

“If he was determined to read from the villain’s handbook, I would quote from How To Be A Damsel.”
From the narration to the story, I had a blast. There’s a standalone mystery plus the promise of a series-long romance (or two) and a final chapter to tease into the next book. This book joked about sex, was LGBTQ positive, and dealt with paranormal killings, but stayed within YA levels. It had some tiny issues, but I give a book five stars when I’m hooked enough to immediately move on to the next book; by that measure, I’m clicking play on book 2 right now.

Excellent first book in a series

Frankie is a necromancer. Great world building, excellent complex characters. No spice, but lovers turned friends, maybe more in book 2. Looking forward to the next book.