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15th out of 144 books
—
111 voters
Don of the Dead (Pepper Martin #1)
She sees dead people
Beautiful, smart, and chic, Pepper Martin never had to work a day in her life -- until her surgeon daddy was convicted of fraud, her wealthy fiance took a powder, and the family fortune ran bone dry.
Suddenly desperate, the inexperienced ex-rich girl was forced to take the only job she could get: as a tour guide in a cemetery. But a grave situation took...more
Beautiful, smart, and chic, Pepper Martin never had to work a day in her life -- until her surgeon daddy was convicted of fraud, her wealthy fiance took a powder, and the family fortune ran bone dry.
Suddenly desperate, the inexperienced ex-rich girl was forced to take the only job she could get: as a tour guide in a cemetery. But a grave situation took...more
Mass Market Paperback, 325 pages
Published
May 30th 2006
by Avon
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The first Pepper Martin mystery.
Pepper Martin is a tour guide at a cemetery in Cleveland. Shortly after taking the job she fell and hit her head on a tombstone. The doctors assured her everything was all right with her bruised up brain - so she was pretty surprised when during a tour Gus Scarpetti joined the group. Gus was the Al Capone of Cleveland and had been gunned down 30 years ago - in fact - he was on her tour of "Cleveland's Famous Dead". It quickly became clear that nobody else could se...more
Pepper Martin is a tour guide at a cemetery in Cleveland. Shortly after taking the job she fell and hit her head on a tombstone. The doctors assured her everything was all right with her bruised up brain - so she was pretty surprised when during a tour Gus Scarpetti joined the group. Gus was the Al Capone of Cleveland and had been gunned down 30 years ago - in fact - he was on her tour of "Cleveland's Famous Dead". It quickly became clear that nobody else could se...more
Pepper Martin is a cemetery tour guide who fell and hit herself on the front step of dead mob boss Gus Scarpetti's mausoleum. Soon afterwards she begins to see Scarpetti himself, and he wants her to investigate his murder. Pepper is a rich middle class girl who has found herself without a fortune when her father was conviced of fraud, and has no idea how to solve a 30 year old murder. A fast read with a style that reminds me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The writing flowed very wel...more
I'm not sure why I'm not overly crazy about this book. I think the main character bothers me because she still has that rich girl mentality who wants the best shoes to go along with her SAKS outfit; even though she is no longer rich. I don't know if she is because she is clinging onto any guy that is "hot" so that she can hop in the sack with him or get married. Pepper is written, to seem like she's a strong independent woman, but I'm just not feeling it. There is something missing to this story...more
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Chick-lit ain’t my bag, baby. Speaking of bags… Pepper Martin likes bags. And shoes. And clothes. And make-up. And men (okay, I agree with her on that one.)
As for mysteries, I don’t usually go for cozies. But I do enjoy a good paranormal. Mix in a little Mafia, and I was sold. Don of the Dead is book one in the Pepper Martin series. Pepper Martin is an ex-rich girl who due to a set of unfortunate situations ends up having to *gasp* work. The only job she manages to get is as a tour guide in a ce...more
As for mysteries, I don’t usually go for cozies. But I do enjoy a good paranormal. Mix in a little Mafia, and I was sold. Don of the Dead is book one in the Pepper Martin series. Pepper Martin is an ex-rich girl who due to a set of unfortunate situations ends up having to *gasp* work. The only job she manages to get is as a tour guide in a ce...more
If you enjoy the MaryJanice Davidson vampire mysteries, you'll really like Pepper Martin. She's a down-on-her-luck former deb whose dad has been sent to a federal pen for medicare fraud, her mom has remarried, and her oh-so-perfect country club set fiance has beat a hasty retreat. With a degree in art history and no work history or actual job skills (don't attack me art history majors, this is essentially how Pepper describes herself), the only job Pepper can land in a hurry is as a tour guide i...more
Fans of Kinsey Milhone, Stephanie Plum, Bubbles or Strip tease will find their next favorite female detective in Pepper Martin, a feisty red-haired ex-socialite with a certain gift with the dead. Pepper works as a tour guide at Cleveland's historic Garden View cemetery, but to her, the "residents" speak for themselves. In this first installment, Pepper connects with Gus Scarpetti, who makes her an offer she can't refuse, to look into his 30 year-old murder case. As Pepper muddles her way through...more
I wasn't expecting too much from a story centering around a former pampered princess, who uses her boobs and flirting to get out of tight spots, rather then use her brain. And as for whacking your head and being able to see and communicate with a ghost as a result? Yes, I know that this is termed as 'light fluff' and it's not meant to be realistic and everything, but I was still rolling my eyes before I'd even started DON OF THE DEAD.
This book is in first person so obviously the narrator is the...more
This book is in first person so obviously the narrator is the...more
A ditzy ex-rich big-chested ex-socialite hit her head on a tombstone during her pay-the-rent job, and can now see a deceased mobster. Except for a smattering of shake your head moments with said heroine, story was fun and entertaining. First in a series, followed by 2)The Chick and the Dead, 3) Tombs of Endearment, 4) Night of the Loving Dead, 5) Dead Man Talking, 6) Tomb with a View, 7) A Hard Day's Fright, and 01/03/2012 8) Wild Wild Death.
This is the first book in the series and though it is well written and the story good, it is the "set-up" book, introducing the recurring characters while working a mystery. I like Pepper Martin. I even liked her first "client," Gus Scarpetti. The mystery is a very cold case (30 years) and involves the death of a mafia don. I don't think it's a spoiler to mention that said don, Gus, is a ghost that only Pepper can see and hear. Pepper and Gus work together--sorta--so Gus can find eternal peace....more
Since I started my mystery reading trend, I've been looking more for mysteries that have ghosts & the supernatural in them. My searches have caused me to discover both the good & the bad of this particular spectrum of the mystery genre. Then there's books like 'Don of the Dead'- something that pretty much toes the line between good & bland.
Pepper Martin used to be a socialite. She had a good background (Dad was a highly paid doctor) & a status symbol fiancee. Soon after her fathe...more
Pepper Martin used to be a socialite. She had a good background (Dad was a highly paid doctor) & a status symbol fiancee. Soon after her fathe...more
I really liked this book.
Reading over some of the reviews, I had to laugh, only because their take is a bit dramatic? She doesn't hop into bed with anyone..... yet..... she hasn't had feelings for anyone in a long time.... she has great assets, which she has learned to use! Jealous? Uhmmmm, oh, she is a rich snob and the best thing she says about herself is....
All because I never dreamed that someday I might have to take care of myself. I never knew I'd need it, so I'd never developed the self-c...more
Reading over some of the reviews, I had to laugh, only because their take is a bit dramatic? She doesn't hop into bed with anyone..... yet..... she hasn't had feelings for anyone in a long time.... she has great assets, which she has learned to use! Jealous? Uhmmmm, oh, she is a rich snob and the best thing she says about herself is....
All because I never dreamed that someday I might have to take care of myself. I never knew I'd need it, so I'd never developed the self-c...more
About: Pepper Martin, a down-on-her-luck-former-rich-girl, is stuck giving cemetery tours to pay her bills. After taking a spill and whacking her head on a tombstone, she's suddenly able to see Gus Scarpetti, a mob boss who got whacked decades earlier. Gus' spirit is not able to "move on" until he takes care of some unfinished earthly business, namely finding out who murdered him, and he wants Pepper to help. Pepper doesn't want to do it, however Mafia dons don't take no for an answer, even dece...more
I like this author, pen-named 'Casey Daniels'. Amongst an array of series, often similar despite being numerous; this one is original. Even the theme of ghosts is approached in the delightfully bizarre setting of graveyard tourism! Casey created a lead character 'Pepper', who is uneducated about the afterlife. Readers learn as she does. She is a fashion-conscious daughter of a ritzy family, made relatable due to their fall from financial grace. More people see eye to eye with her struggle to sup...more
This is definitely UF chick lit so if you are expecting something more than that then I really do not recommend it. I tend not to read chick lit but this series is a bit of a guilty pleasure to me.
Pepper is from a rich family who lost their money and she is still quite a spoiled rich girl at heart and yet I did not hate her for it. The love interests are not compelling which would normally put me off too but it didn't.
The things that works so well in this series are the ghosts, in this book it...more
Pepper is from a rich family who lost their money and she is still quite a spoiled rich girl at heart and yet I did not hate her for it. The love interests are not compelling which would normally put me off too but it didn't.
The things that works so well in this series are the ghosts, in this book it...more
Think "Legally Blonde" meets "The Sixth Sense", and you have "Don of the Dead". Funny, cute debut novel from Cleveland native Casey Daniels about a spoiled rich girl named Pepper Martin who is suddenly given the ability to communicate with dead people. Actually, only one dead person, Gus Scarpetti, a Cleveland mafia don who was killed thirty years ago. He recruits her (unwillingly) to play detective and discover who ordered his "hit". To Gus's and her own surprise, it turns out she's actually go...more
I'm so glad I found this series. Why have I never heard of it?
I loved this book it kinda reminded me of Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teegarden series. Lots of laughs and a great mystery. I gotta tell you I couldn't figure out who dunnit until page 279, and I usually have the mystery figured out by page 70. Usually I need a book with alot of romance in it to be satisfied, but this was a great book that stood on it's own.
I loved Pepper she had some serious issues to work out that made her so human and...more
I loved this book it kinda reminded me of Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teegarden series. Lots of laughs and a great mystery. I gotta tell you I couldn't figure out who dunnit until page 279, and I usually have the mystery figured out by page 70. Usually I need a book with alot of romance in it to be satisfied, but this was a great book that stood on it's own.
I loved Pepper she had some serious issues to work out that made her so human and...more
This book was awful, but I was stuck on a weekend away with nothing else to read, so I finished it. The thing that I found most irritating is that supposed heroine Pepper's primary skill seems to be having "large" breasts. At the beginning of the book the author makes a point of stating that Pepper is a 36C and no man can help but succumb to the lure of her cleavage. First, how can I be expected to take a female character seriously who constantly flashes and mashes her breasts as an investigativ...more
I have read this novel multiple times since discovering the series back in 2009. Yet, every single time that I have read it, I remember the reason that this is one of my favorite series. This novel kept my attention from very beginning, to the very end of the novel. There is so much action in this novel, so much adventure. At each page, it kept me wondering what’s going to happen with Pepper next. I loved her attitude, her dedication to case, no matter what. This is type of mystery novel that ke...more
I really enjoyed this 'ghost whisperer' mystery. I really liked the fact that I had no idea who the killer was till close to the end of the book. With many questions unanswered about the characters in the book, I hope the next one has some answers to those questions left unanswered or avoided in the first. While I usually read romance this is a great break from that as there is no romance story in the background, just a 'regular' girl trying to date in today's society and deal with the 'extras'...more
Starts off slow and uninteresting... Pepper Martin is trying to help solve the mystery of who murdered Gus Scarpetti, dead mafia don. The story is not too bad. It only picks up when Quinn makes his first appearance. The plot and story are good. The characters' personality could use some work. The mystery is the main focus of the book, and although there isn't as much depth as I would like, it's still worth reading. I hope it gets better with the next book though. I didn't enjoy the story's backg...more
Pretty good. The ending felt abrupt and left some unanswered questions - not enough to get angry about though. Maybe that was on purpose.
I picked this one up at the supermarket a few years ago in a hurry to a clients house. I was skeptical but it was going to be a long day of nappy client time so I needed something other than the TV to keep me entertained.
I was surprised to find this book (and the next one) a fun, quirky, fast paced paranormal novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I really enjoy the main character Pepper Anne. This series is the perfect type of book to get you through a dry afternoon at the laundromat or a quick laugh...more
I was surprised to find this book (and the next one) a fun, quirky, fast paced paranormal novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I really enjoy the main character Pepper Anne. This series is the perfect type of book to get you through a dry afternoon at the laundromat or a quick laugh...more
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I read this book because it fit a challenge I was in ad I have never heard of the series or the author. I have to say it is a very light fun read and I can't wait to read what else Pepper gets herself into.
A knock on the noggin and Pepper is seeing ghosts. Well..she thinks she is or is she imagining things? She is taken through the past of a mobster to find out who killed him ad why. I have to say it wasn't at all who I thought it was and it was very sad at the end. But what does Pepper get out...more
A knock on the noggin and Pepper is seeing ghosts. Well..she thinks she is or is she imagining things? She is taken through the past of a mobster to find out who killed him ad why. I have to say it wasn't at all who I thought it was and it was very sad at the end. But what does Pepper get out...more
I was torn between giving this book a 3 or a 4 out of 5. It took so long to get into it and the story at the beginning dragged and not much happened. I almost gave up on it but comments from other Goodreaders kept me reading it.
The story is good if not slow to start and well grounded. We are flooded with information at the end and you are trying to work out who did have Gus offed and I'll admit to not working it out before we were told which I really loved! I hate knowing more than the hero/her...more
The story is good if not slow to start and well grounded. We are flooded with information at the end and you are trying to work out who did have Gus offed and I'll admit to not working it out before we were told which I really loved! I hate knowing more than the hero/her...more
I really enjoyed this book. The first in the series, Pepper Martin has gone from riches to rags and landed a job as a cemetary tour guide. When she accidentally hits her head on a mobsters tombstone, he suddenly appears and starts demanding she finds out who killed him. Now Pepper is set out to solve a murder case that happened before she was born.
This was a really good cozy with a nice paranormal twist, and light romance. It kept me guessing till the very end. I didnt know who the killer was u...more
This was a really good cozy with a nice paranormal twist, and light romance. It kept me guessing till the very end. I didnt know who the killer was u...more
Maybe I'm biased, because I'm from Northeast Ohio and this story is set in Cleveland, and for me, that was part of the fun- knowing the streets and venues Daniels mentions in the book. The main character, Pepper Martin, leaves a lot to be desired, but she also acknowledges that she's unprepared for life and never made much of an effort to BE a productive citizen. It makes her sort of an anti-hero (or heroine, as the case may be) - someone who never should have been put in the position to help ot...more
Aug 11, 2011
Erin
added it
Just finished this cute regional mystery from writer Casey Daniels. Add a dash of Stephanie Plum to a smidgen of M. Night Shamamalymayamnana (I can never remember when to stop spelling that guy's name) and throw in the backdrop of Cleveand's Mayfield Road Little Italy and you've got Pepper Martin, a spunky gal who's dreaming of better things than her job as a cemetery tour guide. Daniels has some work to do to give her heroine a bit more depth to her soul, but all in all an entertaining read. Re...more
This book was an ok read, nothing really special here. All of the characters seem to fit into a stereotype with Pepper's being the worse.
Ella is Pepper's boss is your typical hippy flower child who seems to be a bit of a feminist too.
Pepper (Penelope) Martin is the main character. She is your typical rich girl who didn't expect for her daddy's money to dry up. Oh did I mention she has nice tits, she seems obsessed with them.
Don Gus Scarpetti is your typical mobster Don, and he's not even a ve...more
Ella is Pepper's boss is your typical hippy flower child who seems to be a bit of a feminist too.
Pepper (Penelope) Martin is the main character. She is your typical rich girl who didn't expect for her daddy's money to dry up. Oh did I mention she has nice tits, she seems obsessed with them.
Don Gus Scarpetti is your typical mobster Don, and he's not even a ve...more
Paranormal, suspense, romance. Excellent writing. Love the characters, can't wait to find out what is going on with one of them. Really came to like Pepper. Hope Dan and Quinn are in future books.
Pepper Martin was raised wealthy and a little spoiled until her father got in trouble with the law. Pepper's skills are limited, so she takes the first job she can get as a tour guide in an old cemetery. As the result of a head injury, Pepper has developed a new skill, the ability to see ghosts, or as...more
Pepper Martin was raised wealthy and a little spoiled until her father got in trouble with the law. Pepper's skills are limited, so she takes the first job she can get as a tour guide in an old cemetery. As the result of a head injury, Pepper has developed a new skill, the ability to see ghosts, or as...more
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A pseudonym used by Connie Laux, A.K.A Miranda Bliss and Kylie Logan.
A couple years ago I applied for a part-time job as a tour guide at a historic cemetery not far from where I live. Why? Well, aside from the fact that the job would force me to step away from my computer and remind me that there was a life beyond writing (even in a place where just about everybody was dead), I love cemeteries.
No,...more
More about Casey Daniels...
A couple years ago I applied for a part-time job as a tour guide at a historic cemetery not far from where I live. Why? Well, aside from the fact that the job would force me to step away from my computer and remind me that there was a life beyond writing (even in a place where just about everybody was dead), I love cemeteries.
No,...more
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