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Ghosts & Echoes (Shadows Inquiries #2)

3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 · rating details · 161 ratings · 25 reviews

The new urban fantasy series that has readers jumping at shadows.

Chicago cop Adam Wright has picked up a spiritual hitchhiker, the ghost of a dead man who desperately wants to live again. So he turns to supernatural P.I. Sylvie Lightner to rid him of the spirit-a spirit she finds strangely familiar.

Paperback, 1st Edition, 368 pages

Published April 27th 2010 by Ace

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Jun 05, 2011 Karyogini rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-on-2011

I can't get over the feeling that I entered this series in the middle. I hate that feeling and I usually stop reading and search for the beginning. Obviously the 1st book is the 1st book and this is the second book... But LB keeps mentioning the "past" as if we knew about them... I'm on the second book and I still can't let go. Ha! After putting the book down and picking it up after 3 days rest, I'm more in the groove of reading it. I was trying to trick myself into thinking that yeah I read abo...more

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May 17, 2010 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

I’ve never met a Lyn Benedict/Lane Robins book I didn’t like, but Ghosts & Echoes is the best of her work to date. There’s a ton of urban fantasy out there, ranging from the stellar to the egregious, but this is the kind of book I like to wave at people and say, “This is what urban fantasy can be.”

Sylvie “Shadows” Lightner is back in Miami, recovering from what she calls the “Chicago clusterf*ck” that took place in the previous novel, Sins & Shadows. Two new cases fall into her lap: a s...more I’ve never met a Lyn Benedict/Lane Robins book I didn’t like, but Ghosts & Echoes is the best of her work to date. There’s a ton of urban fantasy out there, ranging from the stellar to the egregious, but this is the kind of book I like to wave at people and say, “This is what urban fantasy can be.”

Sylvie “Shadows” Lightner is back in Miami, recovering from what she calls the “Chicago clusterf*ck” that took place in the previous novel, Sins & Shadows. Two new cases fall into her lap: a string of magically-enhanced burglaries, and a shell-shocked Chicago cop who carries the ghost of a dead man within him. Neither is as straightforward as it sounds, of course. The burglars’ trail leads Sylvie to some sinister magical transactions that threaten the life of someone close to Sylvie. And the cop’s “hitchhiker” isn’t just any dead man, but someone who knew Sylvie in life.

There are two conclusions that an attentive reader can draw pretty early on. I was briefly worried that this would be one of those books where the protagonist lets the clues fly over her head for 400 pages. Happily, this is not the case; Sylvie comes to the same two realizations pretty quickly and moves along to trying to deduce the how and the why. In the burglary-ring plot, the early revelations are just the tip of the iceberg, with a much nastier scheme lying beneath. In the ghost plot, the real issue is a moral one. Sylvie’s ethics come into conflict with her heart and with the dark voice inside her that exhorts her to look out for number one.

These two plot strands are braided together skillfully. As Sylvie investigates the thefts, she makes some discoveries about ghosts and resurrections and how they work, discoveries that raise the question of whether a satisfactory outcome is even possible in the cop’s case. Sometimes her ruminations on the haunting seem a little drawn-out, but I think that’s the point. She’s putting that case on the back burner, and the more she procrastinates, the worse it gets.

The story is wonderfully creepy. There’s plenty of action and some gore, but the psychological horror is also kept at a fever pitch throughout. The scariest thing, in the end, is just how cold some of the characters are — what depraved lengths they will go to in pursuit of their selfish desires.

Along the way, Sylvie grows as a character. She tries — with varying degrees of success — to tame her temper, to figure out when her defiant streak will serve her well and when it’ll just get in the way of her goals. And she, too, faces the question of how far she will go for what she wants.

Benedict asks the same question, to an extent, of the reader. Sins & Shadows left many fans wishing for certain plot developments. In Ghosts and Echoes, we get something from our “wish list,” but in a twisted sort of way.

With her usual beautiful prose, a clever new take on an old piece of folklore, and a plot that keeps us feverishly turning pages to learn what new revelation waits ahead, Lyn Benedict has written one of the best urban fantasies I’ve read in some time. I enthusiastically recommend Ghosts and Echoes.(less)

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May 09, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-release, urban-fantasy

Ghosts and Echoes is the second book in the Shadows & Inquiries series, and takes place a month after the events in Sins & Shadows where Sylvie helped save a God while killing Lilith, the mother of her lineage, and watched as Michael Demalion died in the process.

This time around Sylvie is looking for a simple and easy case to ease back into things. She has been on vacation, and really is questioning her commitment to keeping her business open. She is still grieving and angry over what ha...more Ghosts and Echoes is the second book in the Shadows & Inquiries series, and takes place a month after the events in Sins & Shadows where Sylvie helped save a God while killing Lilith, the mother of her lineage, and watched as Michael Demalion died in the process.

This time around Sylvie is looking for a simple and easy case to ease back into things. She has been on vacation, and really is questioning her commitment to keeping her business open. She is still grieving and angry over what happened to Michael, and knows she is partially to blame for his death.

She is also being hounded and harassed by the Miami police department who believes she was responsible for the death of Raphael Suarez. Raphael was her friend and investigator and his death really has screwed with Sylvie’s psyche. Adelio Suarez, Raphael’s father, has demanded answers from Sylvie including what really happened to the cultists who were responsible for Raphael’s death. Note: The God of Justice turned them all into flowers instead of killing them.

Alex Figueroa-Smith has become a full business partner in Shadows Inquiries Private Investigators, but Sylvie she keeps her as an investigator behind the scenes. Mainly doing research and running the office. She’s not ready to lose another friend to those she hunts down and kills especially after Alex nearly died at the hands of a massive snake attack on her.

Sylvie specializes in cases involving the unusual and unbelievable. She has anger issues and is quick to pull the trigger. Her kill rate is off the charts. Sylvie’s dark voice within drives her actions, and you wonder when she will finally lose total control and do something even more dangerous than going up against Lilith, Cultists, werewolves, and an out of control witch.

Sylvie hates the Magicus Mundi since they kill people and operate outside the realm of human knowledge and human law. Sylvie is often aggressive, cynical, over confident, belligerent and a trouble magnet. In Sins & Shadows, Sylvie found out that she’s the descendant of Cain, the first murderer, and Lilith the ultimate disobedient. Of course, after Lilith was turned human, she tossed her off a roof to her death.

Enter Chicago cop Adam Wright who has picked up a hitchhiker in his body that he believes happened after he was hit by lightning and died. Of course, the hitchhiker just happens to be Michael Demalion who somehow was able to get away from the Furies that were sent to kill his soul. Needless to say, anyone who has read this book would have already known the final outcome of this book. So, I won’t dispel any spoilers and give it away.

Alex actually plays a bigger role in this story, as well as her little sister Zoe. Zoe it seems has a secret that she has kept away from Sylvie. She’s a witch, and an untrained and powerful one at that. Sylvie could blame herself for keeping a distance from her and not knowing she’s a witch because of her line of work. But the point is she misses important clues along the way, and ends up time and time again walking into dangerous situations without thinking first.

I really want to dislike this series, but now that I’ve come this far, I want answers and to know in what direction this story will take with the Zoe and Michael story lines among others. I also am hoping that Sylvie is able to mend some of the broken fences and friendships she's lost along the way because of her anger, and her job.
Gods & Monsters was released 04/26/2011
(less)

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May 12, 2012 BamaGal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-uf

After a much needed vacation, Sylvie has come back to her PI business wanting only to take on some lighter cases. The cases she picks up however - a cop who has picked up a ghost hitch-hiker and a string of burglaries with magical undertones - turn out to be more than she bargained for. This book explores the underbelly of magic; and the author isn't afraid go into some of the darker places in Urban Fantasy. Necromancy, budding teenage witches, youthful burglary rings and death. This is not a li...more

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May 02, 2010 Schnaucl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: april, fiction, library, read_2010, series, urban_fantasy

This book opens roughly a month after the first book.

I feel kind of ambivalent about the book. I want to like it more than I actually do. Part of the problem is that while I liked Michael, I also really liked Wright and I found the resolution of his problem unsatisfying.

I figured out almost immediately that Zoe was involved in what was going on. I also figured out what happened as soon as Bella revived.

I also think I just needed something more interesting than standard magic. The hand of glor...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Mardel rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you've read Sins and Shadows, then you know that the main character - Sylvie - can be a bit of a cranky person. In the last book, I enjoyed her inner seething rage. It was kind of constant, she was so angry most of the book. In this book, she came across a little more sullen than angry. Not sure if I really liked that part, but the story itself was good - a good plot, a good narration, good dialogue and some suspenseful scenes with creepy factors.

Sylvie's sister, Zoe, has been in a bit of tro...more If you've read Sins and Shadows, then you know that the main character - Sylvie - can be a bit of a cranky person. In the last book, I enjoyed her inner seething rage. It was kind of constant, she was so angry most of the book. In this book, she came across a little more sullen than angry. Not sure if I really liked that part, but the story itself was good - a good plot, a good narration, good dialogue and some suspenseful scenes with creepy factors.

Sylvie's sister, Zoe, has been in a bit of trouble and she gets dumped on Sylvie's watch while her parents take off on a trip. Of course, Zoe disappears - she's a rebellious teen with some sinister associations as well as the same blood in her veins that has Sylvie hearing those dark, snarky thoughts. While this is happening, Sylvie has been having money problems (all the urban fantasy heroines who work for a living seem to have money problems) so her office manager/assistant pressures her to take a simple case that turns out to be not so simple. All the businesses around the area have been robbed without any signs of forced entry, and no witnesses.

AND .... a cop comes to her from Chicago, setting of her last traumatic snafu case where she had to fight gods and the furies of Greek legends. Chicago is still recovering from this event. Turns out this particular cop, Wright, was killed and brought back to life (yeay for CPR), only he doesn't seem to feel himself. He has a passenger on board....a haunt.... Another case that turns out to me not so simple.

The book was well written, the story was a good story and the cases were interesting. The problems that Sylvie has been having with the local police, however, hinder her investigations and she has been being harassed by them. And kind of behaving in a harassed sullen young adult type of way. Because of the reason for their harassment, she gets a little sullen, but she also seems to have a bit of patience for it, understanding the reason and accepting the situations.

There is something in the ending that seemed a bit too convenient - but author's choice, her story; and while it was so very convenient, the reaction from Sylvie wasn't exactly welcoming, it was more critical and "this is not a good thing". The bottom line is that I'm glad I read Ghosts and Echoes and I enjoyed the book, very much. This is a good story, again, with believable dialogue and characters. The cases were solved one way or another, and we've gotten a taste of Zoe, Sylvie's little sister. Even though she was a total teen brat in this novel, seeming to care about nothing but her own wants and needs, she did seem to show signs of hidden depths, possibilities of growth, etc. Zoe's character also seemed more real than many of the teen characters that I've read in other books - some of them so reasonable, it almost seems too good to be true. Zoe's character is promising, and could be an interesting secondary character addition to the series. I have the next in the series waiting for me on the shelf (Gods and Monsters). I believe there are even more in the series waiting for me at the bookstores.(less)

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Mar 27, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 3 of 5 stars

Review brought to you by OBS staff member Heidi

When I started reading this book I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not as I didn’t really care for the first installment of the series, Sins & Shadows. But I’m happy to report that I found this story much more entertaining than the first. I thought Sylvie’s sister, Zoe, brought a lot to the story and even made Sylvie seem more real and believable. I didn’t think Sylvie was nearly as hard-headed and unreasonable as she was at times in the last nove...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Janice (Janicu) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was to give this 2.5 stars - between liked it and it was OK.

Review from my book blog (wordpress / livejournal)

I'd read Sins & Shadows about a year and a half ago and have been meaning to read the second book, Ghosts & Echoes for a while, but didn't get around to it until the recent Border's bookstore closings where I picked up a copy. This is the rare urban fantasy where the POV was not in first person, but in third!

The Premise: Sylvie Lightner is worn out after what happened in Chicag...more

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May 06, 2011 Shandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, sci-fi-fantasy

It took me a little while to get into this book, but I don't think it was really the books fault. I was a little distracted, and it took me a chapter or two to really recall the first book, which I read last year. It all came back to me, though, and in the end, I think I actually enjoyed this book even more than the first one! Sylvie, or Shadows, as she is known, is a hard heroine to love at first. She's more than another sarcastic urban fantasy heroine - she really has some reasons to be bitter...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Sillylittlefishey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found this book to be a vast improvement to the predecessor, Sins & Shadows. I liked what Sylvie's sister brought to the story and Sylvie's struggle with helping Wright vs keeping Demalion in her life in Wright's body. I didn't expect the ending that came about as far as Demailion and Wright are concerned, but loved how it left things open for what is to come of Zoe in the future. I hope this series continues to improve.

Please see my full review @ http://www.openbooksociety.com

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May 05, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, romance, urban

God. Dark, dark, dark, dark. There is no panacea in Lyn Benedict's books, even the most unlikely of happy endings is rife with bitter things beyond Sylvie's control. The bad are not always punished, the good are often damaged in the fight, and even justice can leave you limp and tear stricken and saddened. Utterly compelling and masterfully written, GHOSTS & ECHOES fascinated and enthralled me, all the while breaking my heart.

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May 21, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, urban-fantasy

Sylvie definitely has her work cut out for her!! Demalion is back in force (though, I saw the ending coming from a mile away). This time Zoe gets caught up in a whole mess of trouble and its up to Sylvie to get her out of it. The book was good and I am getting more involved in this world, but the plot was really predictable. I figured most of the main plot out in the first few chapters. Though it wasn't bad, I don't know if I'd keep reading the series if the next book is as predictable.

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May 19, 2011 Laurie Bongiorno rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5
About 2/3 through I found myself skipping some parts, I hate when the action is cut with descriptions...
Ended with another death, and an unhappily ever after, but again my mind gives me hope for the future. Surely her life can't always go wrong and leave only distruction in her path... I am still looking forward to the next one.

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Jun 20, 2012 Daeja rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: preternatural

Sylvie's relationships continue to be really uneven, but I liked the concepts presented in this book, so I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 3 stars (3.5 would be nice).

There isn't a lot to recommend Sylvie on a social front, so why Alex sticks around baffles me a lot. Otherwise... enjoyable, quick read.

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Jan 17, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

A fairly decent read, but I really battled to get through this book.
Demalion's return was well-received, but I'm not sure that I like the way the Wright versus Demalion saga was resolved in the end. Sylvie seems to have grown in character, from the first book, but her abrasiveness gets to me at times. I am a great supporter of strong women, but Sylvie's bad attitude to everyone is not acceptable to me. Zoe, Sylvie's rebellious sister came across as a mini-version of Sylvie, with the potential t...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Martha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was loaned to my by my boss, she thought I would enjoy it. I have not read any of benedict's other books...yet (hehe) I liked this one very well. I will look into more of them.

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Nov 09, 2012 Sheree Ross rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a fair series. I hate smart alec teens,,,that ruined it a lot for me and yes I understand Demalion was Sylvie's lover, but I hated to see Wright be lost.

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Mar 10, 2012 Tricia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Enjoyed the story. Takes you into a world that does not exsist, but Ms Benedict provides you with enough details to bring it to life.

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Mar 12, 2011 Claire rated it 2 of 5 stars

Struggling with this one at the mo. The first book was a lot better. I think I have figured most of the plot already and I am only on page 67.

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Nov 09, 2012 Johnna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Liked this one better than the first.

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Aug 15, 2011 Kathy Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lyn-benedict

This is a very good series

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Jul 14, 2011 Kerry Allen marked it as dnf

Shelves: donated

Quit at page 72.

I don't care how many times you tell me a character has the finely tuned instincts of a survivor. The instant she makes out with the possessed portion of her possessed client (molesting the body of someone vulnerable who came to her for help while he's powerless to stop her and also blithely disregarding five chapters of Better be careful, everybody's out to get me), she becomes too stupid to live.

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Dec 26, 2012 B.E. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Started out a little hard - like I might have to give up on the book - but I forged ahead. The annoying little sister gets easier to take after a while, when the excellent writing distracts you from what I can only assume is the new trait for all fictional teenage girls (i.e. uber-snotty, unpleasant bitch).

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Jun 09, 2012 Jura Spitfire rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, urban-fantasy

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Jun 21, 2012 Tia rated it 3 of 5 stars

This novel was a bit disappointing to me. In the first novel, her lover dies and in this novel, Adam comes along and he has part of her lover as a ghost hitchhiker in his body. It was a sad ending as well. It kind of doomed their relationship too.

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Nov 08, 2011 Phil rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good series. Needs a little more action but overall good read.

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May 18, 2013 Pam marked it as to-read

May 16, 2013 Patricia marked it as to-read

May 15, 2013 Adam Reeves rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 09, 2013 Daniela marked it as to-read

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“I have something to check out. You...guard the truck."

"Sylvie," Wright said, "no one wants this truck. I'm broke and on foot, and I don't want this truck.” — 1 person liked it

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Ghosts & Echoes (Shadows Inquiries #2)

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