What do you think?
Rate this book
A Spring Cleaning Mystery #1
Nearly Departed
Victoria Spring hates her job. The last career a reluctant medium should pursue is crime scene clean up; it would have been nice to know she could talk to ghosts before taking the job.
As the co-founder of SPRING CLEANING, most of the hard work should be covered by her business partner & brother, Jerry. And it was...until he was shipped off to Afghanistan and declared missing in action over two years ago. Determined not to disappoint her parents, Vicky keeps the business afloat "just until Jerry gets back." But when she agrees to clean up the murder-suicide of three college students, she knows she'll need help. Ex-cop Smoke Barclay is more than a little mysterious, but he has great references, passed the puke test, and has a decent hand shake, so he's hired. Smoke's help should make this job a breeze, but when the ghosts of the three victims show up at the scene claiming all three were murdered by someone still on the loose; Vicky knows nothing about this job is going to be easy.
Helping the ghosts move on means finding out what really happened to happened to them...even if it means Vicky may be the next victim.
As the co-founder of SPRING CLEANING, most of the hard work should be covered by her business partner & brother, Jerry. And it was...until he was shipped off to Afghanistan and declared missing in action over two years ago. Determined not to disappoint her parents, Vicky keeps the business afloat "just until Jerry gets back." But when she agrees to clean up the murder-suicide of three college students, she knows she'll need help. Ex-cop Smoke Barclay is more than a little mysterious, but he has great references, passed the puke test, and has a decent hand shake, so he's hired. Smoke's help should make this job a breeze, but when the ghosts of the three victims show up at the scene claiming all three were murdered by someone still on the loose; Vicky knows nothing about this job is going to be easy.
Helping the ghosts move on means finding out what really happened to happened to them...even if it means Vicky may be the next victim.
292 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
606 people want to read
About the author
J.B. Lynn
78 books400 followersAuthor of the series:
Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman
Psychic Consignment Mysteries
Cursed Chick Club
Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman
Psychic Consignment Mysteries
Cursed Chick Club
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 10, 2013
Nearly Departed is the first in the new Spring Cleaning Mysteries series by JB Lynn. This is the kind of book that draws you through from page one and leaves you wishing for more at the end. I love and hate when that happens. I love it because the story is obviously good and JB does not disappoint.Hate it because i have to wait for more. Vicky is the lead in this series and she's as complicated as they come. She's working her missing military brother's business for him not that she wants to but that she feels obligated to for him and for her parents who still hold out hope he's alive. The business is cleaning up after crime scenes. Not fun and potentially dangerous too. She's got some interesting friends several who are ghosts that she can talk to and several live friends including her brothers gorgeous lawyer friend who sets her up with Smoke Barclay and no that's not his real name but we don't get to find out what it is yet in this book. Smoke is a hot cop who just got kicked off the force but why? Have to read and try to figure that out. Everyone's keeping secrets and while a few are found out you have to have a few for later right? There's a mystery to be solved in this book and Vicky is bound and determined to solve it if she doesn't get herself killed first. I don't want you to think this book is all gore or anything as it's more funny and romantic than that. If you have read JB Lynn's Hitwoman series you'll love this!! I'm ready for book two now!
November 30, 2013
First off, let me say I got this as an advanced copy because JB is my friend and we do junk for each other, so as a thank you for the junk I do, she gave me this. There wasn't any expectation of an awesome review in return. Having said that, though, let's commence with the awesome...
SQUEE! This book was amazing! I loved Vicky. She's quirky and fun and broken in her own way. I love Smoke. He's serious and sexy and broken in his own way. And their breaks work well together - except when they don't, which just amps up the tension to a delectable point. I love the ghosts. I love Halley. It all works so well together that I can't wait to see where this is headed next. And I totally didn't see who the real bad guy was until the reveal, and then the twist at the very end. OMG! Awesome stuff.
Nearly Departed should thrill fans of her Hitwoman series, and yet still tempt fans of her suspense The First Victim. It's got the lightheartedness of the former and the grit of the latter. Way to go, JB!
SQUEE! This book was amazing! I loved Vicky. She's quirky and fun and broken in her own way. I love Smoke. He's serious and sexy and broken in his own way. And their breaks work well together - except when they don't, which just amps up the tension to a delectable point. I love the ghosts. I love Halley. It all works so well together that I can't wait to see where this is headed next. And I totally didn't see who the real bad guy was until the reveal, and then the twist at the very end. OMG! Awesome stuff.
Nearly Departed should thrill fans of her Hitwoman series, and yet still tempt fans of her suspense The First Victim. It's got the lightheartedness of the former and the grit of the latter. Way to go, JB!
September 6, 2016
Nearly Departedis a cross between the Ghost Whisperer and Stephanie Plum. Need I say more? Author JB Lynn's patented humor, excellent characterizations, and interesting suspense all combine to make this a fast, fun, and furious read. I enjoyed the heck out of it. Two questions: When do we get to find out more about Smoke and when is the next book coming?
January 6, 2014
I know I can pick up a JB Lynn book and be completely lost in it. Nearly Departed delivered. Vic is a beautiful disaster and Smoke has a hard ass exterior with a melt in your mouth interior. The characters, especially the ghosts, in this book will make you laugh out loud! This book is a must read! Cannot wait for the next edition to The Spring Cleaning Series!
December 29, 2013
Fun Read
I don't normally post reviews, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot was good and had me guessing until the end. It was an enjoyable read. I love a good paranormal story, and it didn't disappoint. I couldn't put the "book" down. I'm glad I found this one.
I don't normally post reviews, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot was good and had me guessing until the end. It was an enjoyable read. I love a good paranormal story, and it didn't disappoint. I couldn't put the "book" down. I'm glad I found this one.
January 16, 2014
Love, love, love this new series!!! I am dying to read the next one! Funny, romantic even without the sex scenes many books feel they need. You can connect with the heroine and feel yourself routing her on. Great book!
December 25, 2013
A delightful read. Fans of cozy mysteries MUST read this book. Read my full review at Girl Who Reads
January 5, 2014
This was a great book. Very well done. I couldn't stop reading. Haven't done that with a book in a long time. :-)
January 27, 2014
wonderful book, interesting and fun read don't want to say too much will spoil your fun
September 7, 2014
I'm baffled why this book has so many five-star ratings. People seem to be connecting to the characters and plot in a way that I'm not. That's ok.
My number one problem with this book is the relationship between the two leads. Given Vicky's past, , the hero's behavior toward Vicky is jarring. It would be off-putting in any scenario, but the patronizing lectures, physically menacing behaviors (the pinning, the grabbing, the looming in her personal space), and choice to call her by a completely different name than she wants (not pet name, btw), is ridiculous. Oh, but he's the misunderstood bad boy who's really a good boy with a heart of gold, and just wants to protect her, so it's all cool right? Pass.
This novel also has a lot of showing rather than telling. There's lots of gaps noted to the reader in the characters' backstories, but these don't rise organically in the narrative. Instead they're little touches thrown in to keep you flipping the pages to find out a seemingly juicy detail. But the story fails to scratch those itches, and the details remain hidden, apparently for future installments.
This book may be fine for beach reading or something similar, but be prepared to pay attention. There's a ton of characters, many sadly one-dimensional--. They pop in and out at random. So if you start skimming sections, you probably won't be able to follow much of what the main villain says while monologuing people at gunpoint.
Maybe I simply expected too much of this book because it was the highest rated on book in my unread pile. But it just didn't deliver.
My number one problem with this book is the relationship between the two leads. Given Vicky's past, , the hero's behavior toward Vicky is jarring. It would be off-putting in any scenario, but the patronizing lectures, physically menacing behaviors (the pinning, the grabbing, the looming in her personal space), and choice to call her by a completely different name than she wants (not pet name, btw), is ridiculous. Oh, but he's the misunderstood bad boy who's really a good boy with a heart of gold, and just wants to protect her, so it's all cool right? Pass.
This novel also has a lot of showing rather than telling. There's lots of gaps noted to the reader in the characters' backstories, but these don't rise organically in the narrative. Instead they're little touches thrown in to keep you flipping the pages to find out a seemingly juicy detail. But the story fails to scratch those itches, and the details remain hidden, apparently for future installments.
This book may be fine for beach reading or something similar, but be prepared to pay attention. There's a ton of characters, many sadly one-dimensional--. They pop in and out at random. So if you start skimming sections, you probably won't be able to follow much of what the main villain says while monologuing people at gunpoint.
Maybe I simply expected too much of this book because it was the highest rated on book in my unread pile. But it just didn't deliver.
March 3, 2014
I received this book from Goodreads and enjoyed it a lot. It is fast paced and loaded with mystery, ghosts and romance. There are 2 main characters Victoria Spring and Smoke Barclay. Vicki runs a business of cleaning up crime scenes which was started by her brother and Smoke is an ex-cop who comes to work for her. They are busy not only cleaning up a grizzly murder scene of 3 college boys but the ghosts of the young men come back and encourage Vicki to find out the truth regarding their deaths. Vicki also encounters several other ghosts whose stories become entwined with the main mystery. This keeps things moving almost to the point of overload, but the author blends it all well.
I recommend this book for anyone who is looking for some light weight reading. Interjections of humor throughout keeps the story from becoming grizzly or the emotions overwhelming.
I recommend this book for anyone who is looking for some light weight reading. Interjections of humor throughout keeps the story from becoming grizzly or the emotions overwhelming.
February 21, 2014
When's the next book?! Loved it! Interesting characters & fast paced. It was over too fast.
December 1, 2018
A fun book! This feels rather derivative of related paranormal stories with a female protagonist busting her ass while hiding the incredible secret that she runs errands on behalf of ghosts and other entities, including solving their murders, but it is well done. The ending resolves the central storyline of this book but leaves much of the emotional questions unresolved, so get ready to track down #2! Charley Davidson fans will feel at home in this world, but be aware that it's darker, more grounded, and way less steamy.
September 27, 2019
I liked the writing. Plot was ok.
BUT!!! If I never ever see this type ofromantic abusive hero on a page of a book it will be too soon. He's controlling, patronizing, menacing and just plain scary. By the end of the book I didn't know if heroine is more in danger from the killer or her "love interest"... and that says a lot.
BUT!!! If I never ever see this type of
September 18, 2024
Loved Nearly Departed, the first in A Spring Cleaning Mystery series, and can't wait for more. The characters were great, even the ghosts, and the mystery was challenging. I was disappointed to realize that this was an older book and apparently the series did not make it. It is by far my favorite of J.B. Lynn's books.
March 18, 2020
Fun read and I like the characters. Story bogs down 3/4 of the way through, but picks up again at the end.
January 5, 2026
3.5 stars-it is to bad there are no more books as the ending set it it up for a second.
June 3, 2014
If I could have finished this in one reading I would have been very happy.
Life has a way of interrupting my best reading time.
The main character in this book had not only life but ghosts interrupting her. Each time she thought she had a handle on what she was supposed to do to make a spirit happily move on, things would get more complicated.
And it all seemed to be tied together, in ways complicated yet believeable.
There is romance in this story, yet it is not really between the people you expect.
Mystery abounds and sometimes the scariest people are not the recently dead. Sometimes it may be.
From the very beginning this is a book that you want to get involved in, unravel all the clues and mysteries, and you feel protective of both the living and the dead.
Is Vicky making the right choices? Is she protecting her family by keeping their hopes alive?
I think we need more installments in this series to decide.
Life has a way of interrupting my best reading time.
The main character in this book had not only life but ghosts interrupting her. Each time she thought she had a handle on what she was supposed to do to make a spirit happily move on, things would get more complicated.
And it all seemed to be tied together, in ways complicated yet believeable.
There is romance in this story, yet it is not really between the people you expect.
Mystery abounds and sometimes the scariest people are not the recently dead. Sometimes it may be.
From the very beginning this is a book that you want to get involved in, unravel all the clues and mysteries, and you feel protective of both the living and the dead.
Is Vicky making the right choices? Is she protecting her family by keeping their hopes alive?
I think we need more installments in this series to decide.
January 16, 2017
Wow this book was awesome! Loved it!
I liked Vicky (although I didn't agree with her choices) and loved Smoke! He was...well, smoking HOT! Damn he was so charming! Sure, he was a little annoying at times, and he got so many secrets, but he's still swoon worthy!
I don't know if we could trust detective Alan Reed, but he sort of got a bit more nice and kinda charming in the end. But we'll see.
And I'm now disappointed that there's not a 2nd book yet. I mean, it's been 3 years or even more since this book was published, so where's my sequel?? I need more Tori and Smoke!
I liked Vicky (although I didn't agree with her choices) and loved Smoke! He was...well, smoking HOT! Damn he was so charming! Sure, he was a little annoying at times, and he got so many secrets, but he's still swoon worthy!
I don't know if we could trust detective Alan Reed, but he sort of got a bit more nice and kinda charming in the end. But we'll see.
And I'm now disappointed that there's not a 2nd book yet. I mean, it's been 3 years or even more since this book was published, so where's my sequel?? I need more Tori and Smoke!
January 10, 2024
This book is almost impossible to find right now and I was fortunate enough to be able to find a copy. I think it is one of JB’s earliest books and I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed the story and wish it had not ended. I believe that this was meant to be the first in a series and I am so sad that the series is not likely to continue. She could definitely have another great series going with these characters. So many more mysteries and questions to be answered here.
August 8, 2020
Page turner.
This is one of my favortie kind of books(I see dead people). The story line pulls you in. The characters are loveable and keep you wanting to read more about them. This is a book I am glad to own, it is Not one that I put on the book shelf and never read again. I still want more what happens to everyone.
This is one of my favortie kind of books(I see dead people). The story line pulls you in. The characters are loveable and keep you wanting to read more about them. This is a book I am glad to own, it is Not one that I put on the book shelf and never read again. I still want more what happens to everyone.
September 28, 2019
Ghosts + crooked cops= an entertaining read
I like paranormal mysteries that com ine realistolice procedural with the ghosts, or whatever. The plot here was sufficienty complicated so that I didn't 't guess all the details too early, and there was some mystery in the characters' backgrounds which helped maintain suspense.
I like paranormal mysteries that com ine realistolice procedural with the ghosts, or whatever. The plot here was sufficienty complicated so that I didn't 't guess all the details too early, and there was some mystery in the characters' backgrounds which helped maintain suspense.
February 12, 2015
Very quick, fast paced read
This was a totally different kind of mystery for me to read. I thoroughly loved the characters, alive and ghostly. There were so many twists and turns along with the secrets not being said that I had to wait til the end to find out who done it.
This was a totally different kind of mystery for me to read. I thoroughly loved the characters, alive and ghostly. There were so many twists and turns along with the secrets not being said that I had to wait til the end to find out who done it.
July 21, 2016
I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book cover is on my Pinterest board and my blog, Michelle Dragalin’s Journey.
August 8, 2015
pretty good. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. well written, held my interest.
February 17, 2019
HOW CAN THIS BOOK NOT HAVE A SEQUEL????
I didn't get bored, I identified with the heroine, I loved the ghosts.
I thought I was starting an older but new to me series with LOTS of sequels but noo!!!
I didn't get bored, I identified with the heroine, I loved the ghosts.
I thought I was starting an older but new to me series with LOTS of sequels but noo!!!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews