A Killer Welcome

AKWelcome by D. Lister is book one in the HAvery Winters Paranormal Cosy Mystery Series.
Avery Winters, a journalist, traveled from Australia to the UK. She seems rather high maintenance, but maybe is there a reason.
When lightning strikes and nothing is anymore as it was, her life changed in a big way.
It took me a minute to get into the book and connect with the character, but it was worth giving this book a try. It turns in a witty and fun read, well written with great storyline and characters.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery with an interesting premise and a likable heroine.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review

I received this ARC via Netgalley and BooksBuzz.net (independently published), in return for an honest review. This is the first book in a new cozy series and it’s a wonderful start! Australian journalist Avery Winters was your average person, with boyfriend, job, and a set of not particularly supportive parents. Her life is dramatically changed when she’s struck by lightning, survives but now can see & hear ghosts. Or can she? Her parents and (former) boyfriend think she’s mentally unstable. Her boss puts her on long-term sick leave. She’s still seeing & hearing these hallucinations. What’s a woman to do?
In Avery’s case, she makes a clean break from her home and those pesky delusions by accepting a sight unseen journalism job at a small town in England. While the transatlantic trip to her new town was miserably long, it was finding the dead body in her rental flat that really made the move a challenge! While she first wants to ask her curmudgeonly landlady if the body on the floor is real or not, discretion is the better part of valor. Meeting her new boss and fellow reporters adds to her list of stress events and, somehow, figuring out the ghosts seems much easier.
This was such an interesting and fun take on the cozy mystery. Avery has very human issues and responses. Her job allows her to sleuth in a realistic way. All the supporting characters are well written and clearly defined in the story. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for cartoonish covers, ghosts and murder mysteries. When those three are put together then I’m basically sold and would read anything by any unknown author out there. Dionne Lister was pretty unknown name for me although in a bit of a scrutiny her other book series is actually a bit familiar and it would seem that I even own an e-copy of the first book in my Kindle library. Oops…but I do have a massive TBR list, so it makes sense….😅
I absolutely loved this cozy mystery. It had a nice pace and a main character you can care for. I especially liked that Avery was an anxious person and an over-thinker - something I can relate to - and yet she overcame her shortcomings and did a pretty great job as a journalist. I also liked that although many of the male characters were considered quite the hunks, she wasn’t affected too much by it and could keep a straight thinking. I sensed a potential slow-burner on the way and I am pleased, slow-burners have always been more to my taste!😃
Some of the characters could use some deeper introduction (Carina, Bailey, Finnegan etc) but we’ll probably going to have loads of chance for that in the future books, so it’s ok!😉
Overall, a great cozy mystery and I’ll move Paranormal Investigation Bureau higher on my TBR list!😊

Excellent! I loved this book. I read about 10 cozy mystery books a month and this one really stands above so many others! I almost didn't pick this book to read because the cover didn't look as "cozy" as others in the genre usually do. I'm SO glad I picked it to read. I just love the main character, Avery. The supporting characters are great as well. The banter between several of the supporting characters and Avery is fabulous. The book is heartwarming, but not overly touching (I only teared up once, at the end, regarding Craig/Patrick). I usually don't say this about books I read/review (though I hear others say it often), but I really hated for it to end.

Unlike many other cozy mystery series, I didn't find "holes" throughout the story. I don't set out to find "holes" but while reading many of the other cozy mystery series I unfortunately find them in the story along the way (ex. plot mistakes, or unrealistic), which is a real distraction. It was so refreshing to not constantly find these types of issues (I'm not talking grammar, spelling). Sometimes it seems, with other series, that the authors are rushing to push books out too fast that they don't have enough (or the right) people review them for inconsistencies, etc. Not the case with this book.

The writing style is nice, I breezed through it without any hangups. The mystery was challenging and also meaningful. I was a little leery about the "ghost" aspect (I don't read a lot with that angle), but it was perfectly blended in with typical day-to-day stuff, and Avery is someone you definitely root for! I can't wait to read the next in the series. I'm also going to check out the other cozy series by this author. I'm so happy to have found her.