Not Quite Dead: A Lowcountry Mystery

Lyla Payne

Mar 2014 · Lowcountry Mysteries Book 1 · Trisha Leigh Ziegenhorn

4.4

124 reviews

Ebook

378

Pages

Eligible

About this ebook

A broken engagement sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with her tail between her legs, but finds the sleepy little town too changed to set her life right. Not even her budding drinking problem can obscure her Gramps’s failing health, or erase the mental picture of her first love happily married to her childhood best friend. To top it all off, she’s having a heck of time convincing the town’s dashing young mayor of her unfit-for-dating status.

When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old.

Her brand new "I don't give a crap" attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion.

If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.

Ratings and reviews

4.4

124 reviews

MaryAnn Armbruster

July 14, 2015

Not Quite Dead is a delightful story of strength and weaknesses, family and friends, with a ghost, a handsome mayor, and a couple of villains thrown in for good measure. The heroine is a young woman who has basically lost herself in dealing with men. She returns to the small town where her beloved grandfather lives to regroup, and there finds more than she bargained for on many levels. I didn't expect it to be such a page-turner. It was definitely a fun read.

Cheryl Earle

March 18, 2016

I downloaded this novel as part of a "package" of free ebooks & so by the time I got around to reading it I had completely forgotten what genre is was in. It was quite a surprise when the ghostly element arose, & this just added to what was a fantastic story of small town life & going back to a childhood home. The novel was well written & characters were well thought out & rounded. Without popping in a spoiler - I found myself crying at the end & laughing at Graciela's witty sarcasm throughout.

1 person found this review helpful

Cynthia Shearer

July 22, 2015

This book is terrific. I read a lot and so am rarely taken by surprise, but Layla Payne writes with such zest - I was captivated.. Her characters have such appeal with their idiosyncrasies and flaws. They are utterly charming. I found myself looking over my shoulder for Annie's ghost - thought she might leave the pages and pay me a call. A really delightful read. Can't wait to see what's next.

1 person found this review helpful

About the author

Lyla Payne has been publishing New Adult romance novels for a little over a year, starting with Broken at Love and continuing with the rest of the Whitman University series. She loves telling stories, discovering the little reasons people fall in love, and uncovering hidden truths in the world around us - past and present. In her spare time she cuddles her two dogs, pretends to enjoy exercising so that she can eat as much Chipotle as she wants, and harbors a deep and abiding hope that Zac Efron likes older women. She loves reading, of course, along with movies, traveling, and Irish whiskey. Lyla's hard at work, ALWAYS, and hopes to bring you more Whitman University antics and at least one more Lowcountry ghost tale before the end of the year.

Lyla Payne is represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

If you want to know more, please visit her at http://lylapayne.com

If you're a fan of Young Adult fiction--science fiction or otherwise--please check out her work that's published under the name Trisha Leigh. http://trishaleigh.com

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