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    Relatively Dead
    Relatively Dead
    Relatively Dead
    Audiobook7 hours

    Relatively Dead

    Written by Sheila Connolly

    Narrated by Emily Durante

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Abby Kimball has just moved to New England with her boyfriend and is trying to settle in, but the experience is proving to be quite unsettling, to say the least. While on a tour of local historic homes, Abby witnesses a family scene that leaves her gasping for breath-because the family has been dead for nearly a century. Another haunting episode follows, and another, until it seems to Abby that everything she touches is drawing her in, calling to her from the past.

    Abby would doubt her sanity if it weren't for Ned Newhall, the kind and knowledgeable guide on that disturbing house tour. Rather than telling her she's hallucinating, Ned takes an interest in Abby's strange encounters and encourages her to figure out what's going on, starting with investigating the story of the family she saw . . . and exploring her own past.

    But as Abby begins to piece together a history that's as moving as it is shocking and unravels a long-ago mystery that nearly tore her family apart, she also begins to suspect that Ned's got secrets of his own, and that his interest may be driven as much by a taste for romance as a love for history.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 6, 2016
    ISBN9781515985402
    Relatively Dead
    Author

    Sheila Connolly

    SHEILA CONNOLLY (1950-2020) published over thirty mysteries, including several New York Times bestsellers. Her series include the Orchard Mysteries, the Museum Mysteries, The County Cork Mysteries, and the Victorian Village Mysteries. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Society of Mayflower Descendants.

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    Reviews for Relatively Dead

    3.5/5

    44 ratings4 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I was caught by the premise of the book: a woman moves to New England because of her boyfriend's new job, and when Abby is out doing a historic homes tour, she starts seeing ghosts. The ghosts seem to be telling her about something that happened long ago, and Abby is determined to figure out the mystery that the past holds. Abby teams up with Ned, a history hobbyist who can guide her through the deep layers of time connected to the New England locales around her, and who also happens to believe that what she's seeing is real.It sounds fun, right? A girl suddenly learns she has the gift of seeing ghosts, and has to use her power to solve an ancient mystery. Unfortunately, the premise is the most exciting part of this book. I started getting worried when Abby sees her first "ghosts". They are not spooky or supernatural at all. It's more like she's seeing a scene out of history. As the novel progresses, the characters themselves acknowledge that it's not really ghosts, but more like emotional or psychic imprints of moments with strong feelings that have been implanted on places and objects. Abby makes it a point to discuss how the ghost sightings aren't scary at all, and this comes up multiple times in the book. The reason I pick up a mystery with ghosts is because I want a scare. Sure, some good ghost stories can have good ghosts and bad ghosts, but we want the creepy ghosts! They add suspense and excitement. Reading a ghost story without any real ghosts is a disappointment. I ended up feeling like I was reading a dressed up history text book. It was boring. They don't even figure out the historical "mystery" that they're pursuing by the end of the novel. I assume that it will be continued in the next book in the series, but I won't be along for the read to find out. In addition to my disappointment about the ghosts, I never felt connected to the characters. Abby and Ned are nice enough, but we need more flaws, more fears, and more chemistry to develop feelings for them. The most interesting part of the story was Abby's disintegrating relationship with her boyfriend. Even then, he was a total jerk, and there was never any conflict about Abby's decision to leave him. That was gratifying, because I like seeing an awful partner get what's coming to him, but it wasn't surprising and it wasn't that emotional. More of an "about time" feeling. Abby's connection to Ned, on the other hand, was completely empty in the romance category. She never once mentioned viewing him as attractive or sexy. Then they touch, and a weird mystical connection occurs, and suddenly they're all over each other. It just didn't work for me. Big history enthusiasts might enjoy this read, despite its flaws, but there are far better mysteries and ghost stories to pursue.
    • 3/5
      Shy Abby and her self-centered boyfriend Brad move to New England. He is overly busy at work and at leisure with his new co-workers. Abby, more or less on her own, decides to visit some historical homes, and thus begins a new chapter in her life. Now enters Ned, who rescues and calms her, after Abby witnesses her first vision of ghosts. Ned encourages her delving into her own past, and is in the wings, ready to come to her aid time and again. First in a series, this novel has interesting characters as well as an intriguing plot. But it is not a mystery in the tradition sense, and really, it is pretty easy to guess how the book will end. Still, it is a good beginning for what promises to be an entertaining series, if you like ghosts.
    • 3/5
      If you are looking for a suspenseful story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Relatively Dead may not be the book for you. But, if you are looking for a cozy little story with a little mystery, a little romance and a lot of history, then this one might prove to be an enjoyable read.Relatively Dead by Sheila Connolly is the story of Abigail, a girl who moves to Massachusetts to be with her boyfriend, who has just gotten a new job there. After incessantly bugging her to get out and learn about the area and look for a job, Abigail decides to go on a tour of some historical homes in the area. It is there that she meets the tour guide, Ned. While touring the last house, Abigail begins to have visions of dead people (for lack of a better word). She has never had this kind of experience before and is of course a little shook up about it. She is never able to communicate with these "people", but she seems to sense their emotions. Ned is there to try to help her understand why she is having these experiences, and also helps her research some of the the area's history as well.Meanwhile, her relationship with her boyfriend is not going so great. He doesn't really seem to be all that into her in my humble opinion.. He seems more interested in her cooking and housekeeping skills than he is about her.I had never really read a story like this one before. It wasn't scary or very suspenseful or anything, but it wasn' really a romance either. It had a paranormal-type setting, but I wouldn't call it a paranormal mystery either. Whatever it's genre is, it was an adequate story. I mean, I didn't think it was dull or anything like that, but I can't say it was the best thing I ever read either. It was easy and quick to read, and I did enjoy the author's description of the historical setting. I would recommend it to anyone as a light, rainy afternoon-type read.I received this e-book from NetGalley in return for my honest review.
    • 2/5
      Abby Kimball moved to Waltham, Massachusetts with her boyfriend Brad who has taken a job with a Boston firm. She decided to do a tour of historic homes where she meets Ned, the docent, who finds her after she has a paranormal experience in the house. He suggests that she should try to find more about the owners of the house and about her own family history. He helps her get a job at a Concord museum where she gets to work with the schoolchildren who come to visit. Meanwhile, she and Brad seem to be getting along less and less. It's a romance novel so I won't ruin the plot for those who wish to read it. This book was not at all what I expected. I expected this to be a mystery because that's the genre with which I associate Sheila Connolly. I knew that the book had a genealogy angle which I enjoyed. I think I was hoping that it would be a mystery solved through genealogical research. What I didn't enjoy was the paranormal and unfortunately that was central to the book and to the genealogy plot. I would have loved to have seen Abby researching for a reason other than a paranormal experience. Although Abby was using records, never once did she mention citing her sources as she was entering them into her database. In fact, she seemed to be entering her information at a far more rapid pace than could be done if she was doing so. While that's probably typical of a newbie, it seems that Ned or one of the librarians encountered would have emphasized the importance at some point. I also felt that the ending was not wrapped up well. It just kind of ended. While I enjoyed the inclusion of genealogy in the plot, it was not enough to redeem the book for me.