Dead Before Dying by Kerry Schafer

Dead Before Dying (Shadow Valley Manor #1) by Kerry Schafer

Release: October 30th 2019
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Write at the Edge
Source: Suzyapproved Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Kindle, Audible, B&N, Kobo, TBD

Twisting and eerie, sharp and unforgettable, DEAD BEFORE DYING brings a heroine worthy of Sue Grafton to a terror worthy of Dean Koontz.
In this supernatural thriller, shot through with biting wit, Maureen Keslyn checks herself in to Shadow Valley Manor to recuperate and rehabilitate from her last job. There, she runs afoul of the stern director and makes friends with some of the other residents, mostly older, all harboring either a secret or a grudge. With secrets of her own, like why she has her own Federal Agent checking up on her, and how she injured herself in the first place, Maureen fits right in, even as she sticks out like a thorn.

But Shadow Valley isn’t just for rest–Maureen is working undercover, seeking to find and eradicate whatever forces are picking off the residents (and staff) at a grisly clip. With her resources dwindling one death at a time, and unnatural forces seething to rise up once more, Maureen’s experience fighting the supernatural will be her only hope to destroy a clever and powerful evil–and her only chance at surviving it. She’ll need people as paranoid as she is–from the sheriff, to the undertaker’s daughter, to a cook whose knife skills in the kitchen could prove deadly out of it–if she is going to bring rest to the weary, and peace to the dead…

About the Author:

Kerry Schafer writes fantasy and paranormal mysteries featuring fun supernatural chills, dark humor, and quirky characters. Her alter ego, Kerry Anne King, is a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller who writes family dramas with an undercurrent of romance. She has been voted the 2020 Writer of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Association.

In addition to writing, Kerry is enthusiastic about encouraging and supporting other writers. She is a writer mindset coach and speaker, and the host of Tell Me Your Secrets, a videocast/podcast featuring lively, informal interviews with authors and other people involved in bringing books into the world. When not absorbed in creative pursuits, you’ll find Kerry hanging out with her real-life Viking on their little piece of heaven in rural northeastern Washington.

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Dead Before Dying Review:

When I started reading this book, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it would be a story of a woman going into a strange manor on a secret mission. In comparison, it is all that, but the book is so much more.

What’s interesting about the tale is that initially, you (and even Maureen) are not aware of the mission. Maureen has not a clue why Phil calls her to live in the manor. When something happens to Phil, it is up to her to figure out the mystery and investigate herself. The author also adds many twists and turns where you don’t know how things will turn out. There are a lot of suspects in the story.

Moreover, even the list of victims shocked me. Some of them are prominent characters who I did not expect the author to kill off some of these characters early on in the story. The author does a lovely job of keeping the suspense in place.

I also liked Maureen as the central character. The author writes her in a slightly insensitive yet entertaining manner. Moreover, I also liked the supporting characters like Jake, Sophie, and Matt. Another nice thing about the story is how my perception of many characters changed throughout reading the book. Similarly, people who I initially disliked turned out to be some of my favorite characters. I enjoyed the interactions Maureen has with Jake when they both suspect each other. Some scenes gave me a creepy vibe, like when Maureen investigates the manor and senses a supernatural presence.

Overall, “Dead Before Dying” is an exciting start to the “Shadow Valley Manor,” and I look forward to seeing reading the rest of the series.