LOST SOULS (Cainsville) by Kelley Armstrong-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Ebook release: December 16, 2016
Paper Release Date March 31, 2017

The disappearing hitchhiker is one of the hoariest urban legends, and no one knows that better than Gabriel Walsh, a lawyer who grew up on folklore and myth. When author of books on the supernatural Patrick brings Gabriel a case of a hitchhiking woman in white who vanished on a country road after accepting a ride from a businessman, Gabriel knows the Cainsville elder is just trying to wheedle into his good graces. But Gabriel is a man in need of a mystery, one that will get him back into someone else’s good graces. His investigator, Olivia Taylor-Jones, has blown town supposedly on a simple vacation. But when she left there was a rift between them and…he misses her.

Gabriel is well aware the only thing Olivia loves more than a good mystery is a weird one, and this hitchhiker case more than fits the bill. As Gabriel digs into the story, he’s forced to face ghosts of his own and admit that the woman in white isn’t the only one who has lost her way.

With Lost Souls, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong weaves an unmissable novella-length tale connected to her fan-favorite Cainsville series.

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REVIEW: LOST SOULS by Kelley Armstrong is a companion novella in the author’s contemporary adult, paranormal Cainsville mystery/suspense series. The time frame happens somewhere between the events of DECEPTIONS (Cainsville 3) and BETRAYALS (Cainsville #4) but can be read as a stand alone without too much difficulty although I recommend reading the series in order for cohesion and backstory especially the ongoing mythical dynamics between Gabriel, Olivia and Ricky. LOST SOULS is not a necessary installment to the series but does reveal some background about Patrick’s connection to Gabriel.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Gabriel and Patrick) LOST SOULS focuses on the urban legend of the ‘vanishing hitchhiker and the lady in white’ – in the case of CAINSVILLE everything happens for a reason, and an explanation is exactly what attorney Gabriel Walsh is hoping to explore. Whether a hoax or a happenstance, Gabriel is out to prove, one way or another, that the vanishing hitchhiker is more than an urban legend.

LOST SOULS follows Gabriel as he reluctantly teams up with Patrick –a man whose true identity to Gabriel is kept secret-but a man who has kept watch over our leading hero for most of his life. Patrick is trying help keep Gabriel occupied during his PA’s absence-Olivia Taylor-Jones-an absence Gabriel feels down to his bones. What ensues is the search for the truth, and the revelation of mystical and magical creatures that are up to no good.

LOST SOULS is a ‘spirited’ story line with witty banter, rapid back and forth conversations, and a time-honored mystery that appears to recycle every few years. The relationship between Olivia and Gabriel continues to be tested, not only with Olivia’s love for Ricky but by ongoing, repetition of history and fabled lore. The premise is entertaining and imaginative; the characters are animated, revealing and energetic. The final resolution and reveal was a little abrupt but it is a novella so long winded explanations are not usually forthcoming.

Previous Reviews
Omens
Visions
Led Astray -anthology
Deceptions
Lost Souls
Betrayals

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy