Spirit and Dust

April 1, 2013
A ghost-whispering 17-year-old is roped into a cinematic showdown between the FBI and the mob. Clement-Moore introduces another magical teen detective from the Goodnight family, following on Amy's adventures from Texas Gothic (2011). College freshman Daisy is accustomed to helping out the FBI on cases. Adorable Agent Taylor doesn't consult with the teen psychic because she's cute--much as Daisy might wish otherwise--but because her ability to read spirit remnants has helped them catch murderers before. While Daisy interrogates the dead bodyguard of a kidnapped girl, she's snatched herself, spirited away by the girl's crime-boss father. Soon, Daisy is on a madcap road trip across the Great Lakes states in the company of a disturbingly attractive young mobster, learning about Egyptology while avoiding erstwhile apocalyptic cultists. A CGI-ready climax pulls together all the metaphysical building blocks laid down in this mystery's tight worldbuilding (not to mention mummies, ghosts, animated tattoos and a bonus dinosaur). This likable, uber-competent heroine's adventure combines elements of paranormal romance and fast-paced thriller, while Daisy herself resembles a Southern teen version of supernatural PI Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher's best-selling adult series. Another smart Goodnight caper. (Paranormal mystery. 13 & up)

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Starred review from July 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-Daisy Goodnight, a 17-year-old psychic wunderkind, is a college student but occasionally she helps the FBI on murder cases. When the Feds whisk her away for another job, what starts out as a routine homicide investigation turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Enter crime boss Maguire. He kidnaps Daisy to extort her powers to find his kidnapped teenage daughter and to track down the magical Black Jackal, an ancient Egyptian artifact. A secret brotherhood wants the jackal, too, and neither the brotherhood nor Maguire has any scruples about doing whatever it takes to get it. Maguire pairs Daisy with his handsome young thug-with-a-conscience, Carson, and sends them off on a pulse-pumping hunt. What ensues is a perfectly balanced, dynamite combo of action, suspense, mystery, romance, and the paranormal topped off with a dash of humor. Daisy and Carson race across state lines, searching for clues in cemeteries, libraries, and museums. Along the way, they wrestle mummies, flee from the ghost of the Pompeii volcano, and encounter helpful spirit remnants of dead relatives. As Daisy and Carson get closer to the jackal, they discover that it has the potential to unleash unlimited spirit power. In the wrong hands...well, there's the rub. Daisy is an endearing, strong heroine. Her magical interactions with the spirit world are made utterly believable by finely drawn, evocative details of how she achieves them and the side effects she suffers each time she does. This is one of the best YA novels of the year.-Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2013
Grades 9-12 We first met the Goodnight family in Texas Gothic (2011), wherein college freshman Amy (Amaryllis) used her powers of seeing ghosts to solve mysteries. Now we travel from Texas to Minnesota with Amy's cousin Daisy, who shares her cousin's gift and has been recruited by the FBI to help solve a brutal murder and kidnapping. The Scooby-Doo mystery flavor of the first title continues, with Cleopatra's feisty spirit acting up in a museum chase scene, and fashion details and romantic clinches everywhere. Clement-Moore delivers some lovely comic zingers in a romance that manages to lightly poke fun at the genre it solidly inhabits.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)