Graveyard Shift: A Pepper Martin Mystery

In Daniels’s unimpressive 10th paranormal Pepper Martin mystery (after 2012’s Supernatural Born Killers), the Cleveland cemetery community relations manager has to deal with the demands of her boss, Ella Silverman; her lover, cop Quinn Harrison; and the spirit of lawman Eliot Ness. Pepper is able to see and talk with denizens of a very active spirit world, though Ness appears as only a poorly formed swirl of sparkles. Ness, who wants to be whole, asks Pepper to steal his ashes from Dean McClure, the memorabilia collector who has them. The first shock comes when Ella for no good reason attempts to drive her car into Pepper, who’s standing by Ness’s memorial stone. A greater shock comes with Pepper’s discovery of McClure’s murdered body in his home. Then Quinn starts to act strangely, as does Pepper’s mother, Barb. Pepper finds herself tussling psychically with a very tough spirit and an old enemy of Ness’s who has his own plans. Daniels generates few laughs and fewer chills in this routine cozy. [em]Agent: Gail Fortune, Talbot Fortune Agency. (Jan.) [/em]