The Ann Kinnear and Lizzy Ballard Series by Matty Dalrymple

On today's episode I had the pleasure of chatting with Matty Dalrymple, author of the Ann Kinnear Series and the Lizzy Ballard Series. 

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Ann Kinnear has created a peaceful existence at her cabin in the Adirondack woods. But the calm is shattered after Philadelphia socialite Elizabeth Firth is reported missing.

With few clues and fewer options, detective Joe Booth calls upon Ann's spirit sensing ability to help solve the mystery. With Joe and her brother Mike, Ann attempts to uncover what Elizabeth's husband may be hiding beneath his cloak of wealth and privilege.

​As Ann is drawn deeper into a web of lies and betrayal, she realizes she may be racing against time to keep herself from disappearing too. (Source)

I find Ann to be a fascinating and complicated character, and I am looking forward to getting to know her more as the series continues.  The first book gives a good introduction to her, but there is still a lot to learn about Ann, her brother Mike, and Ann's abilities, which seem to be beginning to evolve a little.  The Sense of Death is a fast read that sucked me in straight away and which I sped through, wanting to find out what happened next.  The book is a little bit creepy without scaring the snot out of me (as I say in the interview...twice...I am a total wimp when it comes to this stuff) and without being graphic or overly gory.  I know there are readers who would prefer their suspense/supernatural novels to be more scary and more graphic, but I just don't happen to be one of them.

Genres:

• Mystery
• Suspense
• Supernatural
• Thriller

What I loved:

• The way Matty approaches Ann's ability as just another part of her, like being able to sing or being left-handed.  She takes the approach of, what would this person's life look like if they had this particular gift?
• The fact that it's not too scary or icky (yes, that's a technical term).
• It took a little getting used to, but I grew to appreciate that the book is told from multiple points of view, including the killer's, rather just from Ann's perspective.  It gave a much richer version of the story as a whole.

Who should read The Sense of Death:

• Fans of suspense/thrillers.
• Fans of stories with supernatural or paranormal elements.
• Fans of ongoing series and really getting to know characters as the series evolves.

Quotes:

• "Ann and Mike Kinnear had grown up in a big, rambling old house in West Chester, Pennsylvania, that had a butler's pantry and a servants' staircase and wide window seats that were good for reading on rainy days.  And a spirit."
• "'How come people always want more from me that I can give them?' burst out Ann, causing Gino and Walt, in addition to another couple at the bar, to turn and look.  'Or they want less from me than I have,' she added, taking a hefty drink from her martini."

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Rock breaks scissors. Scissors cut paper. Paper covers rock. The rules are simple--except when it's people's lives at stake.

By the time Charlotte and Patrick Ballard discover the damage their daughter, Lizzy, can do with her mind, it’s already too late for Charlotte. They hide Lizzy away, trying to save others from the same fate, and trying to save Lizzy from life as a human lab rat. But they can't hide her forever.  Little do they know that respected Philadelphia businessman Gerard Bonnay is responsible for Lizzy's ability. And Bonnay is willing to eliminate anyone who gets in the way of his goal of turning that power to his own ends.

As her protectors are picked off one by one, will Lizzy be able to escape from Gerard Bonnay’s deadly zero-sum game? (Source)

Where to find Matty online:

Website: http://www.mattydalrymple.com/
Blog: http://www.mattydalrymple.com/blog
Facebook: @matty.dalrymple
Twitter: @mattydalrymple

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For my interview with Matty please click here.