Love the Dreamwalker series

I started this series later in, and somehow never read this one. Baxley is solid and conflicted and totally relatable, her clues handed to her bit by bit. A great mystery and a great psychic detective. Highly recommended. ( )

I just read a really good book, y'all — Gone and Done It, Book 1 in the Dreamwalker series. Let me tell you why I like it.

I was immediately engrossed in the action of Gone and Done It, told by Baxley Powell. In the first chapter, I enjoyed Baxley's interaction with two good old boys (she also thinks of them as "bozos"), as she speaks with them "using small words" to make sure they understand her. She's quite relieved when they leave, so that she can finish planting the cherry tree in peace — until she finds the skull, at the bottom of the hole — which is how the chapter ends.
["And then what happened?", you may be asking yourself. READ THE BOOK!]

Because Baxley reveals details gradually, I felt compelled to keep reading so I could find out what different references meant. For example, here is the third paragraph of the book:

God, I was so tired of pretending everything was fine. Between bureaucratic red tape, enhanced sensory perceptions, and the odd jobs I worked, I felt decades older than my twenty-eight years.

What bureaucratic red tape is she entangled in? How are her sensory perceptions enhanced, and how does she experience them? How odd are her jobs?
(And just what is a Dreamwalker, anyway?)

To find out the answers to these questions, and others that arise because of the enjoyable plot twists and turns along the way, READ THE BOOK.

Gone and Done It by Maggie Toussaint has
• Original premise
• Kick-ass heroine — relatable, genuine, with a little snark thrown in
• Fast-paced and fun style
• Good worldbuilding — a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business
• Great climax
• Great ending, that hints of a mystery to be resolved in future book(s)

I really enjoyed Gone and Done It, and am looking forward to reading the sequel, Bubba Done It.


Four kitties out of five.


(Originally published on my blog Jane Reads here.)
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Amazon Description:
While planting a cherry tree, landscaper Baxley Powell's shovel strikes something solid. Intrigued, she clears the sand away and reveals a human skull. After calling the sheriff, Baxley use her dreamwalking abilities to get a jump-start on identifying the victim.

The deputies arrive to secure the scene. They believe she's tampering with evidence and taser her. Emotions flare, but the sheriff agrees to hire her as a consultant, if she closes cases. With a daughter to support and bills she can't pay, Baxley is motivated to succeed.

Things get dicey when she unearths a murder victim on the same jobsite, planting Baxley in the suspect pool. For calling unwanted attention to her private retreat, Baxley's landscaping client fires her, stiffing her for the plants and labor.

Meanwhile, her father retires as county dreamwalker, passing the community service responsibility along to her.

Baxley's dreamwalking sideline competes for her time with her day jobs of landscaping and pet-sitting. Folks show up on her doorstep at all hours to pass messages to the departed. Though her money problems persist, food randomly appears at her door, and her hair develops a telltale white streak in the forelock overnight.

Just what every young woman wants, a permanent bad hair day.

Threats to her safety mount as Baxley delves into the victim's life--in both worlds. With a killer dogging her heels and spirits nipping at her mind, Baxley follows her dreams to find the truth.

Opinions:

Narration:
First person - Baxley

Character Development:
At the beginning of the novel, the reader discovers that Baxley is having come financial problems as well as some paranormal problems. Her husband is declared dead from the army but no body has been found. While on a landscaping job, she discovers dead bodies. Her father is not well and she might have to take over his dreamwalking business so her daughter, Larissa, doesn’t have to. She has a lot on her plate. Baxley isn’t the type of person that jumps right into murder mysteries or dead bodies. She feels vulnerable. However, her strength comes in looking out for her daughter. She relies on her parents – her father being a dreamwalker for the county – for advice and a place of refuge. Despite her lack of faith in her abilities as a dreamwalker, Baxley understands what’s at stake and forges ahead. I would have liked to see a little more background on some other characters – especially her family. It could have added more to the story and clarify the paranormal parts.

Plot Development/Flow:
The story moves fast. With old and new dead bodies being found, her job(s) in the balance upon solving the mysteries, a watcher in her woods, and being threatened, Baxley doesn’t have much time. Besides solving the mysteries, she must also learn about her own abilities and help her father while looking out for her daughter who is also sensitive to what’s going on around her. For me, I wasn’t too surprised about the “who done it” part. There were some surprises in the plot though.

Standalone or Part of a Series:
First in a series ( )