Delia's Shadow

Delia's Shadow
by Jaime Lee Moyer

Delia has seen ghosts since her childhood, she was gifted (she considers it a curse) after the 1906 earthquake rocked San Francisco and the fires raged. After several years in New York, where she had hoped to flee the ghosts the haunt her, she returns to San Francisco. She returns because one ghost just won't stay away. A ghost that follows her. A ghost she has dubbed Shadow. When Delia returns, she is quickly swept up in her best friend Sadie's wedding preparations and falls for Sadie's matchmaking tendencies. A serial killer his ruining the festivities however, and Delia finds that maybe her Shadow is connected to the murder spree that is spreading terror across San Francisco and the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Delia's Shadow. The writing is simply lovely. Jaime Lee Moyer writes in a way that felt very period and yet flowed wonderfully well. I didn't feel as strong a connection with Delia as I would have liked and found her to be the weakest character in the novel. Her counterpart however, Gabe, was very well done and I enjoyed the switch from Delia's first person perspective to Gabe's third person perspective. (Though it was a bit jarring at first) Gabe was definitely the most developed character and he had a certain air of a dark persona. Which brings me to the romantic element. Gabe and Delia's courting is very mature and I felt their interactions were very real and romantic in a lifelike way. Moyer also creates a very palpable, eerie atmosphere that worked well with the setting. Moyer pulls the story in some very different directions and the plot becomes more of a murder mystery as the novel goes on. I find mystery's to often be very predictable and often cliched. This is an excellent exception that proves that, when well done, I do like things outside of my comfort zone. Romance, horror, mystery, and historical fiction all rolled into one, Delia's Shadow is sure to please those with refined tastes. -- recommended by Wyatt P. - Gere Branch Library

[ official Delia's Shadow page on the official Jaime Lee Moyer web site ]

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