Review: "Only the Good Die Young" by Chris Marie Green (Jensen Murphy, Ghost for Hire #1)
Jensen Murphy has just realized she's been stuck in a loop for thirty years, reliving her death incessantly. She was murdered; by whom, she doesn't have a single clue, but the woman named Amanda Lee Minter who went looking for her spirit says she wants to help bring her justice. But you never get anything for free, and the same proves true for Jensen who is tasked by Amanda Lee to go after someone she suspects of murdering a young woman a few years ago. This is going to be so much more than a simple haunting...
For a ghost new to what's known as "Boo World", Jensen is trying to figure out what she can and can't do, added on to her need to make Gavin Edgett, the person Amanda Lee suspects of killing one Elizabeth Dalton, confess to the crime. The longer she tries to get into Gavin's head, the more she wonders if he's actually innocent. Add to that a mysterious entity in the guise of her ex-boyfriend showing up and Amanda Lee keeping secrets from her, Jensen is going to need much more than a little help from her ghost friends.
Only the Good Die Young is the first book in the paranormal series entitled Jensen Murphy, Ghost for Hire by Chris Marie Green. This was a great start to a series that will have a ghost named Jensen Murphy as its lead character because it provided a bit of back story on Jensen but left out the most important tidbit: who murdered her. She's a strong heroine--curious but not naive, brave but not foolishly so--and her journey is one that readers will enjoy going on from one book to the next. Jensen is one sassy spirit.
I liked that Amanda Lee is more than what she seems and that makes me curious as to whether she has other secrets she's keeping from Jensen. Of course, it's highly possible that her only secrets where the ones revealed in this first book, but the fact that Jensen's trust in her is tenuous at best, makes their relationship rather shaky. The other ghosts were interesting as well but not as much as the mysterious pseudo ex-boyfriend in otherworldly form constantly showing up, making him a bit of of a spirit stalker.
The other character that truly captured my attention and piqued my curiosity was Gavin Edgett. For most of the book, you can't help but wonder if he's a good guy or a bad guy, and why he seems to be able to not just feel Jensen but to experience her presence on a different level. There's a connection between the two of them that makes me hope that he'll be around for the other books because I do love the idea of a ghost and human developing feelings for each other, especially since their beginning was somewhat adversarial.
This was a truly enjoyable and fun-filled read, one that sets the pace for a series that I sincerely hope has already garnered a firm and loyal group of fans, a group you can now count me in. I can't wait to read what else is in store for our ghost for hire and how she'll navigate through Boo World and the more modern and advanced world that she still lingers in. And, like I mentioned earlier, I've got my fingers crossed for more of Gavin and Jensen together. Only the Good Die Young is a worthy paranormal read and gets 4.5 stars. ♥
Date Read: 06 April 2015
Learn more about Chris Marie Green here.
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