Ghost of a Chance by Kerry Blair

I have to admit I’m a Halloween person. No, I’m not into the whole blood and guts thing for the sake of blood and guts. That stuff does nothing for me. But I do enjoy a holiday that focuses on fun and chocolate. Oh, and I do have a soft side for bats, spiders, witches, ghosts, bones and such. So, in honor of the coming holiday of Halloween (and to give you a break from Christmas titles), I went looking for LDS books that centered on this holiday.

I found a few that had been put out by LDS publishers over the years, but only one that actually had any LDS content or theme to go with it. That title was an old favorite of mine, Ghost of a Chance by my friend Kerry Blair. If you guys know of any others, let me know. I’d love to add them to my collection!

This is the second book in her Nightshade mystery series, and I have to say that I prefer it to the first. Mummy's the Word, though an interesting read, was a little hard for me to follow at times. Ghost of a Chance held my attention much better and was fun to boot.

In Ghost of a Chance, the main character is trying to solve a mystery that takes place around Halloween and the Day of the Dead. I love the way she weaves the mystery in with the holidays and the gospel. It’s not preachy. There aren’t any real in-depth gospel messages in there anywhere; it’s just a fun and quirky LDS girl living a slightly weird life.

One of my favorite parts of the entire story actually does hold a gospel message. The heroine has herself caught in a pretty sticky situation and she makes a comment about calling for help with all her might. Is she screaming herself hoarse? No. She’s all ready figured out that won’t do her any good. What she’s doing is praying- her Heavenly Father is the only person she can think of with enough power to help. I like that about Samantha Shade. She’s my kind of girl because of this and many other little things that make her real and lovable to me.

There is also a very quirky character present in the books, Chaiya, that is actually the ultimate bubble head. I once talked with Kerry about this book and asked her about this character. She seemed a bit exaggerated to me. What did Kerry say? Well, as it turns out Kerry had done something many of us as authors do: we take a piece of our own lives and put it into our story. This bubble head was actually a teenage girl that Kerry knows and adores. That makes me love her, too, but it may not be the same experience for you. I’ll bet you’ll find yourself rolling your eyes at the girl more than once, and that’s okay, too.

I’m also totally in love with Arjay-- you can read up on his interesting condition, xeroderma pigmetosum, here.

Here’s another fun fact: Miss Kerry does actually own a real ghost hunting kit! One day I vow to go on a really-for-real-true-life ghost hunt with Kerry. I think it would be a blast. Hey, with her sweetness and our combined writer’s imaginations, we could probably give those ghost hunting TV shows a run for their money. Ah, I think I’ve found my ticket to fame if this writer thing doesn’t pan out. Ha!

So there you have it, a great title to celebrate Halloween and the Day of the Dead with. Oh, and be sure to stop by Kerry’s website. Click here for more fun Nightshade stuff and recipes for Day of the Dead treats, yum. Click here and download a free copy of another of her titles Digging Up the Past. Click on Books and you can read the first chapter of all of her titles. Sweet!

Happy reading!

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