Andrea Evans is accused of murdering her ex. She writes to her childhood acquanitance Rylan who has had success at solving crimes in the past. Can Rylan get help from the victim’s ghost to catch the real killer?
The Haunted Child is the 4th book in the Rylan Flynn series of supernatural murder mysteries.
Andrea has been through a messy break up but agrees to meet her ex at a storage unit (bad decision). When she arrives, she finds him dying and grabs the knife (really bad decision!) The police arrive (how did they get there so fast? obvious set up!) and find her standing over the body with the murder weapon so arrest her. Andrea remembers a girl from her past and writes to Rylan to ask for her help. This instantly puts Rylan at odds with police officer Ford Pierce, her longtime crush.
The book is written from the first person perspectives of Rylan and Ford. This allows us to see their parallel investigations and their emotional attachment to each other. There are also chapters from 12 years in the past, when Rylan saw ghosts for the first time (is she the haunted child of the title?)
It is a very quick read but this wasn’t helped by the fact I couldn’t put it down! I LOVE the supernatural elements to the plot, especially the crossing over light. As well as the murder mystery, there is also the return of a ghost from an earlier book and a new child’s ghost who needs to find rest. Once again, there is a simmering romantic tension between Rylan and Flynn and I am keen for them to get together!
The Haunted Child is a gripping supernatural mystery thriller.
A young mother is being framed for a crime she didn’t commit. And only I can free her.
I’m Rylan Flynn. I hunt for ghosts and restless spirits, and solve the mysteries that make them haunt the living.
The police found Andrea Evans with a bloody knife in her hands and her boyfriend dead at her feet. But she swears she’s innocent. And I can tell from the desperation in her eyes that she’s telling the truth.
I first met Andrea at Camp Lakewood when we were just kids. That summer was meant to be one to remember, with hikes in the forest and canoeing on the lake. Instead, it’s one I try to forget.
Because Camp Lakewood is the place I saw a ghost for the very first time—the ghost of a murdered girl.
My long-time crush Ford Pierce was also at camp that year. Today, he is the detective who arrested Andrea. Ford is certain she’s guilty and he warns me off. But if he’s wrong the real killer is still walking free.
As I begin to investigate, everything seems to lead me back to camp. How is Andrea’s case linked to the summer we shared, and to that other killing decades ago?
To free Andrea and reunite her with her child, I must return to Camp Lakewood. Even if that means coming face to face with the darkest and deadliest secrets of my past…
With jaw-dropping twists, mesmerizing suspense, and a touch of romance, the Rylan Flynn series is your new paranormal mystery obsession. Fans of Noelle W. Ihli, Heather Graham and Wendy Wang will be hooked from start to finish.
Author Bio
Dawn Merriman writes creepy small town murder mysteries from her small farm in northeast Indiana where she lives with her husband and teenage children. You can often find her with muck boots on her feet and a story in her head. She enjoys animals, auctions, snorkeling and archaeology.
Dawn Merriman grew up a small town farm girl, on a small time pig farm in Indiana. She spent her young adulthood sitting on her bedroom floor scribbling stories in notebooks. She won the “Northeast Indiana Young Writers” award as a sophomore in high school.
After battling severe depression, she wrote her debut novel “How Murder Saved My Life” as therapy, mixing her love of murder mysteries and farming with climbing out of the darkness of illness.
