Dying to Know by TJ O’Connor is the first book in the new “Gumshoe Ghost” mystery series. Publisher: Midnight Ink, January 2014

Dying is overrated. Murder is not.

Detective Oliver Tucker prefers to be the guy investigating shootings, not the guy getting shot. So when he returns as a ghost after being murdered in his home, it’s only natural for Tuck to investigate the most important case of his life—his own. Detective, solve thyself!

Piecing together cold cases, foggy memories, and eerie premonitions, Tuck fears that if he doesn’t figure out who pulled the trigger, his wife may be the next victim. Surprised to discover many earth-bound spirits chasing the same killer, Tuck’s unique perspective from the other side leads him to a chilling conclusion—it’s the living, not the dead, who are most terrifying.

I like it. When Tuck is murdered in his own home, he comes back as a ghost and realizes it is up to him to solve his own murder, with some help from unlikely sources.

This was one book that I could not put down as each chapter was more fetching than the previous one in keeping me glued to the pages. The fast-paced, non-stop action drama pulled me in immediately with a solid plot and a great cast of characters beginning with Tuck and those that surrounded him. The author did a great job in teasing us with a myriad of suspects and clues that kept me guessing throughout most of the soft-boil mystery and boy, did I turn that page fast as we got closer to the killer’s identity, which really caught me by surprise. A good job, well done in this nicely played-out drama. I’m looking forward to the next book to see how Tuck handles his new life.