Nora Alexander is finding her job exciting as she welcomes paranormal investigators Jack and Daisy Foley to the Tunie Hotel. They are trying to contact the ghost of Sam Houston not only for their internet production but because it is reported there is a stash of Santa Anna's gold hidden somewhere. They are operating on the theory that Sam Houston visited a lady of the evening in Piney Woods and locate Red Ruth Inn where a parking lot now stands. Not only do these two stir the spirit world, but they also bother some of the town's most established citizens including the town's quilting group who doesn't appreciate their overtaking of the hotel with ghost hunting equipment.
When a townsperson is murdered with suspected ties to the local gang, The Alamo Runners, Nora finds herself wanting to protect his wife and daughter all the while getting cryptic messages from beyond. Jack and Daisy aren't the only ones with a connection to the other side.
Winifred? If you are there, make the light on my flashlight go off.” Both men were quiet. There was the sound of static and then a small sound came out of it. To Nora, it sounded like grummffff.
“Did you hear that? She said where is Raven?” Jack said.
“Play it again,” Dominic said.
Again, Nora heard grummmffff.
“I’ll be darned. I hear it too. Where is Raven?”
“We got Winifred on tape,” Dominic confirmed.
To Nora, it didn’t sound like anything of the sort. Daisy’s face was beaming in the glow of the monitor. Jack’s voice came over the monitor. “Did you hear that, hon? Winfred is here.”
“I sure did,” Daisy answered. Whatever they heard, to Nora it was all a mish-mash. Maybe there was some sort of secret ghost code they all knew that she didn’t.
“Winifred, do you know where Santa Anna’s gold is?" They waited in silence and then replayed the tape.
“Ammmloo.”
“She said yes!”
Jack yelled. “Damn. It’s right there, and we can’t get to it.”
“I guess it’s all up to Nora’s powers of persuasion,” Dominic’s voice came through the speaker.
“I get the feeling the only thing that convinces that man is stooping to his level,” Jack said, anger in his voice. “We are so close to finding it, and he is the only thing standing in our way. What a jerk.”
“Total jerk,” Dominic repeated.
Christy on Christy's Cozy Corners wrote:Die Die Blackbird by Teresa Trent has a well-plotted mystery, fabulous characters, and a sweet little town setting. I enjoy the humor the author adds to the plot and the family connections. I am rating Die Die Blackbird with four stars, and I am recommending it to all cozy mystery readers out there.
on Books a Plenty:I enjoyed the plot in Die Die Blackbird because it involves a paranormal investigating team of husband and wife. We love watching shows like Ghost Adventurers, Ghost Hunters…you know…all the “ghost” shows. Some are better than others depending on how animated the hosts are. Though I was hoping for a little more ghost hunting in this story, the spirits they were searching for were pretty cool. You see, the team wanted to talk to Sam Houston’s lady friend to see if she knew where he buried the gold he supposedly stole! GASP! You got that right. These Texans won’t take no guff about their beloved Sam. Not to be deterred, the search for the gold goes on anyway…
There are several characters that I enjoyed getting to know in Die Die Blackbird: Nora’s grandma, Violet and Azalea, and Dominic, the front desk clerk who’s also obsessed with ghost hunting. The mystery is not easily solved though the murderer (or is it murderers?) becomes clearer.
Die Die Blackbird was enjoyable; however, I wish that there had been more actual ghost hunting. I liked the quilting group aspect of the story too because I think we can all use some friends with common interests!
A great addition to an adorable cozy series set in a small town in Texas. Nora is enjoying herself running the Tunie hotel and being with her grandma. She has even welcomed the quilting group to use the hotel space to meet. Things are great until a couple shows up to hunt ghosts. This upsets the quilters as they take over and then a body is found. A second one pops up as well just to make things more interesting. One is a guy you don't feel bad about and the other is well-liked which just confuses Nora as she tries to see if they are connected. Makes for a fun read full of quirky characters, lots of clues, and small-town charm. Great for fans of cozies. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.