Medium Dead by Paula Paul | Review & Giveaway

Medium Dead: An Alexandra Gladstone Mystery by Paula Paul

Published: April 14, 2015

Publisher: Alibi

Pages: 188

Received: for honest review from publisher via TLC Book Tours

Find online: Amazon | Goodreads

Medium Dead features Queen Victoria herself—and she’s rumored to have slain a local psychic in Newton-upon-Sea. Now the task of clearing her name and catching the real killer falls to Dr. Alexandra Gladstone.

Under Victoria’s reign, women are barred from calling themselves physicians, but that hasn’t stopped Alexandra Gladstone. As the first female doctor in Newton-upon-Sea, she spends her days tending sick villagers in the practice she inherited from her father, with her loyal and sometimes overprotective dog, Zack, by her side. 

After the corpse of village spiritualist Alvina Elwold is discovered aboveground at a church boneyard, wild rumors circulate through the charming seaside village, including one implicating a certain regal guest lodging nearby. Tales of the dead Alvina hobnobbing with spirits and hexing her enemies are even more outlandish—but as a woman of science and reason, Alexandra has no doubt that a murderer made of flesh and blood is on the loose.

Finding out the truth means sorting through a deluge of ghostly visitors, royal sightings, and shifty suspects. At least her attentive and handsome friend Nicholas Forsyth, Lord Dunsford, has come to her aid. Alexandra will need all the help she can get, because she’s stumbled upon dangerous secrets—while provoking a deadly adversary who wants to keep them buried.

A quick read due to the length of the book and the fact that it's suspenseful which keeps you turning pages until you've reached the end! I really liked Alexandra as she reminds me of myself - always trying to take care of everything, even if it's not my role. She's a doctor first, but seems more like a investigator or sleuth. It's quite the combo considering she can look at a crime scene and know the cause of death and pick up on clues. She's also strong willed and independent, which proves futile for Nathan trying to catch her good graces and attention since he's pretty much in love with her. 

When the murder is first discovered I was excited that the story involved a medium - I'm into that kind of thing lately (think Long Island Medium). I hoped that Alvina's spirit would keep popping up to guide them in the discovery of her murderer. They even held a seance to try to conjure her spirit which was a fun scene to read. The story is mostly about putting together the clues to find the exact person who murdered the medium and the coverup.

Nancy, Alexandra's assistant nurse and maid, is quite fun. She's a gossip and a believer in the paranormal. She's actually one of the people they get most of their information from as she collects gossip like bees collect honey. 

And now for Nicolas and his Mama. He has the hots for the doctor and makes it well known. He protects her and helps her in the investigation. He seems awfully sweet, but the also still loves his Mama, so I can see that as an issue for them down the road.

There is a sense of secrecy in Newton-upon-Sea as the Queen is in residence and no one is supposed to know, but everyone knows. The Queen only makes a few small appearances and I really wish she had been fleshed out in the book a little more.

I enjoyed this book quite well with it's spirits, seances, royalty and mediums. I'd like to see more about whatever blossoms between Alexandra and Nicholas, so I'll be on the lookout for more from Ms. Paul.

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About the Author:

Paula Paul writes novels that touch the heart and challenge the mind. She has published 25 novels, some with major New York publishers and some with small presses. They include historical fiction, mysteries, YA and literary novels.

She is a native of Texas. She wasn't really born in Lubbock, as her profile info states. She was actually born outside of Lubbock on her grandparents' farm. She grew up on a ranch about 80 miles from where she was born and attended a country school where she graduated as valedictorian.

She has a degree in journalism and worked for several years as a print journalist, winning a number of state and national awards. She has also won national awards for her novels.

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