Ghost Detective (Myron Vale Investigations, #1) by Scott William Carter

​Once upon a time there was a man who went to Starbucks and came out with a bullet in his brain. The bullet didn’t kill him, though, miraculously enough, and once he came out of the coma, he discovered he can now see dead people. That’s the origin story of a Myron Vale, ghost detective. Just in case you were expecting an actual detecting ghost.
The thing with dead people is that mostly they look exactly like the live ones, causing constant confusion, disorientation and occasionally hilarious misunderstandings for Myron, the man who has never asked for this. But he does try to make the best of it, which is why he left the police force and, encouraged by the ghost of his wife with whom he is still very much in love, went into business as a private investigator, catering to the noncorporeal elements of society. And when a vivacious dame with curves for days, family money and a sob story hires him to investigate her death, Myron gets into a much murkier mystery than he anticipated, realizing there’s a connection between her dearly beloved and the man who put a bullet in him all those years ago.
Sounds just like one of those paranormal detective stories, doesn’t it? So much so I didn’t go in expecting much at all, it was a random kindle freebie after all. And sure enough first chapter had the exact sort of modern noir cheesiness that didn’t exactly make for a great attention grabber. But as you read on the book improves, dramatically so. In fact, outside of those decidedly cheesy client interactions (curves, curves, more curves), the novel and its protagonist are dimensional, compelling and all kinds of fun. The author took every opportunity to make Myron and his world as real as possible, considering. Myron’s relationships alone, be it with his parents, who are not all there (both meanings apply) to the complex mess of a marriage, are enough to outweigh or at least balance out the cheesiness. There’s also his former partner/potential love interest, hovering on the sidelines, waiting for Myron to get his act together. It’s a lot to juggle for a guy who on daily basis has to contend with his reality not matching up to that of everyone other living person around him.
The corporeal representation of ghosts in the novel is original and quite fascinating, they even have their own representative organization with a hilariously confusing acronym. In fact, for a story with murders in it, it’s pretty funny all around.
Plus Myron is a genuinely likeable protagonist, a refreshingly non macho, Prius driving, temptation resistant (despite being married to someone he can’t physically be with) noir lead you can actually enjoy enough to follow in further adventures. And I actually might, though this isn’t really my typical fare. All in all this was a pleasant surprise. A book that considerably exceeded my expectations of it. It might seem corny and generic on the outside, but rest assured this box contains quality cereal. Quick and fun. Recommended.