I absolutely adored Morgan Spellman’s debut novel, Say I Boo - the first of the Abby Spector Mystery series - and was very excited to read this next ghostly adventure which did not disappoint! Abby is a quirky, amateur paranormal investigator who will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and have you rolling your eyes at the same time. She flies by the seat of her pants and always ends up in wacky shenanigans due to not thinking things through - all part of her charm! Roses are Red, Violet is Dead is a fun, cozy mystery in the vein of Scooby Doo. And there was even an adorable dog in the story too! The mysteries abound, the ghosts are lurking around every corner, and something sinister is afoot at the Bed & Breakfast. Everyone is a suspect, dead or alive, and Abby will stop at nothing to solve the mystery and help these ghosts with their unfinished business. 

It took me a little bit longer to get into the story this time, but about 1/3 of the way in things started to pick up and I didn’t want to put it down! I had multiple suspicions about who the culprit (or culprits) were while reading. Spellman does a wonderful job of pointing the light in multiple directions to keep you guessing right up to the end as the various pieces start falling into place. And the farther into the story you get, the more spooky and mysterious things start to happen. The book is full of witty banter, pop culture references, and queer rep - including a sapphic romance subplot, a prominent non-binary side character (Sam, Abby’s cousin), and even ghostly queer rep, too! 

Abby was a tad frustrating at times with her hyperfixation on things, but she continues to grow through this story and it was great seeing the changes in her at the end. I love her and Mina’s relationship and I was very excited to see more of that in book two. I loved the connection they formed in Say I Boo and couldn’t wait for more of their story!

If you love Scooby Doo, whodunit mysteries, quirky characters, ghost stories, and queerness - you should definitely check out this series!

I received an ARC of this book from the author and this is my honest and voluntary review.

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian Jewish FMC, Non-binary and queer SCs, multiple POC SCs

📝Tropes/Themes: Cozy Mystery, Sapphic Romance Subplot, Ghosts, Whodunit, Paranormal Investigator, Best Friend Duo