Picture The Dead by Adele Griffin

Title: Picture the Dead

Author: Adele Griffin 

Illustrator: Lisa Brown

Series: None

Published: May 2010

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Pages: 224

ISBN:  9781402237126

Source: ARC sent by Publisher

 

 

 

Description: Jennie’s connection with her twin brother, Toby, grew stronger after he died in 1864. Now Jennie must rely on her ability to communicate with the dead to find out what has happened to her beloved fiance, Will, while he was off at war. The army says he died honorably in battle. His brother confides that he became a violent criminal and died in a prison camp. Jennie begins to doubt that anyone is telling her the truth.  This intriguing combination of historical romance, paranormal thriller, and clever mystery is illustrated by bestselling artist Lisa Brown. The unique visuals originated from real Civil War daguerreotypes that were transformed into eerie mementos for Jennie’s scrapbook.  With the help of a spiritualist photographer, the spirit of her dead fiance, and the clues she discovers and keeps in her scrapbook, Jennie must put together the pieces of this mystery before she loses her home, her fortune, and possibly her life.

I Give This Book 4 Stars!

This book surprised me!  I think I was expecting a little bit more of a ghost story, which this story really isn't.  You do get a little bit of that creepy feeling every once in awhile.  But, it's more of a story about a young women coming to terms with the chaos and loss that surrounds her.  I had a hard time getting into the story at first, and wasn't sure how I felt about the illustrations that came at the beginning of each chapter.  But, the story builds into a wonderful mystery as you follow Jennie while she's trying to piece together what happened.  What she discovers was not what I was expecting and the dramatic ending fit perfectly with the events that unfolded in the book.  I enjoyed the spiritualistic aspect of the story.  I could take or leave the illustrations though.  They were an interesting addition to the story, but I found myself skipping them more than anything.