While planting a cherry tree, landscaper Baxley Powell discovers a human skull buried in the sand. After calling the sheriff, Baxley uses her dreamwalking abilities to get a jump-start on identifying the victim. Then deputies arrive, and, believing she’s tampering with evidence, taser her. Emotions flare, but the sheriff agrees to hire her as a consultant. With a daughter to support and bills she can’t pay, Baxley is motivated to succeed.
Things get dicey when she unearths a murder victim on the same jobsite, planting Baxley in the suspect pool. For calling unwanted attention to her private retreat, Baxley’s landscaping client fires her, stiffing her for the plants and labor.
Meanwhile, her father retires as county dreamwalker, passing the community service responsibility along to her.
Baxley’s dreamwalking sideline competes for her time with her day jobs of landscaping and pet-sitting. Folks show up on her doorstep at all hours to pass messages to the departed. Though her money problems persist, food randomly appears at her door, and her hair develops a telltale white streak in the forelock overnight.
Just what every young woman wants, a permanent bad hair day.
Threats to her safety mount as Baxley delves into the victim’s life—in both worlds. With a killer dogging her heels and spirits nipping at her mind, Baxley follows her dreams to find the truth.
Review:
A while ago, as part of a blog tour, I read and reviewed CONFOUND IT - the fifth in the Dreamwalker Mysteries, and I loved it. So, of course I had to go back to the beginning. Happy to say, I wasn't disappointed.
In GONE AND DONE IT, Baxley is just coming to terms with her dreamwalking abilities and can't help but see if she can assist the sheriff after discovering a body in the ornate garden of a very particular and grouchy client. What she doesn't realize is that she can't keep her abilities a secret no matter how hard she tries. No more hats and suddenly food is showing up at her front door. She goes from police consultant to suspect to possible next victim. Once again, Toussaint writes a fascinating tale with great characters, much angst, and more than a touch of humanity. It looks like I have to add the rest of the series to my TBR list.
Books in the series:
GONE AND DONE IT (A Dreamwalker Mystery)
BUBBA DONE IT (A Dreamwalker Mystery)
DOGGONE IT (A Dreamwalker Mystery)
DADGUMMIT (A Dreamwalker Mystery #4)
CONFOUND IT (A Dreamwalker Mystery #5)