A few months ago, Detective Oliver (Tuck) Tucker was killed by his wife’s surrogate father. Surprisingly, he died but did not disappear. In fact, he can communicate with certain people in his life such as his wife, Angel. His former partner, Detective Bear Braddock, is slowly adjusting to the fact that Tuck is around, but Bear tries to ignore his voice when Tuck tries to tell Bear what to do.

Although he may no longer be a cop, he wants to help where and when he can, by communicating with the very few who can hear him. He likes that he has a freedom to time travel, moving in and out of buildings without being seen, and he is able to listen in on conversations without anyone knowing.

On this particular night, his wife is the hostess of a charity gala. Shortly after the ball began, one of the guests was murdered while dancing with Tuck’s wife. The man had ties with the Russian Mafia.

Although Tuck, Angel, Bear and others work to solve the crime, Tuck has the freedom to work the case by time-travel, and he makes good use of that ability. He also zooms off to other places and times to help others who are in trouble.

Dying for the Past (A Gumshoe Ghost Mystery) by Tj O'Connor is the second book in this unique series after Dying to Know. This story begins just three few months after the first book ends, providing continuity for readers. While new readers can quickly pick up the thread, they may enjoy going back to the beginning.

The characters are well-formed, and include a unique and interesting array. The author utilizes quite a number of characters, but is adept at helping the readers keep track of the good guys and gals as well as the bad.

Tuck, the main character, is especially fun. After solving his own murder, he now works hard to help others, and sometimes is unexpectedly sent to help someone else out, and then returns to the original case.

The fast-paced story is difficult to set down even for a few hours. It is definitely a page-turner that mystery lovers, especially paranormal, and even romance, will enjoy.

If you are interested in purchasing either one of these books, they are available at Amazon.com.

A special thank you goes to Midnight Ink for providing us with a free copy of this book for our review.