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This is the first book in the Nightmare, Arizona series, a series about the happenings in an old mining town. There’s more to Nightmare than gun fight reenactments, since one of their major tourist attractions is their haunted house. Nightmare Sanctuary. 

Olivia is in a pretty low place when she arrives in Nightmare. However, things start to look up when she lands a job at the Sanctuary. I love how unsure of it she is, but how quickly everyone seems to accept her as one of their own. This is a small town that doesn’t seem to have a lot of new residents, and people look out for her. 

I love the mystery of it all, and that I solved one of them before Olivia. She is so funny in one particular scene, and I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Oh Olivia, you’ll realize it soon.” I also love that everyone with the Sanctuary had a running bet on how long it would take Olivia to figure everything out. I’m trying to purposefully be vague because it’s a fun reveal that everyone deserves to have spoiler-free, but it is so fun to watch happen. 

Of course, there’s the whole murder aspect. This is a paranormal cozy mystery at its finest, but there are still some intense stakes in the final act as the murderer comes to light. You can’t forget that there is technically a killer on the loose and that they had their reasons. It isn’t a high-stakes thriller, but it gives you just enough suspense to feel realistic. 

Felipe is now on the short list for my favorite animal character in a book. He’s a cutie and I need all the merchandise ASAP.