Ann Charles' 'Deadwood' series- not a moment of boredom in sight

You know that moment when you have a bad day that turns into a bad week and so on and you realize that the light at the end of the tunnel might as well be a freight train coming your way? Most of us had that pleasant experience at one moment in life.
When I feel down I need a book to cheer me up. Some people exercise, take yoga classes, meditate, go to therapy or drink. I have tried all these options but exercise only helps my physique, yoga and meditation require a good teacher and I am yet to find one, therapy is insanely expensive and I have read enough Freud to do it my own and drinking makes me sick. So, I am usually back to reading.
On one of these occasions I have come across Ann Charles' work and it was love at first page. I prefer my books to have well-defined characters and Deadwood series is spot on. Starting with Violet Parker, the main character, who is a feisty single mother of twins (Layne - the brainiac with a panache for archaeology and Adelynn - the protector of all pets and owner of Elvis the chicken), to Old man Harvey whose language and collection of old flames make the books R rated or Daniel Craig lookalike detective Cooper - the man who makes Violet's molars grind, or not at last the handsome Doc, Violet's colorful coworkers and so many more.
The books are categorized as paranormal mystery romance. The author introduces, beside the classic Deadwood history with ghosts, a new and unusual set of paranormal characters that might, or might not be on everyone's taste.
It kept me going for whole eight books published till now.

The first in the series is 'Nearly departed in Deadwood'. We are introduced here to the life and work of Violet Parker in the most unusual way.
'The first time I came to Deadwood, I got shot in the ass. Now, twenty-five years later, as I stared into the double barrels of Old Man Harvey's shotgun, irony was having a fiesta and I was the pinata.'
With just three weeks left inside her probation period as Realtor, Violet is pretty much up to do anything just to sell a house and keep her job. So, she agrees to take Harvey out to dinner on weekly basis till she sells his house from the boonies, takes her new office neighbor and ghost sniffer on a house hunting expedition and agrees to sell a dilapidated Victorian masterpiece belonging to a rich and handsome jewelry store owner, all this while a monster is abducting young girls that look like Adelynn, keeping Violet's nerves and sanity on the line as she tried to keep her job and her family safe.
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In  'Optical delusions in Deadwood' Violet is continuing her work as a struggling Realtor in the beautiful haunted city of Deadwood. After her last experiences in sales she sees no problem in trying to sell a house that was the stage of a fairly recent double murder-suicide and has a history of serious haunting. Considering herself a 'dud' when it comes to seeing ghosts, she wants to prove that the so-called ghostly sightings are merely the eccentric owner's optical delusions and land another sale on her thin account.
We get to know more about the secondary characters in the book, especially Old Man Harvey (inspired by a real character from the author's life) who becomes a constant in Violet's life as her personal assigned bodyguard and partner in crime, her best friend Natalie, Aunt Zoe and Detective Cooper.
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Every now and then our beloved authors come up with stories that test our loyalty. Ann Charles is an award-winning author, still, like many even more famous authors, picks unusual story lines. The third book in Deadwood series, 'Dead case in Deadwood' is a slight disappointment after the first two. The story line is going down a path that is stretching the reader's limits. The introduction of Violet's new customer Cornelius Curion into the story must have seemed a great idea but he is out-of-place and he is pushing the ghost hunter side of the story a little far. Good thing that the romance part is keeping the book interesting as do the rest of the characters. Violet's spastic relationship with Deadwood's lead detective and her obsession with Doc's ex girlfriend, the Jessica Rabbit lookalike keep the fire up.
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From the beginning the books kept the paranormal to ghosts and other weird characters that pop in and out of the story without a clear background story and with this book, 'Better of dead in Deadwood', we get a new twist and fresh villains to the mix. Cornelius Curios continues to drag Violet into trouble while he is constantly oblivious to the surrounding dangers while Harvey tries to keep her out of prison since the Detective's patience when seeing Violet at his every crime scene goes slim by the day and he would clearly love every opportunity to throw her ass in jail. Violet's relationship with her best friend Natalie is on the rocks and Aunt Zoe shows another side of her that no one knows about. Deadwood is clearly a very interesting place with hunted houses, zombie theater shows and many more interesting and deadly characters.
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Well, if until now Violet's life seemed normal and boring with this book things go haywire. In 'An Ex to grind in Deadwood' Violet's ex (Addy and Layne sperm donor of a father) pops up in her life again and he has his own nasty agenda which complicates her personal life even more. Violet receives a creepy phone call, finds another dead body, this time with a shrunken head, which brings her again into the center of another murder investigation, much to the joy of detective Cooper. Things from the past come to life and Violet's family history is one of them. Aunt Zoe proves to have deep knowledge of the paranormal world much to Violet's surprise. While till now Cooper was Violet's biggest pain in the ass, his new partner Stone Hawke proves that things can become even worse in a short amount of time.
Violet's boss new marketing scheme transforms her into an interstate poster girl with most unusual realty business messages. Jerry's fascination with pink clothing and fluffy hair makes Violet 'look like a vampire poodle that just peed on an electric fence.'
The events in this book will spread over the next ones. Ms Wolff death will be solved in the most unexpected way only in book eight and Cornelius Curion obsession with ghosts and his need to involve Violet in his seances opens the gate for more weird things coming through.
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In 'Meanwhile back in Deadwood' Harvey's ranch is a continuous source of body parts and faceless bodies. Cooper invites him to move in but soon finds out that living with his uncle in a house with paper-thin walls is a source of insomnia so he crashes in Doc's spare bedroom. This, weirdly leads to a better relationship with Violet who starts to see his human side and the need to have a back up against Detective Hawke harassing attitude.
Jerry's aggressive attitude in promoting Calamity Jane Realty bring reality television into play with Violet and Ben being the stars promoting haunted houses in Deadwood, a greater headache for Violet.
Trying to resolve Ms Wolff murder and clean his uncle's ranch from whatever is roaming around forces Cooper to acknowledge the paranormal world. His skepticism is put to the test through a seance directed by Cornelius at Harvey's ranch where Cooper together with Violet, Natalie and Doc have to face the boogeyman on Day of the Dead.
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With the Halloween behind, Violet's life should be preparing for the upcoming winter holiday but, in reality, it is far from it. On the good side her relationship with Doc moves into the right direction, Aunt Zoe stops looking for her shotgun every time Reid comes by the house and Cooper's feeling towards Natalie starts to be obvious to everyone but Natalie who is still on a sabbatical from men.
On the paranormal side Violet manages to have the librarian move into Prudence home but Wilda Hessler is back and haunting Cornelius. A new seance is needed but Violet's life truly depends on this one's success. Caly and Masterson are back and some of the cases Detective Cooper is working on are finally solved. Reid needs back-up investigating a haunted old factory that no one can own for a long time without turning up dead and Aunt Zoe with Violet and Doc decide to help him but manage in the end to release another nightmare in Deadwood.
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 'Rattling the heat in Deadwood' is one of the best books in the series. There is too much going on every front that you cannot be bored for a second.
Violet is getting two new roommates, one at work since Jerry is lending his office and the upstairs apartment to Cornelius Curion, and one at home where Cooper moves in as her surveillance officer after due to new evidence she gets to be number one suspect in Ms Wolff murder case. Her parents are planning a visit on Christmas to meet Doc as their relationship evolves more and more. With Cooper's new residence he gets to spend more time with Natalie which leads to interesting moments.
Her ex is still in the picture and causing trouble as is her sister, Tiffany Sugarbell, and the deadly charming Dominick Masterson who wants to hire Violet as his real estate agent and personal hunter for nightmare creatures.
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As old man Harvey likes to say 'If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride!' Enjoy!