Unsettled Things - A Pameroy Mystery in Kentucky

I will be the first to admit - I have been pretty lucky in the past when I've picked up new series to read. For the most part, I have enjoyed the books, and I have gone on to continue collecting and reading the various series.  Some have been better than others, but only a very few have been so bad that I just decided to put a stop to it after finishing the first book. Unfortunately for the Pameroy Mystery series, this happens to be one of those very few cases.

Unsettled Things, which is the first Pameroy Mystery, caught my attention for two reasons - first, it featured a young protagonist who had supernatural intuition and could see and interact with ghosts; second, this first mystery is set in Kentucky, which is my home state where was born and raised. With these two things going for it, I pretty much figured I couldn't go wrong. Well, no bones about it - I was wrong!

The protagonist for the series is Lillia Pameroy - a twelve-year old girl with the knack for not only seeing ghosts, but also becoming immersed in visions of the past.  Growing up, she was made to believe it was all in her imagination.  An "imagining," she calls it.  But for the first time, she is made to believe that these imaginings are more than just in her head.  A visit with her grand aunt in the heart of Kentucky opens up a whole new world when Lillia sees a ghost, who appears to be leading her on a path that will not only put a restless spirit to rest, but also reunite long lost relatives.  With the help of newfound friend Zoe, as well as some unexplained moments with the older Miss Margaret, Lillia faces not only the truth of her own abilities, but the truth about her family and how she fits in.

All in all, the plot to the book sounds like a great mystery. Unfortunately, author Brenda Felber does not succeed with the execution.  First, and probably the worst part, is the fact that Lillia is not a likable character at all. She whines throughout the entire story, and none of her conflicts come across as real.  Maybe it's me reading this from an adult perspective, but I didn't find anything at all complex or sincere about Lillia, and I felt absolutely no empathy for her predicament. Rather, she is written more as a spoiled little brat rather than a sympathetic young girl with the ability to see ghosts and into the past.  I try and remember back to my younger days of reading, and even then, I don't see myself actually finding any redeeming qualities about Lillia that would have made me like her.  In fact, I found Zoe to be a much more fascinating and rounded-out character in the story.

Second, the mystery itself felt very second-place to the story of Lillia and her family issues.  It seems Lillia's mother previously lost a child, and Lillia was able to sense it, even as a small child.  So, that creates some tension between Lillia and her mother; and when her father drops her off at her grand-aunt's house while he takes her younger brother on a trip, it leaves Lillia feeling more left out.  And while these things might create a subtle undercurrent with most stories, they seem to always be thrown into the forefront of this book.  There is actually very little of the mystery itself in the first half of the book, and there is no real active mystery-solving until the last one-fourth of the book, which made it difficult for me to keep pushing through, wondering when the mystery would actually begin.

Finally, the constant shifts between first-person point of view and third-person point of view were a bit jarring and clunky.  The story would have been a much smoother read if Felber had simply maintained a consistent POV throughout the entire book.  I personally think the third-person point of view would have read nicely, but I'm guessing the author felt it necessary to use first-person voice in order to give readers some insight into Lillia's mind.  Unfortunately, it made the book more difficult to read.

Once the mystery starts, however, there are some good moments, such as when Lillia begins to see spirits from the past, and when she finds herself immersed in the home of one of the ghosts - for this moment reveals to her a secret connection to one of the townspeople who she and Zoe had agreed to help!  Just wish there had been more great moments like this throughout the book, as it would have made it a much better read.

I'm planning to keep this book, simply because it is set in Kentucky, so I will keep it with my other series book set in my home state - however, I won't be picking up any more books in this series, as neither the character nor the writing are enough to hold my interest.  Ah well, you win some, you lose some...

RATING:  3 servings of homemade mac and cheese out of 10 for the supernatural elements and the Kentucky setting.