Ropa, a 12 year old of Zimbabwean heritage with green-colored dredlocks and black lipstick, lives with her grandmother in a part of Edinburgh considered by many as the "other side of the tracks." She helps her grandmother pay the rent for their trailer through her paranormal vocation. Her innate ability to see and talk to the dead draws ghosts to her purchasing favors, such as the relaying of messages from the afterlife to loved ones. Generally she won't accept jobs without reimbursement, she occasionally does pro bono work. The most recent request comes from a deceased mother who asks Ropa's assistance in find her missing child.
This novel was a slow starter with the protagonist going from one request for her paranormal gift to another before finally getting to the primary plot. Although the Library of the Dead is introduced in this initial work of the series, it played a small part in this novel. I listend to this book as an audiobook, which was, at times, difficult because of the thick Scottish brogue used by the narrator. When the story finally settled down to the search for a young child, it was interesting; however, it wasn't enough to motivate me to read the further books in this series.
This novel was a slow starter with the protagonist going from one request for her paranormal gift to another before finally getting to the primary plot. Although the Library of the Dead is introduced in this initial work of the series, it played a small part in this novel. I listend to this book as an audiobook, which was, at times, difficult because of the thick Scottish brogue used by the narrator. When the story finally settled down to the search for a young child, it was interesting; however, it wasn't enough to motivate me to read the further books in this series.