3.5 stars

It’s 1917. Delia sees ghosts, and lately there have been a lot of them following her detective husband Gabe around. Gabe is now investigating what looks like a ritual murder. As Gabe and his partner/friend, Jack, continue in their investigation, they discover more and more people who have disappeared. Sometimes Delia and her mentor/friend Dora are brought in to help Gabe and Jack with their cases, and this appears to be needed this time around.

This is the second book in a series. The chapters alternate between Delia and Gabe, and in this one, I found Gabe’s murder investigation more interesting than Delia’s ghosts. In my opinion, this wasn’t nearly as good as the first book. It’s been a few years, so I can’t compare directly, but the first one did make my favourites that year. This one – there was a lot going on – a lot of action – and I’m usually interested in ghosts, as well as murder mysteries, but this one didn’t pull me in as much. I’m still rating it “good”. There is currently one more book in the series (I’m not sure if it ends at a trilogy, or if she’s writing more for the series) and I will be reading it. ( )

A rash of murders seems to be linked to a peace promoting woman. Delia and Isadora get caught up in it along with Delia's new husband Gabe Ryan. The story is told alternating between the supernatural world of Delia and Gabe's mundane police investigation, the two are intertwined as usual and when one of the victims is a member of the Chinese community things get complicated with the involvement of a Chinese leader of the community with illicit ties and supernatural connections.

The kitten stole every scene she was in.

It seemed to run out of steam near the end and the mystery is tied up neatly but unsatisfactorily for me. Still I'd read more by this author. ( )

As much as I loved the first book, I made it about half way through this one and just have to set it aside. The story so far was almost all about ghosts and hauntings. There is no interest in or development to the actual characters. Not much in the way of plot either. ( )

A fun little historical urban fantasy with likable characters. I liked the first of this series, and I think I enjoyed this one even more. The lack of relationship drama was refreshing - so often these things are drawn out unbearably, I think because the author feels they have nothing to write about once the protagonist has actually committed to someone! I did feel the ending was rushed, but that's a minor quibble. I look forward to reading the next. ( )

A Barricade in Hell by Jaime Lee Moyer is the sequel to the extremely popular Delia's Shadow. I often shy away from sequels to books I love but I dared pick this one up in the hopes that it was as engaging as the first.

Synopsis from Amazon:
In Jaime Lee Moyer's Barricade in Hell, Delia Martin has been gifted (or some would say cursed) with the ability to peer across to the other side. Since childhood, her constant companions have been ghosts. She used her powers and the help of those ghosts to defeat a twisted serial killer terrorizing her beloved San Francisco. Now it's 1917—the threshold of a modern age—and Delia lives a peaceful life with Police Captain Gabe Ryan.

That peace shatters when a strange young girl starts haunting their lives and threatens Gabe. Delia tries to discover what this ghost wants as she becomes entangled in the mystery surrounding a charismatic evangelist who preaches pacifism and an end to war. But as young people begin to disappear, and audiences display a loyalty and fervor not attributable to simple persuasion, that message of peace reveals a hidden dark side.

As Delia discovers the truth, she faces a choice—take a terrible risk to save her city, or chance losing everything?

While I adore the genre of the paranormal, I sometimes have a hard time finding books with all of the story elements I enjoy. I loved Delia's Shadow. I was immediately attracted to the historic post-earthquake San Francisco setting offered by Moyer where the city, although already 1917, is still rebuilding and recovering. Another plus was the fact that the characters in the story, minus the paranormal, were realistic. They are adults who had life experience and had to deal with their own losses as they worked toward a happier future. Their stories had depth and meaning which allowed me to invest in them emotionally.

In this sequel, Delia and Gabe have been married for a few years and have a solid relationship throughout the story. The main plot revolves around ritualistic killings that are truly creepy in nature. While Gabe deals with the police investigation, Delia must deal with figuring out why all of a sudden the spirit world has erupted with angry mobs of ghosts, more powerful then she has ever experienced and seemingly focused on her husband. The two of them make a great team and it is wonderful to see how Gabe, a seasoned law enforcement agent, believes in and supports the use of Delia's abilities when necessary.

The story is thought provoking and definitely has its share of edge of your seat moments. I could have easily read it in one night if I had the time (which I did not). What I found interesting is that the mystery focuses less on who the murderer is (which we can figure out fairly early) and more on how to prove their guilt, bring them in, stop more murders from occurring, and figure out how the restless ghosts can finally find peace. This was a refreshing twist to the normal, "whodunit."

All in all, A Barricade in Hell was just as good, if not better than Delia's Shadow. I'm looking forward to a third book to wrap things up for all of these characters I have grown to love.
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