The science of ghosts

Sturges (Girl Haven) and Garing deliver juicy pulp thrills in this queer paranormal murder mystery. "To me, ghosts are evidence," forensic psychologist Joy Ravenna explains as she searches crime scenes for spectral witnesses. She butts heads with her ex-wife, a police officer who left when Joy came out as trans, but finds support from her girlfriend, Cat. Then Joy gets tangled up in the haunted history of Haskell House, a mansion built with a firearms fortune that contains decades of dark family secrets. When one of her friends is arrested for a murder that may have been committed by a ghost, Joy communes with the house's spirits to unearth the truth. Garing's no-nonsense art, reminiscent of old newspaper soap-opera strips, starts out stiff but finds its rhythm as the story unfolds. The queer community Joy inhabits provides a vivid, authentic-feeling backdrop, and her trans identity adds an extra dimension to her determination to probe the wrongs of the past for the sake of those living in the present. Sturges hits all the standard pleasures of crime fiction: mystery, action, steamy sex scenes, and showdowns with scheming villains. Though the story wraps up in one volume, readers may wish for a sequel. This soars. Dara Hyde, Hill Nadel Literary. (June)