Defending Angels (2008), Angel's Advocate (2009), and Avenging Angels (2010) by Mary Stanton

Books: Defending Angels (2008), Angel's Advocate (2009), and Avenging Angels (2010) by Mary Stanton

Series: A Beaufort and Company Mystery

Extras: None

Plot (Goodreads):

Defending Angels:

With a long list of ethereal clients who need her help, Savannah lawyer Brianna Winston Beaufort's career choice is beginning to haunt her. An already dead businessman needs Bree's help to find his murderer and prove his innocence against the charge of greed, which comes from the mightiest hand of the law, the Celestial Court. And the verdict in this case could put Bree's life on the line-as well as her client's afterlife

Angel's Advocate:

Money's been tight ever since Bree Winston Beaufort inherited Savannah's haunted law firm Beaufort & Company along with its less-than-angelic staff. But she's finally going to tackle a case that pays the bills representing a spoiled girl who stole someone's Girl Scout cookie money. But soon enough she finds that her client's departed millionaire father needs help too. Can she help an unsavory father/daughter duo and make a living off of the living?

Avenging Angels:

Law school hasn't prepared Bree to appeal cases for the dead. After inheriting her great-uncle's haunted law firm, she must now represent ex-banker O'Rourke, who supposedly killed himself after losing a fortune. But with a merry widow and evidence mounting, it's beginning to look like murder. So Bree and her team of angels begin to investigate. But Bree soon discovers that someone would rather see her deceased than debriefed.

My four-sentence or less take on the plot: Much to Briana Winston-Beaufort's surprise, the law firm she inherits from her great-uncle deals with celestial matters (mortals can't even find the building). While trying to balance the pieces of a normal life (her family, her mortal law clients, trying to date) and the haunted law firm, she is forced to solve crimes for her clients.

Rating: B

What worked: Bree is likable, as are all of her employees and friends. She reacts in a realistic way to most of her situations and the mysteries are interesting. I didn't figure any of the whodunits out before the end of the book, which is always a huge plus. The angel aspect is interesting and different.

What didn't: The whole "evil in the graveyard" thing and the haunted painting isn't working for me. I'm confused by it (feel free to explain it to me, readers!). I also don't understand why a lawyer is doing so much private investigation.

Keep reading? Yes but not at full price