Under the Willows by Pamela McCord

It has been a few years since I read “Under the Willows” by Pamela McCord, but it’s a book that has stuck with me. I recall different parts of the story from time to time. The story is beautifully written and I still find myself thinking about it from time to time. “Under the Willows” is a story about grief, new beginnings, and mysteries, and it has a paranormal twist that captured me.

“Under the Willows” is currently #2 in Women’s Romance Fiction and #3 in Mystery Romance on Amazon, but I didn’t consider it a romance story at all. It’s a mystery, there is suspense and adventure and, of course, a ghost. Okay, okay, a love story does blossom in this story, but truly, the main character has dealt with loss right off the bat; she’s does not need romance, Trust me.

If you enjoy paranormal stories and mysteries, you will love this book. And great news, it’s currently FREE for Kindle readers! Grab “Under the Willows” for Kindle right here.

The Premise

Recently widowed Kelly Harris and her young son TJ move into a sprawling Victorian house in a small Ohio town, inherited from her late husband’s grandmother. Kelly grapples with overwhelming grief and adjusts to her new life, an eerie occurrence turns her world upside down. The Alexa unit in TJ’s bedroom begins to emit a child’s voice, crying for help. Kelly doesn’t believe TJ at first, but he’s adamant, and eventually, she hears the child’s voice, too.

Meanwhile, Detective Rob Porter is searching for a missing child named Marilee. Their paths intersect when the ghostly voice mentions Marilee’s name, claiming she’s “with me.” Full chills!

I know that spirits can use their energy to interact with radios; it makes absolute sense to me that they could interact with something like an Alexa. But will Detective Rob Porter believe? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

The Characters

Kelly, TJ and Rob are all such brilliantly written characters. They are believable, you can feel their emotions and it’s all over the place with this story because of the missing child. You can feel how they are really trying to wrap their head around a possible ghost trying to help with the case.

Again, it has been three years since I read this book, but one of the things I clearly remember was about TJ and his teddy bear. At one point, he asks for his teddy bear, “Brownie.” Which happens to be the name of my childhood teddy bear, too.

I also remember the conversations between Kelly and Rob. Their dialogue is light-hearted and platonic, although you could clearly see they would be interested in each other. Given the death of Kelly’s husband, she’s not looking for love. Rob knows this and he is very respectful which I really appreciate. He’s never pushing her. They do, however, go through many intense moments during this book due to the plot and that would bring anyone closer together.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Feel what you need to feel.”

Detective Rob, “Under the Willows”

More Paranormal from Pamela McCord

Pamela McCord‘s works span different genres and age groups. As she is also known for the Pekin Dewlap Mysteries, which features a young sleuth named Pekin Dewlap and her team of ghost hunters. As you can tell, there is a continued paranormal theme seen here. This series is good for young readers, I would say as early as middle school, 6th grade, because it’s something my daughter enjoys and she is 11-years-old.

If you decide to read “Under the Willows,” please come back and let me know. I love it and I look forward to reading more from Pamela McCord.