Buying Martina Mercer

 Reviews for Martina's Books available on Amazon, in Waterstones and all good bookshops.

The latest indepth five star review:

Tinsey James has always had somewhat of a sixth sense of the supernatural. This becomes more apparent than ever when her beloved father dies suddenly of a heart attack, leaving her and her mother to cope with an unexpected loss. Tinsey also has a young son, Mickey, who won’t stop calling out, ‘Gandad!’

Not long after her father’s passing, Tinsey sees him, and is able to talk with him. These forays into the paranormal are confirmed by similar meetings between Tinsey’s grandparents and her father – all featuring the same meeting place, a garden, somewhere between life and death.

During these meetings, it becomes clear that Tinsey’s father wants her to fight, to stand up for herself against pushy relatives, insufferable patrons of the Used Bookstore she owns and operates, and a coldly indifferent world in general. She understands this, too – a need to be strong for her son Mickey, much the same way her father was for her.

This leads her to take up boxing – which meets the disapproval of her mother. Whilst training and learning the ropes, she finds another extended family at the boxing club that dishes out some rather familiar tough love. Her newfound resilience is tested when Mickey’s father, who ran off shortly after Mickey was born, returns threatening to sue for custody. Tinsey must overcome her fears and fight to protect her son with the knowledge that her father will soon be gone, passing beyond the mystical ‘Ghost Garden’.

Martina Mercer‘s prose style has a wonderful immediacy to it – one feels very much in Tinsey’s head during her terrible trials, sharing her awful grief and frustrations. The reader, too, cannot help but egg her on to fight these circumstances and protect the people she loves.

Anyone who’s lost a loved one can attest to the reality of the passages in this book depicting the funeral, and the dealings with certain members of the extended family. Mercer inhabits these bits with interesting, fully fleshed characters – from the creepy funeral director who cannot remember the deceased’s name to the annoying relatives prematurely vying for possessions.

The Ghost Garden transcends the usual cheap thrills that go with novels depicting the supernatural. Mercer is much too interested in her characters for that. And this is what the visits from the dead afford us – they give us a deeper window into who these people are.

The character of Tinsey’s father, Mike, is wholly convincing. Through a series of flashbacks, we come to know this man and the love he has for his family, in particular, his daughter becomes all the more convincing, almost palpable – as when he helps her run her bookstore. Often with humour and care, he shields his daughter and protects her whilst trying to instill in her the ability to protect herself.

It is these convincing, often very funny, characterisations that keep the book from ever descending into melodrama. The principle characters of Tinsey, her father, her mother, and even many of the smaller supporting characters seem to have been based rather closely on real people – they’re very detailed and nuanced. They can be mean but never outright villainous; at times funny but never shallow caricatures.

For a book primarily about death, The Ghost Garden is very funny and involving for reasons one wouldn’t at first expect. Even those who do not believe in an afterlife won’t be able to deny the beauty the book portrays – this mystical meeting place can also be seen as symbolic of the reflection that accompanies being able to truly let a loved one go.

The Ghost Garden is available for sale at Amazon.co.uk (Kindle edition), Amazon.com (paperback), and iTunes.

"I love this book. The story is engaging and you will laugh and cry in equal measure. You get swept along with the story and I could not put this book down. I just so wish in the real world we all could get this kind of contact with the after life to help us on our way. I look forward to seeing what she writes next. "

"This is written in such a wonderful style and with such heart it's a must-read. Definitely highly recommended. "

"This book is my favourite genre of the supernatural. I love the central story running through it, so many twiats and turns. The characters are well defined and easy to relate to. This will make a perfect choice for those people who are interested in the afterlife. Every page of the book was exciting. I read it twice and really enjoyed it. The character conversation is also realistic, as if you are watching events take place.
I highly recommend this book to all readers"

"Hi Martina,I just had to tell you how much me and my son Lee,who is 19,thouroughly enjoyed your book.neither of us could put it down until it was finished.Cant wait for the next one.Well done and best wishes for your future.Ann x"

"Dear Martina:Kudos to The Ghost Garden. Your fast-paced straightforward style of writing held my attention from beginning to end. As a psychologist, I appreciated your realistic vivid descriptions of emotions especially those following the loss of a loved one.

Please let me know when you publish your next novel. I would love to read it.

Elizabeth "