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Vawn Cassidy
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Dead Serious Case #1 Miz Dusty Le Frey: MM Paranormal Romance & Dark Comedy (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed) Kindle Edition

by Vawn Cassidy (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 2,442 ratings

In the business of unfinished business...

Tristan Everett has always preferred the company of the dead because they usually don't talk back. Being a somewhat awkward introvert working as a pathologist at the Hackney Public Mortuary suits him just fine. That is, until a freak accident with a rogue ice cube and suddenly he can see ghosts.

Just when he thought his life couldn't get any weirder, sassy drag queen, Dusty Le Frey, is wheeled in with a toe tag and she's not prepared to go quietly into the light. Not only is she furious at the prospect of spending eternity in last season's gold lame, she's determined that he help her solve her murder.

Suddenly Tristan finds himself thrown into a world of sequins and fake eyelashes, and worse still, he may have developed a bit of a crush on Scotland Yard's brand new drool-worthy detective, Inspector Danny Hayes, who's been assigned to Dusty's murder. Oh, and as the icing on top of a really crappy cake, the killer now wants him dead too...

All he ever wanted was a simple life but suddenly he's juggling work, a deliciously sexy detective, a stubborn ghost and a relentless murderer... and things have just gotten dead serious....

From author Vawn Cassidy comes this hot and funny, slow burn, opposites attract paranormal caper across the East End of London.

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  1. Book 1 of 6
    Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed
  2. Print length
    322 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
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  5. Publication date
    October 31, 2021
  6. File size
    6.6 MB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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There are 6 books in this series.

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  1. “Are you expecting someone?” she asks. “Because I’m not in the mood for company.” “Oh, no problem,” I say wryly. “I’ll just tell them to come back later because my ghost is in a mood.”
    Highlighted by 100 Kindle readers
  2. “I’ve never cared for churches much,” Dusty remarks casually, looking around, her nose wrinkled in distaste. “They smell like Christians and judgement.”
    Highlighted by 98 Kindle readers
  3. My world may be small, but it’s quiet and peaceful, just the way I like it. The deceased don’t talk back, they don’t have any expectations of me, and they don’t make me feel bad about myself.
    Highlighted by 97 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher

An Introvert, a fake medium, a stubborn ghost, a relentless killer
a detective
what could possibly go wrong?

Product details

  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 2,442 ratings

About the author

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Vawn Cassidy

Vawn Cassidy

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Vawn Cassidy is an Amazon bestselling author. She writes MM Romance and is known for her unforgettable characters and incredible world-building. From light and fun quintessential British seaside romances set in Cornwall, to the underground Molly houses hidden amidst the dark and dangerous streets of Victorian London, all of her books fall into three easy to navigate sub-genres.

Contemporary Romance

From her Belong to Me series, the first book Suddenly Beck was nominated for two Goodreads Members Choice awards. These books are light, easy to read, low angst with a HEA filled with humour and heat.

Paranormal Romance

Her much loved paranormal series Dead Serious, is a hilarious caper across the East End of London with a pathologist who can see ghosts, a sexy and sweet Scotland Yard detective and a gloriously sassy dead drag queen. Filled with sweet romance, mystery and dark comedy, several of the books from the series have been nominated for Goodreads Members Choice awards. The series also includes many bonus shorts and extras.

Historical Romance/Mystery with a Supernatural Twist

The first book of the London Underside series, Molly Boys has been previously voted book of the month at Love Bytes Reviews. It’s a dark and gritty ride through Victorian London’s underground Molly houses during a time when homosexuality was illegal and severely punished by law. It explores class difference, forbidden love, murder, mystery, all told with a delicious supernatural spin.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
2,442 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this murder mystery romance with well-paced backstory and plot twists, featuring laugh-out-loud moments and heartwarming emotional moments that make readers cry. The book features wonderful characters, with one review highlighting the hunky Scotland Yard Detective, and customers find it charming and sweet, making it a wonderful start to a series. The writing style receives mixed feedback, with several customers noting glaring grammatical errors.

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StorylineHumorCharacter developmentCharmHeartwarming storyStart to seriesSweetnessWriting style
53 customers mention "Storyline"49 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, praising its perfect balance of murder mystery and romance, with beautifully paced backstory and plot twists.

"This book is such a perfect combo of humor, romance and mystery. I loved Tristan...." Read more

"...tears, reconciliations, a fresh take on the spirit world storyline, romance and encouragement to not overlook those that run outside the “norms”." Read more

"This is a great overall story. Mystery, love, heat, humor; it has everything. The characters are well developed and engaging...." Read more

"...They often have interesting plots with sweet offbeat characters...." Read more

51 customers mention "Humor"51 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous, with laugh-out-loud moments and a mix of mystery and comedy throughout the story.

"my sleep deprived, random thoughts process, book review ; sweet, funny, and tear inducing!!..." Read more

"...It was fun and silly. And the drag queen theme was simply wonderful. But I do have some issues with the story...." Read more

"...Funny, complex characters. Can't wait for the second book!" Read more

"...There is so much charm, sweetness, humor and snark/sass in this book that it is hard to move into the more poignant parts...." Read more

38 customers mention "Character development"38 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one review specifically highlighting the hunky Scotland Yard Detective and another noting the socially awkward pathologist.

"...Tristan, Dusty, Chan, and Benny were great characters. I felt so much for them...." Read more

"...They often have interesting plots with sweet offbeat characters...." Read more

"...It’s just so much better when the writer creates well fleshed out characters with laugh out loud wit spread throughout...." Read more

"...I was not disappointed. Tristan was a wonderful, warm character, as were Dusty, Danny and Chan...." Read more

18 customers mention "Charm"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book charming and adorable, with one customer particularly noting the gorgeous hot Inspector from Scotland.

"...This is a wonderful start to a series. I love how adorable and awkward Tristan is and Danny is the perfect man fate put in his path...." Read more

"Cute and fun..." Read more

"Rich Description, Beautifully paced, Sweet, Sexy, Touching, Characters you fall in love with and a view into a complex world … what more could you..." Read more

"...The characters, both dead and alive, are richly drawn, and I immediately fell in love with Tristan, Danny, and Dusty...." Read more

17 customers mention "Heartwarming story"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the story heartwarming with surprisingly emotional moments that make them cry, though some note there is no angst.

"...This was a really well written story and there's some serious emotions in here...." Read more

"...The ending was so poignant and I shed a few tears, but it does end well...." Read more

"...sweet, funny, and tear inducing!! i’ve shed so many stinkin tears over dusty and i’m not even 50% through the book yet!!..." Read more

"...laughter and tears all rolled into 1 amazingly entertaining and heartfelt story. I can't wait for the rest of the series!!" Read more

11 customers mention "Start to series"11 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy this book as a wonderful start to the series.

"...Overall, this was a wonderful start to a series. I loved Tristan and Danny so much and look forward to seeing their relationship progress...." Read more

"Great start to the series..." Read more

"...I love the premise and had high hopes for an entire new series to add to my shelves. But...." Read more

"...A good start to the series - looking forward to seeing more of Dusty, especially now that she can chane outfits!..." Read more

11 customers mention "Sweetness"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book sweet.

"Delightful, sweet and quirky. That sums up Dead Serious quite nicely I think. It's a fast-paced story, in a good way...." Read more

"...A surprisingly sweet and salty story about finding your happily ever after while solving a murder...." Read more

"...There is so much charm, sweetness, humor and snark/sass in this book that it is hard to move into the more poignant parts...." Read more

"Rich Description, Beautifully paced, Sweet, Sexy, Touching, Characters you fall in love with and a view into a complex world … what more could you..." Read more

10 customers mention "Writing style"3 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book, with several noting glaring grammatical errors.

"...Maybe the writing gets better. And writing style is subjective anyway...." Read more

"...even though this book is completely riddled with errors {like 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚, where is my little red pen!?!},..." Read more

"...The characters are all lovable and most are so much fun and interesting to get to know...." Read more

"...I had to dock a star for the editing, or lack of, though. Lots of misspelled words, missing or misplaced punctuation, etc...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • tgtuc
    5.0 out of 5 stars Funny but sweet
    Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    It's strange but as an old straight grandmother I enjoy many of the MM paranormal mysteries. They often have interesting plots with sweet offbeat characters. The romance is fun and it is easy to skip the graphic bedroom scenes what is even better is they aren't depressing like many of urban fantasy books.
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  • Bubblegum
    4.0 out of 5 stars Cute and fun
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Delightful, sweet and quirky. That sums up Dead Serious quite nicely I think.

    It's a fast-paced story, in a good way. In the very first chapter, the adorkable Tristan has an 'accident' and simultaneously meets the sexy Detective Danny Hayes.
    It's insta-attraction on both their parts, which is fine, because it's not actually insta-love. But the way their infatuation progresses, in an entirely effortless fashion, does border on being a bit fairy tale-esque.
    Tristan is super sweet and awkward as heck. I loved him. Danny doesn't have too much of a personality. He's hot and stacked and adores Tristan. And that's good enough.

    For me, the appeal of this read wasn't the murder mystery itself. It was merely a backdrop to Dusty's and Tristan's shenanigans.
    It was fun and silly. And the drag queen theme was simply wonderful.

    But I do have some issues with the story.

    First, Cassidy appears to confuse a few crucial concepts. In Dead Serious, all drag queens are transgender. And I can't help to think that's because Cassidy doesn't realize there's a difference. Now, I'm not personally offended by this, but I can imagine that other people might be since it's so very ignorant.

    The second thing that bugged me was how Danny never questioned how Tristan could know so much about Dusty. And that he never got suspicious about Tristan supplying new information along the way. And that's actually one of my pet peeves (one of many tbh), when people act in completely implausible ways. Ghosts an paranormal stuff? Sure! But a character being too oblivious, naïve, or stupid? It can ruin a book.

    So me liking this story as much as I did, despite Danny being so clueless, says a lot about the story. It's just that charming that even an obtuse MC couldn't ruin it for me.

    So. Highly recomend!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Red-Haired Ash
    5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful start to a series
    Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    5 stars - I loved it!

    When Tristan almost dies he realizes his life will no longer be the same again. He can now see ghosts and he finds himself helping London’s most infamous drag queen, Miz Dusty Le Frey, solve her own murder.

    Well this was absolutely wonderful! From the very beginning I was hooked by this wonderful paranormal murder mystery with a wonderful romance. Tristan is an introvert who is extremely nerdy, awkward, and clumsy. I loved Tristan so much. Danny is an Inspector for Scotland Yard who was so sweet and protective. I loved that he fell hard and fast for Tristan and that he accepted him as he was. He really accepted Tristan as he was and it was wonderful.

    The mystery of Dusty’s death was an enjoyable read and meshed perfectly with the budding relationship between Tristan and Danny. Dusty was a wonderful ghost companion and I loved her so much. While this is about her death, she really helped Tristan learn to relax a little and embrace life a little more. Dusty also was just a great friend to have and I can’t wait to see more of her. Also for a murder mystery, there were a lot of heavy emotions in this. It was heartbreaking learning about both of their family situations and watching them open up to each other about them.

    Overall, this was a wonderful start to a series. I loved Tristan and Danny so much and look forward to seeing their relationship progress.

    Trigger Warnings: two Harry Potter references; on page funeral and grief; brief discussion of the sudden death of parent; brief discussion of a hate crime; homophobic parents; father with dementia (on page); misgendering
    3 people found this helpful
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  • ken
    5.0 out of 5 stars Laughter and Tears
    Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    First exposure to this author and now a huge fan.
    If you’re seeking a lot of MM sex scenes, this ain’t for you. Frankly, what sex there is was just right and appropriate for the story.

    This is pure entertainment for us that just need an escape into a world of spirit, love and extreme humor. Love the idea of ghosts helping solve mysteries. It’s just so much better when the writer creates well fleshed out characters with laugh out loud wit spread throughout.

    Tears thru laughter and tears thru some incredibly poignant relationships really touched my heart. Under a basic murder mystery is a story about acceptance, family and romance. And a lot of love.

    Never one to reveal storylines, suffice to say that this writer had me at ghosts, drag queens, complex father/son relationships and a cast of characters of all types - each you immediately care about.

    Laughter, tears, reconciliations, a fresh take on the spirit world storyline, romance and encouragement to not overlook those that run outside the “norms”.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Gem’s Reads
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tristan, Danny and Dusty! Love them!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Oh poor Tristan! First he falls on his face in front of the gorgeous Danny, then he falls again when a drag queen ghost suddenly appears at his job - just a regular day, you know, never seen ghosts before, not sure you believed in them and bam - you can now see and hear them and this particular feisty lady is not going anywhere until she can solve her murder - which ends up being investigated by the man from the bar. Really funny, endearing and I’m really getting stuck into this series now. Highly recommended
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  • Sue
    5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, sad, hopeful and lovely mm read
    Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is the first book in a series by Vawn Cassidy which I really enjoyed and I hope that this series continues for a long time. The characters are far and away the best part of this story and they are vividly written by this fairly new author. Dusty Le Frey is particularly fun and lively which is ironic considering she is a ghost. The interactions between Dusty and Tristan, who is a pathologist who after a short death experience can suddenly see ghosts, made me both laugh and cry. The mystery and romance that are in this book as well are not bad either but it is the characters that you will fall in love with. I really can’t wait for the next book to come out. If you like mm funny mystery romance then you will probably enjoy this book too. Enjoy.
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  • M. B.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining!
    Reviewed in Germany on January 14, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Amazing start of the series!
    The book is so funny and entertaining. The romance is great. I love them!
    The pacing is perfect and felt very real.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cute and fun
    Reviewed in France on September 22, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This was a sweet story, Tristan and Danny are adorable. I really enjoyed everything the drag queen setting.
    My only issue is with the writing style, which was veeeeeery descriptive in the first few chapters, but eased up a bit afterwards.
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  • María Je
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ha sido un libro entretenido
    Reviewed in Spain on January 15, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Divertido y fácil de leer. Los personajes son tiernos y les coges cariño con facilidad. Además, la trama de misterio está bien construida. Un buen libro. A ver qué sucede con la siguiente entrega.
    Report

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