Dead Spots

Scarlett Bernard, Book 1

By: Melissa F. Olson

Narrated by: Amy McFadden

When LA’s vampires, witches, and werewolves make a mess, they call Scarlett Bernard to clean it up. Her ability as a null erases all magical traces from anything—or anyone—that comes within ten feet of her, and keeps humans in the dark about the city’s paranormal activity. One night when she’s called to a grisly crime scene, Scarlett is spied by the all-too-human LAPD cop Jesse Cruz, who strikes up a deal with her: he’ll keep quiet about the supernatural underworld if she helps him crack the case. She agrees, but the city’s chief vampire, Dash, starts to suspect Scarlett is behind the murders and will reveal all she knows of his shadowy empire. Now it’ll take more than Scarlett’s unique abilities to clear her name, keep the underworld underground, and track down the real killer.

©2012 Melissa F. Olson (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Very happy I picked this up.

Excellent.
I think I picked this up because it was a cheapie at Amazon and then the book was equally cheap. Glad I went ahead and took the plunge.


Good world building, consistent, "believable."

Nicely laid out.

Listened to the Audible version. Had my doubts about the narrator, but ended up really enjoying it. The narrator seemed a little too disaffected at first, but she evened out and I enjoyed it immensely.


Quick listen.


The only down side is there is another "love" triangle a la Stephanie Plum, but with vampires, werewolves, and witches. That is not a favorite trope of mine, but so far it is not too bad.

Nice little story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I thought it was read well. The narrator was able to convey the different characters well and bring them to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was the lead heroine. She is tough and gutsy yet vulnerable and feminine at the same time. She is a little more girly then my usual choice of heroine but she is interesting.

What does Amy McFadden bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Amy really does convey the characters clearly to the read.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I had the inclination or time to sit through a whole book then yes.

Good series start

Typical of the genre. Tone/style reminds me of Ilona Andrews. Good introduction to characters and back story. This is an excellent choice for urban-fantasy-with-strong-female-lead fans and a safe choice for a first foray into this realm.

Phenomenal! !!

Completely surprised by this book. First I always have a tendency to love a story but get frustrated by the narration in an audio book. However, this book pleased me in every way. The story is phenomenal and the narration just made the story. I really like the premise and find that Scarlet is a character in and of herself. I'm curious what is to happen next and I look forward to reading/listening to the second book. Excellent job Melissa F. Olson! !!!

Loved it!

interesting storyline with imaginative Old World characters great narrator keeps you on the edge of your seat recommend reading this book!

I am divided

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I thought it was a good flow, but the story was very predicable.

If you’ve listened to books by Melissa F. Olson before, how does this one compare?

No I haven't

What about Amy McFadden’s performance did you like?

I think she did a good job overall

Any additional comments?

I didn't hate this book, actually listened to it within two days. I liked the characters and the idea of the book, it was just a bit predicable. I figured the plot out very quickly. Therefor I am not really sure, if I will read book 2 in this series.

Anxious to see where the story goes

If you could sum up Dead Spots in three words, what would they be?

Interesting paranormal adventure

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed all of the characters and plot line. The cast of characters are interesting and intelligent. I look forward to the next adventure and see how Scarlett grows and develops,

Read It

This is a fresh take on an urban fantasy. The plot is unique and well written. The main character is intelligent and insightful.

She is a null. When supernatural person is within in a certain distance to her, their abilities do not work. Ironically, she is their clean up person when they have created a mess (dead bodies) that would alert humans to their presence.

When she arrives late to a horrific crime, the police have already been alerted and of course a police man discovers supernatural beings.

Since she was not able to “clean up” the situation becomes all her fault. Now with the clock ticking on her life to become the fall guy, it is her responsible to discover who made the mess.
Sure she can nullify supernatural powers but she is human, fragile, and never has her taser when she needs it.

Very interesting take on the paranormal!

This a a very new concept for me!! It definitely changes the dynamics of the paranormal. The story itself was very well written! It kept me engaged the entire time; in fact, I could barely put it down!! I saw a few negative reviews about it not ‘ending,’ but I enjoy these types of series so actually enjoy having an idea of where it’s going. The narration took a little getting use to at first, but I think she did a great job! I look forward to the next one!

My only struggles are purely personal ones, but I was impressed by how the author made it work. With these types of books I’m use to the heroine being an overall badass. Scarlett is basically a human. She can neutralize magic, but otherwise she doesn’t have any special training or skills. It took a while to deal with her being overpowered (for lack of a better term) by.. pretty much anyone supernatural.. but she does it with class. And I’m pretty darn sure her powers are going to evolve! And she has plenty of strong friends. I’m anxious to see how she’s going to handle this next situation!

Great storie for the car !

I really enjoy the audibles of this series to listen to at home while cleaning, doing laundry, or even cooking.