Ther Harbinger of Retribution by CL Ragsdale

Book Description:
The Harbinger of Retribution is a thing of beauty and of nightmares. A seven foot tall statue of black marble depicting a cloaked woman with two swords crossed over her chest, residing in a back room of the local church in the town of Redemption which has seen more than its share of unfortunate events. At least that's how the story goes, and why Irene's Eerie Adventures has come to town.
Cameraman Troy Stenson is elated to find that the object of their investigation does not disappoint in the sinister factor, on the surface anyway, and it even has a curse. The only cloud on his horizon is his partner, Irene Waters, who refuses to judge by appearances alone. To Troy’s chagrin she is proven right as it soon becomes clear that the only trouble being caused by the statue is figuring out what kind of trouble it's supposed to be causing. Mostly because no one can agree on what the supposed curse is actually supposed to do.
There is the information given by Reboot's now infamously incorrect Research Department stating the Harbinger's mere creation caused disaster to its talent but eccentric creator, and then to the town that harbors it. A story encouraged by the ancestors of the artist who claim that the statue really belongs to them, and denied by the pastor of the church where it now resides. Straightforward enough, except the situation is further complicated when the Reboot team finds a competing legend warning that the Harbinger's departure would lead to disaster in Redemption. As for the townspeople they are split as to which story to believe, and the rumors and tall tales just keep getting bigger and more out of control. Irene and Troy and do their best to sort out what facts they have, but are hampered in their investigation by the lack of assistance from their boss, Bernie Youngman, who has suddenly turns surly and uncooperative.
These events may have soured Troy's initial hope of an exciting story, but Irene is convinced that there is more going on than a mere curse. Solving that mystery, however, will involve overcoming her issues with pastors, separating who is lying from those who are merely indulging in wishful thinking and convincing her partner that there really is a story to be had even if it isn't the one he wants

My Thoughts:
Once again, I completely enjoyed this author's work! Troy and Irene are investigating claims that a statue, kept in the church, is causing strange things to happen in a small town. It seems that some thing just getting rid of the statue will stop these occurrences but others think giving it away will cause more problems. The town's pastor, sheriff and resident aunt all have differing stories. Long lost heirs show up and Irene and Troy only have a day to get to the bottom of this strange mystery.
I like that we learn more about both of the main characters, though I still want to know more. The mystery concerns the whole town and intrigues both Irene and Troy. Bernie is strangely grouchy but the next book is set up wonderfully. I love the image I have in my mind of the statue, it is terrifyingly beautiful. I can't wait for the next in this series.
I rate it a 5/5. You will enjoy it and if you haven't read the earlier books in this series, you will want to!

Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.