Underemployed investigative journalist Jessie works for Hoax Fraud Investigations, a low-rent small-press magazine which doesn't pay well nor let her exercise her talents. Hopefully, her upcoming magazine job interview in New York City during her vacation time will pan out. Meanwhile, her boss sends her on a quick investigation at the behest of a Vancouver realty company, which is attempting to sell an early-Victorian home whose recent owners escaped in a hurry, claiming ghostly presences. Diehard skeptic Jessie has her mind set on either foolishness or fraud as the cause, and is beyond dismayed to encounter paranormal investigator and medium C. J. Dowling.

C. J. perceives immediately that multiple presences inhabit the home, and definitely not all are either friendly, or morally upright. The scene of a fatal fire in 1913, the house had been the home of a local doctor, his wife, and four children. Something is definitely up within the property, and it's perverted, focusing on Jessie, no matter how she tries to deny it. When all the furniture is turned upside down and the doors are mysteriously blocked, even Jessie will begin to acknowledge the events caught on C. J.'s video cameras; and the pressures put on the two investigators turn up the heat between them even as the spirits cause extreme temperature drops in the house.

Secrets of the Dead is an exciting and mystifying paranormal with plots upon subplots, capturing the reader's attention with its numerous twists and upheavals. Subtly delineating the historical and emotional backgrounds at the same time as exploring the emotions and growing romantic attraction between C. J. and Jessie, the story maintains high levels of suspense throughout. Well worth first read and subsequent rereads, Secrets of the Dead is a winner, and Shiela Stewart an author for whom to watch.