The Haunter - Sam the Spectator, #1

2018 B. R. A. G. Medallion Honoree2019 IAN Book of the Year FinalistA teen goth attempts to use her secret ghost-seeing powers to save her town from a restless spirit in the first book of the Sam the Spectator series--a spooky and humorous supernatural mystery set in 1990s West Texas. Samantha Winters is not like the other girls in Bluebonnet, Texas. There's the combat boots, the whole orphan thing, the fearless way she operates the jigsaw in the scene shop of the local community theater, and oh yeah, there's the fact that she sees ghosts.
She's what the media calls a "spectator, " a person who sees specters. Sam has to keep her gift a secret from the nosy narrow-minded locals but it's fine! It's not like spirts are dangerous or anything. After all, these days everyone knows that ghosts are fun-loving nonviolent sweethearts. Until they're not.