Reviewed by Jeanne
Leda Foley is a psychic who moonlights as a travel agent—or maybe
it’s the other way around. Her one-woman
travel agency has been getting more bookings after the publicity from when she
helped Detective Grady Merritt solve a murder case using her abilities. She’s since been trying to hone her skills by
appearing at a local bar doing what she likes to call “klairvoyant karaoke” but
the bar’s owner prefers to bill her as the “psychic psongstress.” Leda asks the
audience for objects to touch and then, based on the visions she gets, sings an
appropriate song. It’s really helping her to learn to focus, which is good because
she’s just gotten a new case involving a missing person. Dan is searching for his sister who disappeared some
weeks before—just after taking a cash deposit of $30,000 that belonged to her
company. Things weren’t great at home
for Robin; in fact, her husband never even reported her missing.
Meanwhile, Grady is on a search of his own. His big yellow mutt, Cairo, has gone missing
at Mount Rainier and Grady’s daughter Molly is distraught. Just when Grady is
afraid they’re going to have to give up, a commotion draws his attention. It turns out there is good news and bad
news. The good news is that Cairo has
been found. The bad news is that he is
happily carrying around a decomposing human leg.
It soon appears that Grady’s case and Leda’s may be linked, so
they join forces once again.
I enjoyed the first in the series but this one was even better. I was fascinated by the mysteries, was
charmed the characters, and laughed out loud several times. One of the things I like is that there’s no
hint of romance between Grady and Leda.
If anything, Leda is a bit like Grady’s daughter Molly, albeit slightly
older. Molly may outgrow her impulsive phase; I don’t think Leda will, but that’s
okay. Grady is one of the most patient people in the world and an exemplary
father as well as a good person.
You don’t need to have read the first book to enjoy this
one. I don’t see that there is a third one in the
works at the moment which makes me sad.
Cherie Priest writes in several different genres, including
horror, and has several YA novels to her credit as well as adult.