Flight Risk by Cherie Priest

 

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.