Friday, April 19, 2024

A Shimmer of Red by Valerie Wilson Wesley

 


Reviewed by Jeanne

Things are finally looking up for Odessa Jones.   The pandemic has made real estate a hot commodity with houses are selling like hot cakes.  The agency has even picked up a couple of new agents who recently left the much more prestigious Delbarton Agency to join Risko Reality—despite the fact that Risko has been connected to more than one murder lately.  Anna and Bella have brought a new dynamic to the office, with handsome Harley becoming besotted with Anna and Louella becoming more sullen.  There’s something else, though: the two new employees seem a bit on edge behind their smiles, especially Anna.

 Dessa can’t quite figure it out, despite a slight supernatural advantage.  Dessa has the dubious gift of seeing auras, which gives her a sense of people’s mental states.  It a gift that can be reassuring or disquieting, but at least it’s not as bad as her other gift: when Dessa smells nutmeg, it means someone is going to die.  She tries to tell herself that she’s imagining the sudden whiff of spice is just bad memories, but in her heart she know differently.

When Anna is killed in a hit and run, the police believe it to be an accident. Dessa knows that it was murder. Is it her responsibility to look for answers? Or can she just walk away?

This is the third in the Odessa Jones mystery series but it could be read as a standalone.  I’ve read and enjoyed the others.  Wesley adds just a touch of supernatural in Dessa’s gifts, but never lets it overshadow the human elements in the mystery.  The supporting characters are well done; I’m very fond of Lennox in particular as well as the aunts who are determined to steer Dessa in what they consider to be the right direction.  Of course, I adore Juniper, Dessa’s cat, but that almost goes without saying. (I’m only saying that so people know there is indeed a cat in the story and it’s not just cover eye candy.)  The reader learns a bit more about Dessa’s past but again, no previous books need to have been read.  While there is a bit of cooking going on, this series has more the feel of a classic mystery than a cozy which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned.

This series has never let me down. I really like Dessa, who is an independent woman making her way in the world. She’s compassionate and driven to help those in need, but has no illusions that everyone can be “fixed.” I hope there will be another entry in this series.

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