Mixed Signals – A Grace Street Mystery

I’m not one to pick up a book from a series and read it without actually buying the entire series and reading the books in order. However, while browsing the mystery section at a local used book store, I stumbled across this book and just couldn’t help myself. The flashy, four-color cover with the comic book-like images …the reference to a masked superhero trying to help people in the description on the back … and the fact that the main character’s roommate happens to be psychic – all of these things added up to me buying the book, despite it being just one of a series that I had never even heard of, let alone read before.

Mixed Signals by Jane Tesh is the story of private detective David Randall and his roommate, Camden, who happens to be just a little bit psychic (receiving impressions and visions that don’t always make sense at the time).  It’s Christmas time in Parkland, but the joy of the season disappears when Randall and Camden discover the body of Camden’s friend, Jared Hunter, dead, having been stabbed repeatedly. From that moment on, Camden can’t seem to shake the visions of blood everywhere and the strange feeling of enjoyment and satisfaction that goes with it.  Randall decides to help his friend by trying to find out who killed Hunter – was it Alycia Ward? Boyd Taylor? Or was it the mysterious masked avenger that has been spotted around Parkland, trying to help police, but inadvertently causing mayhem instead? And what about the break-ins at the jewelry store … and the record store … and the antique store … ? How do they tie in to the murders – or do they?

Randall finds himself switching gears repeatedly as he tries to figure out who was breaking in to the stores, who killed Jared Hunter, and just who is that masked avenger?  Meanwhile, he has to deal with his feelings for Kary, his overbearing mother who decides to visit for the Christmas holidays, his best friend’s growing psychic flashes, and a sexy reporter who will do just about anything to get a story – but would she create the story to do so?  Author Jane Tesh has created a world of very out-of-the-ordinary characters, each of whom are lovable in their own way. Even the supporting cast are more than just stereotypes – the grumpy old man, the nerdish comic book store owner, the gruff corporate executive, the by-the-book cop. Tesh draws you into her world, and before you realize it, you are sympathizing and identifying with each of the characters, trying desperately to solve the murder before any of them get hurt.

I will say this – Tesh had me guessing on this one. The identity of the killer was not at all who I was expecting, and while I would not quite say it was out of left field, I will say that the clues to the killer’s identity are very, VERY subtle, and I actually wonder if there was any way to truly figure out [his/her] identity before the big reveal.  Of course, it is kind of nice not being able to immediately identify the killer well before the story is finished (one of the drawbacks of reading so many mystery stories over the years, the culprits become easier and easier to spot).

This book has made me curious as to other books in the Grace Street Mystery series, so it’s highly likely I will try and track down some of the other books at some point, even if they don’t involve comic books or cos-play superhero wannabes.

RATING:  9 leopard-print leotards out of 10 for giving readers a unique mystery with some quirky but lovable characters.