Grave Consequences - the fifth Bay Island Psychic Mystery

Okay, so my question from the previous book about the prominence of the lighthouse in that book and on the cover of that book actually came to fruition in this fifth book in the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series by Lena Gregory.  This fifth book in the series has a mystery that centers around the Bay Island lighthouse!  It's always nice when a series like this uses a bit of foreshadowing for future mysteries, whether it is with characters, locales, or inanimate objects.  It gives the series a sense of grounding in reality, that the world that I immerse myself into each time I pick up the next book is more than just a fictional story - it's a real world with real people that I come to know and love (and none more so than Bee Maxwell!!!).

Grave Consequences finds its protagonist, Cass Donovan, fighting an internal battle against the voices from beyond the grave that are battling for her attention.  It seems ever since Cass came to terms with the fact that she really did have a gift for sensing and hearing things from the other side, everyone and their kid brother has shown up in her mind, trying to get her to do something for them!  She is battling to quiet those voices so she can sense the one thing that is most important at the moment - when and how her best friend Stephanie and her husband will find a child to adopt!  But instead of being able to help one of her best friends, she keeps getting bombarded by voices, one of which repeatedly mentions the lighthouse.  Deciding to heed the call (warning? cry for help?), Cass, Stephanie, and Bee had up to the Bay Island lighthouse to see what is going on.  Little do any of them know, there's a lot more going on than they could possibly suspect!

The lighthouse owner, Fred DiCarlo, is now running ghost tours, of which the lighthouse is a part of the tour.  It seems he discovered an old ghost story about a treasure hidden somewhere around the lighthouse and a pirate ghost who keeps watch over it.  His wife, Amelia, is none-too-keen on the idea, and Cass finds her to be unhappy with her husband for more than just the ghost tour.  Some subtle hints at infidelity have Bee all abuzz (yes, that pun was fully intended, thank you!) about finding out the full gossip - but before all the facts can be uncovered, Cass witnesses Fred falling from an upper story window down onto the rocky shore below!  Her mind had been barraged by voices at that time, and she thought she saw a shadow in the window - but was that really a person there or just her imagination working overtime?  By the time she, Stephanie, and Bee get back down from their climb up the lighthouse stairs, a crowd has gathered.  Cass tries CPR, but it is too late...

And thus, Cass gets drawn into yet another murder mystery, and this time, her psychic powers and intuition may not be enough to save her from a killer that thinks she has spoken to the victim and could reveal his or her identity!  But when a stranger comes to town and reveals herself to be a fellow psychic who can teach Cass how to block out the unwanted voices, Cass to decide whether Simone Carlson is truly on the up-and-up, particularly when she uncovers the fact that Simone has a history with the deceased and his wife.  Then there's the summer lifeguard who confronted Fred DiCarlo about trying to sleep with his girlfriend.  And there's the lighthouse maintenance man who seems awfully protective of Amelia DiCarlo.  And just what secrets could the journal of a long dead woman hold that could potentially unravel the entire mystery for Cass and her friends?

Gregory weaves plenty of lies, misdirections, betrayals, and danger into this one, and Cass's growing concern over Stephanie and her husband due to the visions she keeps having ultimately lead to a rather unexpected twist at the end - a very clever one that Gregory deserves huge kudos for writing!  Definitely did not see that one coming!  And Bee Maxwell shines brightly in this mystery - he is probably the most fun character in this series, with a personality that will make you smile, make you laugh, and make you cringe.  He's so over-the-top, yet utterly believable - leaving me to wonder if Gregory has a real-life friend upon whom she has modeled Bee.  I still wish we could see a stand-alone Bee Maxwell mystery (or even give him his own series! I would buy it in a heartbeat!!!).

I am so thrilled that Gregory has continued with this series, even though the original publisher did not pick up the books after the third one.  These characters, these mysteries - they are just too good not be read, and Gregory has a real talent for breathing life into fictional characters that make them feel like family and not just words on a page.  I cheer, I laugh, I cry, I hold my breath - everything thing Cass, Stephanie, and Bee experience, it's like I'm experiencing it right along with them.  Not many authors can make reading a book a true experience like that, but Gregory definitely can!  I already have the next book in the series and can't wait to read it!

RATING:  10 garnet-adorned dog collars out of 10 for mixing the right amount of ghosts, murder, and mystery to tell the perfect story!