With a Spirit of Vengeance - the seventh Bay Island Psychic Mystery

I so love rejoining my favorite friends for a new mystery!  And that's exactly what author Lena Gregory has turned Cass, Bee, and Stephanie into - friends.  For the past six books, I have found myself completely invested in their lives, their ups and downs, their dangerous adventures, and their loyalty to one another.  Now, with the seventh book, I couldn't wait to find out what happens next (particularly since the author already made it clear that Bee really shines in this book, and let's face it - EVERYONE wants a friend like Bee!).

With a Spirit of Vengeance pretty much picks up where A Spirit Seeks Asylum left off.  After the events surrounding the Twin Forks asylum were put to rest, and after Cass helped the police solve a current day murder, while at the same time proving a spirit reaching out was innocent of the murders she was convicted of doing nearly a century ago, she thought that whole mess was behind her.  But it seems the spirit of Ophelia Wilson is not yet done with her. Cass's new assistant, Thea Newburgh, is still being plagued by nightmares, and since the girl is a descendant of Ophelia, Cass is worried that Ophelia wants more than just vindication - she wants vengeance against the people who wronged her.  The only problem is, those people would be long dead.  And wouldn't you know it, just as Cass and Bee start to look into the lineage of Ophelia Wilson, another of her descendants turns up dead, his body discovered by Cass and Bee.  Did their investigation put a target on his back?  Before long, a second body turns up, and Cass knows that she has to find out what exactly Ophelia really wants - if it really is Ophelia at all!

Gregory spins another great mystery that involves spirits of the past as well as a vicious killer of the present, and all of it is tied into the new Paranormal Pursuits outfit that not only wants to prevent Twin Forks from being torn down, but they also plan to compete with Simone Carlson, the psychic who is starting up a new ghost tour business on Bay Island.  As usual, there are a number of players involved, and plenty of motives to go around, and it's up to Cass and Bee to figure it all out before a third body turns up.  Along the way, Bee gets set up to take the fall for the second murder, and Cass discovers that her house has been bugged, and the closer they get to uncovering the truth, the more dangerous the killer becomes.  And just what secrets does Ophelia Wilson's journal hold, and why does it seem like everyone wants to get ahold of that little book?  Gregory throws in a couple of great twists (she definitely got me, because there was a clue dropped that I thought hinted at the identity of the killer, only to find out later that is was pure coincidence and nothing but a red herring!) and provides a very suspenseful conclusion that will have readers on the edge of their seats!

Bee truly does shine brilliantly in this book.  Not only is he there for Cass in some dire situations (page 141 is probably one of the best scenes of the series, which gives a perfect example of Bee's prowess!), but he works overtime in this book to overcome his fear of all things spiritual.  And while Stephanie does not play a large part in the book, it is absolutely touching to see how she is handling her newly adopted son, who is on the spectrum and is quite the little handful.  Gregory keeps readers up to date on the personal lives of the characters while still telling an amazingly well-plotted mystery.  This is why I feel like Cass, Bee, and Stephanie are friends - their lives are just as much a part of the mysteries as the murder mysteries themselves!  We get treated to more of Beast, and there is some developments in Cass and Luke's relationship that die-hard fans of this series are not going to want to miss.  The only thing I'm still waiting to see is for Bee to finally find someone - I mean, after all, Stephanie has a husband, Cass is dating Luke, but poor Bee remains single.  Guess we will have to wait and see what future books hold in store.

And speaking of future books ... there's nothing listed on Amazon or the author's pages, so I hope and pray this is NOT the last Bay Island Psychic Mystery.  This series is a true gem, and I want to read many more adventures of my three friends here!

RATING:  10 containers of left-over barbecue out of 10 for keeping the stories fresh, the characters real, and the mysteries exciting!

A Spirit Seeks Asylum - the sixth Bay Island Psychic Mystery

Since author Lena Gregory started the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series, my favorite character by far has been Bee Maxwell.  He's sarcastic. He's skittish.  He's wary.  He's loyal.  He's overly dramatic.  He's over-the-top.  He's caring.  He's fierce.  He's everything you could possibly want in a best friend and more, and he's definitely the Bess Marvin to Cass Donovan's Nancy Drew.  And finally, in this sixth book, Gregory gives Bee a chance to really shine.  Now, mind you, I don't mind Stephanie (the "George" of this Nancy Drew trio), and she certainly inspires her own following of fans.  But, for me, Bee is the one that makes me laugh, makes me cheer, and makes me shout, "Heck, yeah!" every time he makes his presence known.  So, before I even begin looking at the story itself, I just want to give Gregory a big shout out and a huge thanks for bringing Bee into the spotlight!

A Spirit Seeks Asylum is the sixth book in this series, and if this book is any indication, this series is going to be around for a long time to come.  Cass Donovan (who is, after all, the main character in this series) has more or less come to terms with her psychic abilities, and with the support of her friends and the mentoring of another, more experienced psychic, Cass has learned how to develop a shield to protect her from all of the voices and to focus more on what she is trying to hear.  Stephanie and Tank have adopted the young boy from the last book, so she is more in the background of this book as she is figuring out this new dynamic in their household.  And Bee?  Well, Bee is Bee, and he always will be.

This book opens a bit differently, as Cass has allowed Bee to talk her into starting a vlog centering around her psychic abilities.  With the winter months slowing down the tourism business, Cass is in need of additional cash flow to help keep Mystical Musings open, and while she might be a bit reluctant to showcase her abilities on a video blog, the money would help.  A quick trip out to Stony Bay Lighthouse, however, shows both Cass and Bee that this venture might not be as easy as they first thought.  But that's okay, because soon enough, Cass finds the money pretty much dropped in her lap when a man who has purchased the abandoned asylum on Bay Island in the hopes of turning it into a school offers her $25,000 to go out there and determine whether the place truly is haunted as so many people claim.  His wife is not at all keen on the idea, but the man is determined.  Cass accepts the job, having no idea that it will lead into yet another murder, another mystery, and another web of lies and deceit on the part of so many.

Gregory definitely makes you work overtime to figure this one out!  The young girl who claims to be psychic and warns Cass that she needs to leave the dead alone or something will happen.  The real estate developer who shows up on the night of the murder, claiming he just arrived and is trying to make it out to the asylum.  The woman who wants to turn the asylum into a museum of the macabre and who has her own past connection to the abandoned place.  The town historian who seems to know more about all the players than either Cass or the police.  Oh, and there's the ghost of an old inmate who seems to be trying to reach out to Cass with a message - but is it to help her or is it a warning?  Plus, throw in a five year old murder, a missing groundskeeper, and a winter storm, and you've got the perfectly plotted murder mystery!

Bee helps out in this book more than ever before, and it's clear that while he does not like the "mumbo-jumbo" of the spirit world, he is growing to accept Cass's role in that world - and he is even willing to set aside his own misgivings and help her out.  It's so much fun to read the friendship between this two, as it feels as real as any friendship I have with my own friends.  It is natural, it is fun, it is sometimes heart-warming and other times heart-breaking, and it is the type of friendship every single one of us should have in our lives.  Gregory has a way of developing very real characters, very real situations, and very real camaraderie that brings her stories to life in a way so few authors can do, and that's a large part of the reason why I utterly enjoy this series.

 

Now, on to book seven!

 

RATING:  10 filthy engraved handkerchiefs out of 10 for keeping me guessing on this one until very nearly the end!

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!

Spirited Away - the fourth Bay Island Psychic Mystery

New publisher - New format - New mystery - Same great characters and writing! Lena Gregory, thankfully, did not end her "Bay Island Psychic Mystery" series when Berkley (Penguin) decided not to publish any more of this series after the third book.  I was fearful we wouldn't see any more of Cass, Bee, and Stephanie!  But, thankfully, Gregory took the series to another publisher (Beyond the Page Publishing, who publish quite a few series from a variety of authors), and they have picked up the series beginning with this fourth book!

Spirited Away opens up Cass Donovan's abilities beyond what even she knew she was capable of - from merely picking up queues and tells that people give off to actually receiving messages from the beyond that could help her save a life!  It's summer on Bay Island, but Cass is troubled.  Something is off, and she can't put her finger on it.  And when a group reading goes awry, it starts a domino effect of trouble for Cass and her friends!  Not only does she mistakenly read a young man and woman as a couple (when they are married to other people!), but she calls out a man for loving a woman other than the woman who is pining after him! This incites a heckler at the back of the room, who goes to blows with Cass's friend, Emmett.  But matters spiral further out of control when the heckler turns up dead in the trunk of a car at Emmett's auto shop - and Emmett's fingerprints are all over the murder weapon!

Gregory integrates elements and characters from the first book in this brand new murder mystery. We see the return of Ellie, who has grown stronger over the last several books, but suddenly has returned to her nervous, fearful, mousy self.  Could Jay have returned, the man who abused her and who took off when he was revealed to be stealing from the local homeowners?  That would make sense, since Luke and Tank have had their hands full lately with a sudden rash of art thefts on Bay Island. Is that why Cass has been so bothered lately?  Or was it simply her own senses warning her of the dead body to be found on Emmett's property?  And whose voice keeps telling her to "Help him!"?   With the help of Bee and Stephanie (although, mostly Bee, since Stephanie has her hands full with a new client who is demanding all her attention reviewing the books of his latest acquisition, the numbers for which are not adding up), Cass looks into the case being brought against Emmett.  They know he is innocent, but all the facts are saying otherwise.

The characterization, as always, is spectacular!  It started off a bit dark and moody, but the further I read into the story, the more I realized that it was definitely story-related, and by putting the reader in that kind of mood at the beginning, it helps get you into Cass's mindset for what is to come.  And once again, Cass, Bee, and Steph are the epitomy of what best friends really are like - they squabble, they get mad at one another, they make up, they support each other, they listen, they call each other out, and, above all else, they are there, no matter what.  Gregory definitely has it down when it comes to realistic dialogue and banter, and I smile so much while reading the book, that I find myself sad when I come to the end of the book.

And speaking of endings - this one definitely has a powerful ending, that's for sure!  With so many potential suspects (Jay, Aiden, Olivia, Bruce, Malcolm, Calvin), it's mind-boggling how Gregory is able to not only keep them all straight, but also tie up their individual stories so that they all make sense!  But, she definitely does it, all the while strengthening the relationship between Luke and Cass and like with Patricia Arquette's character in Medium, her knowledge and abilities are finally recognized by the police as a valuable assets for future investigations (which will make for some interesting reads in future books!).  Oh, and the fact that Cass herself finally comes to terms with the fact that her abilities are real is another fantastic reveal in this book - so she can no longer be considered a fake or con artist - but an honest-to-goodness psychic!

 

(One note - with so many references to the lighthouse in this story, as well as a prominent image of the lighthouse on the cover, I honestly thought it was going to figure into the story somehow.  Maybe it's just foreshadowing for a story yet to come...)

I have book five, but have seen no news on a sixth book yet - hoping Gregory has not given up on this series, because I know I haven't!

RATING:  10 chicken Caesar salads out of 10 for Cass, Bee, and Stephanie - the Nancy, Bess, and George for adult mystery fans!

Clairvoyant and Present Danger - the third Bay Island Psychic Mystery

Nancy, Bess, and George....oops, wait...I mean, Cass, Bee, and Stephanie are back to solve yet another murder in the used-to-be quiet little town of Bay Island. Picking up this book was like reconnecting with old friends, and I literally smiled as I listened to the banter of the characters, and my heart melted when their relationships shined through the adversities thrown their way this time around. Author Lena Gregory has a magnificent way with words, and she knows how to bring her characters - ALL of them - to life in such a way that you get lost in their world and forget that it is just written words on a page.

Clairvoyant and Present Danger is the third Bay Island Psychic Mystery, and Gregory has certainly not lost any of her steam. It's springtime on Bay Island, and with the summer tourist season just around the corner, Cass's shop, along with all the other storefronts along the boardwalk, are gearing up for a busy time. Cass has already been having trouble sleeping, what with the voice that she keeps hearing crying out for help. But then a rather gruff man by the name of Artie Becker shows up and asks for her help.  (And yes, I too had to wonder if that name is a play on Corbin Bernsen's character from L.A. Law - Arnie Becker.)  His daughter has been missing, and the police are not accomplishing anything. A bit reluctant, Cass agrees to do a reading, but gets more than she bargained for when she starts to see the image of the woman she has been seeing in her dreams - is that his daughter? Did something happen to her?

Well, anyone who has read this series knows that Cass is going to fall into the middle of something, and sure enough, it's not long before she follows the vision of this woman out onto the sand dunes - where Beast (her oversized dog) brings her back a bone that he has dug up. A human bone. And thus starts Cass's latest foray into the world of murder and mystery. She tries to stay out of it, but the woman keeps appearing to her, crying out for help. And then Cass sees a portrait of the woman in the window display for the new art gallery on the boardwalk. It is the same woman with the old fashioned collared dress - but the painting has the woman wearing a necklace. The owner of the art gallery is somewhat reluctant to give her information on the painting, other than to tell her that someone posed for it and never came back to get it.

The mystery keeps the reader guessing, because there is so much going on around Cass that it is easy to get distracted. Stephanie seems to be having issues, but she doesn't want to talk about it. Luke and Cass have been finding it harder and harder to find time to spend together, and Cass is wondering if perhaps she needs to cut her losses while she can. Cass is also getting ready to open up the second floor of her shop for group readings. And Beast - dear, lovable, destructive Beast - has been causing more and more problems, and it's time that she get him into obedience school before someone really gets hurt. Oh, and then there's the small problem of the two gossip that has been spreading around that Cass led the police to the body because she saw a ghost that pointed her in that direction! And the fact that a second body was also found, not far from the first...

Cass really wants to stay out of it, but fate seems to have other plans. Arnie Becker pays her another visit, wanting to know more about the second body. And a young man comes into the shop wanting her to find a necklace for him - but when she steps away for a moment, she comes back to find him going through her appointment book. To make things stranger, when she begins to give him a reading, he becomes nervous and bolts out of there. Nothing makes sense, and the more she sees the ghostly visage of the mysterious woman, the more Cass realizes the only way she can get any peace is to figure out what's going on.

There is a lot of characterization for Cass, Stephanie, Bee, Luke, and Tank in this book, and that is part of the charm of this series. The more I get to know about these characters, the more I fall in love with them and want to know more. They have become like family, and it makes me long for more stories about them. The murder mystery this time is well-plotted, as there are several twists and turns, several red herrings, and a surprise confrontation at the end. Plus, I like the fact that Cass's psychic abilities have gone from merely intuition to actual "sightings" and more actual psychic powers - she's no longer Shawn from Psych, but a full-fledged Allison from Medium (so to speak).

Definitely looking forward to the next book!

RATING:  10 pieces of filmy blue lingerie out of 10 for keeping the mysteries unique and the characters developing, making each read a real treasure!

Occult and Battery - the second Bay Island Psychic Mystery

Finding a book, or a series of books, that you enjoy so much that you can't put them down is a bittersweet, two-edged sword.  On the one hand, you love it so much you can't wait to read it.  On the other hand, once you've read it, you know it's over or you have to wait who knows how long for the next book in the series!  Such a quandary - - read it, knowing how good it is but also that once done, you'll have to part with your literary friends; or put off reading it, building the anticipation for getting together with those characters you love so much.

The second book in the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series is just such a book.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved the first mystery, with its almost grown-up Nancy Drew feel to it, and so picking up the second book to read left me with that quandary.  But I didn't wait long, because once I read that first page, I was hooked yet again.

Occult and Battery finds former psychatrist Cass Donovan looking for a way to earn money to keep her shop open over the winter months (since Bay Island is not exactly a tourist destination with all the cold, ice, and snow), and she may have found it with the opportunity to do a "psychic weekend" at an abandoned mansion (supposedly haunted) being re-opened as a bed and breakfast resort.  With plans for a group reading, individuals readings, and even a seance, Cass and her friends are excited about the opportunity - - well, Cass and Stephanie are excited.  Bee, as usual, is a bit reluctant to go anywhere near a place that might have actual ghosts, even though he doesn't believe is such nonsense.  At least, so he says...

This is a murder mystery, so needless to say a body turns up.  A vicious winter snow storm traps all of the attendees in the old Madison Estate, and soon enough, the body of Conrad Wellington is found hanging from the rafters.  But is it suicide, or was it really murder?  The question is first and foremost in everyone's mind, and Cass's gut reaction tells her it was murder.  But why?  Conrad was certainly not the most pleasant of people, but was it simple greed that provided the motive, or something more sinister?  And how to Cass's ex-husband and ex-best friend (with whom she caught her husband, which precipitated the divorce) figure into things?  When Cass catches her ex-husband in the deceased's room, wiping down everything, her suspicions go into overdrive.

Then Cass crashes her car into a snowdrift outside the mansion, and she finds herself alone in the mansion with Conrad's younger brother, Jim.  And that's when she discovers the second body, that of Conrad's money-hungry, nasty witch of a wife, Joan.  But how can she tell the police without them asking why she was snooping around in the house again, after she was specifically told to stay out of it?

Author Lena Gragory provides plenty of motives, plenty of suspects, and plenty of red herrings in this well-written, engaging, and sometimes laugh-out-loud mystery.  There's a haunted house, long-lost relatives, a missing deed, even a death threat or two!  Plus, there's a determine amateur detective with her two faithful sidekicks - the loyal encourager and helper, and the sometimes timid but surprisingly capable when need be flamboyant one!  Sound a bit like Nancy Drew?  Well, the fact that the book is devoid of any swearing, the romance is kept clean, and the amateur detective doesn't even pick up a gun - I'd say this book definitely has an old-time Nancy Drew feel to it, which only adds to its charm.

Take all of this, and add in an oversized, lovable, not-so-obedient dog, and you've got a great book that any mystery-lover will absolutely enjoy!  Now comes the hard part of waiting to read the third book and hoping a fourth is in the works...

RATING:  10 dog-eaten engagement rings out of 10 for keeping me guessing right up to the very end on this one!

Death at First Sight - the first Bay Island Psychic Mystery

A young woman becomes embroiled in a mystery and can't help but follow up on clues and question suspects until she stumbles upon the solution - and along the way, she gets a threat or two.  She has two best friends: one is ready to jump to her aid and do whatever is necessary; the other is timid, afraid, and loves to eat.  People have a tendency to come to this young woman with their problems, in the hopes that she will help them out.

Now, most people who know me will automatically assume that I am talking about the world's greatest teen detective, Nancy Drew, and her friends, George Fayne and Bess Marvin.  I mean, let's face it - the descriptions match almost perfectly! However, they would be, and even I was, surprised to find out that I'm actually talking about Cass Donovan and her two friends, Stephanie Lawrence and Bee Maxwell from the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series.

I recently picked up the first three books in the series (wow, just like Nancy Drew, who started back in 1930 with a three-book set of books!), figuring I loved mysteries and I loved psychic tales, so the combination should make for an enjoyable read.  And it did, no doubt there.  I just was not ready for the strong similarities to Nancy Drew and friends that I found - author Lena Gregory must be a fan, as I can't imagine all of it to be pure coincidence.

The underlying premise is somewhat traditional - young woman moves away from small town, her parents die, she returns to her hometown, but things have changed.  Cass Donovan, however, is a psychiatrist who now runs a psychic shop on the boardwalk of Bay Island, just off the New York coast.  While she doesn't see herself as a true "psychic" per se, she is quite intuitive and is often able to help others in a myriad of ways.  But there is a shadow looming over her, something that happened back in the city that she doesn't want to talk about and is the reason she left her psychiatric practice behind.  But what happens when that shadow follows her to Bay Island in this first book, Death at First Sight, and she suddenly finds herself faced with the same choice?

Cass is helping here friend Bee stage the annual fashion show on Bay Island.  But Cass comes across something unexpected when she arrives early to the theater and discovers a body - that of a woman with whom she just had a rather loud, and public, run-in.  Although Cass calls the police, she quickly finds that she is the prime suspect!  Bee and Stephanie are on her side, of course, but it seems the entire island, where news travels fast, suddenly believes she is a murderess!  She has to prove her innocence before she is locked behind bars for a long time.  But who killed Marge Hawkins?  Was it her timid daughter, Ellie, who disappears shortly after the murder?  Or was it Ellie's abusive husband, who Marge discovered to be cheating on her daughter?  Or was it, unthinkably, Bee, who has his own hatred for Marge? Or could it be that dark-haired stranger with the sexy Southern drawl, who has more secrets than anyone and carries a gun hidden under his shirt?

Gregory provides plenty of twists in this story, that's for sure.  I honestly believed I had it figured out (from some very obscure clues - at least what I thought were clues - that pointed to a not-so-obvious person as the killer), and I was so proud of myself for having caught on.  The only problem is, those "clues" were nothing more than red herrings, if that, and Gregory pulled the rug out from underneath me with the final reveal of the killer.  Of course, it made sense once the reveal occurred, but that didn't take away from the suspense as Cass was not only taken captive by the killer, but also forced into a deadly game of cat and mouse in a dark woods.

Once again, I was extremely fortunate to pick up a series that drew me in and made me love the characters and story right from the get-go.  While I'm not usually a fan of the so-called "cozy" mysteries, this series is a definite must-read on my list now!

RATING:  10 big, furry, lovable Beasts out of 10 for a well-crafted murder mystery and a Nancy Drew-worthy protagonist and friends!