Jack Armstrong's Mystery Crysal - Book 2 of the Jack Armstrong Series

This was one of those "impulse" buys - I saw it in dust jacket, I had never heard of the character before, and I thought the cover was creative and unique, so I said to myself, "Why not?"  As it turns out, this book is the second book in a two-book series written by Stanley J. Wallace. I could find absolutely nothing about this author online, other than the fact that he wrote both books in this series - so I have no idea if Wallace is a real person or yet another in a long line of pseudonyms used to write children's series books back in the first half of the 20th century.  And as far as the main character goes ... well, we'll talk more about that name later... 

 

Jack Armstrong's Mystery Crystal, while having its own strange story, carries some of the plot threads from the first book into this one. As the story opens, we find Jack Armstrong traveling with his Yogi, a "native of mysterious India" named Sher Dal (p. 1).  The reader is given some details about Jack, insomuch as his parents were missionaries who had gone out to reach some natives in the wild jungles of India, only to disappear.  Presumed dead, Jack was taken in and trained by Sher Dal in the strange powers of the mind, learning how to use this "natural force [that exists] in many persons yet known to but few" ... a "mysterious force" that is "in the mind, the will - the power of thought" (p. 49).  I found myself chuckling at this description, thinking how easily the Sher Dal and young Jack mirror certain characters from a space saga that first hit theaters in 1977 (some forty years after this book was published).  It even had me wondering if perhaps George Lucas had read this book as a youngster and the idea had stuck in his head.  Hey, you never know!

 

In any event, Jack and Sher Dal are in the States (although it doesn't specify where), traipsing through a forest, when they stop at a farm house to buy some food, only to get entangled with the family there, whose car has been stolen- and they mistakenly believe Jack is one of the gypsies who stole it!   The family's name is "Turnbull" - Hank and Jenny Turnbull (pp. 14-16), and, of course, my mind immediately went to the second Nancy Drew mystery, The Hidden Staircase, in which Nancy comes to the aid of the Turnbull sisters, Rosemary and Floretta. I know it's simply a coincidence that the names are the same, but since this book came out only six years after the Nancy Drew title, you never know that the character name might have influenced this one.  It's not like "Turnbull" is a common name, after all.  Jack ultimately uses this crystal ball that he has to find the car, and in so doing, reveals its powers to a handyman at the farm - a handyman who later steals the crystal and runs off with a neighbor's car!  Jack and the Yogi do track down the man and retrieve the crystal, but not without injury to Sher Dal.  While he goes into the hospital, Jack heads out on his own to continue the search for his parents.

 

Yes, that is the plot thread that continues from the first book.  It seems Jack's parents may very well be alive, but they simply don't know where they are.  The crystal gives Jack a vision of his mother possibly being held captive in a jungle - only not in India, but in the southern part of Florida known as the Everglades (p. 67)!  Yes, it caught me by surprise as well, since it seems so many children's books I have been reading from this era all end up in Florida at one time or another.  Florida must have been the happening place for these authors, since so many characters make their way down to and have adventures in the Sunshine State.  By pure chance, Jack runs into his old friends from the first book (a traveling magician, his assistant, and his cook), and two of them join Jack in his adventure down to Florida, along with a Seminole Indian named Sam who agrees to show them the way - after all, he happens to go to Florida to collect orchid buds to sell up north (p. 159).  Now, for those who read this blog, that might sound a bit familiar, and that's because it is.  In The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms, the girls are hoping to find a rare orchid that grows in the Everglades.  It seems that over 39 species of orchids grow throughout the Everglades, many of which are now endangered (although, back in 1936, such might not have been the case).  Again, another funny coincidence between plots in series books.

 

The crew have quite the adventure in the wilds of the Everglades, with deadly snakes, wild Indians, and even a hungry alligator who sets its sights on Sam when he climbs a tree to snag an orchid (p. 163).  What is odd is that this very scene is depicted on the frontis piece, but the page number given for that scene is 156, some seven pages prior.  Not sure how this error occurred, unless an earlier draft of the story had this scene at page 156 and more story was added later to increase the page count of the book?  In any event, that frontis is signed by C.R. Schaare, who turns out to be Christian Richard "Dick" Schaare Jr. (1893-1980), who provided covers for quite a few pulp magazines between 1925 and 1940, as well as worked on some comic books and painted covers for the boxing magazine, The Ring.  More information about Schaare can be found here:  Pulp Artists - Schaare.  Schaare also provided the cover art, which was used for both books (with the only difference being the title).

 

What annoyed me about the conclusion to this story is that (a) the author uses the "twin" trope to give readers a curve ball at the end, a plot element apparently used in the first book where a Jack look-a-like caused all sorts of trouble for our hero, and (b) Jack does not find his parents.  Rather, the last page of the book informs readers that Jack's search for his parents will continue in the next book, to be called "Jack Armstrong's Magic Stone," in which book it "will be told the perils he encountered among dangerous beasts and reptiles in his search for his lost father and mother" (p. 206).  The problem with that is that this next book was never published - it is a phantom title that readers never got to see in print.  I'm not sure what caused the failure to continue the series; was it low sales, did the publisher decide this story about mental powers was too strange, or did the author simply decide he (or she) did not want to write any more adventures of Jack Armstrong?

 

And speaking of Jack Armstrong.  If that name seems a bit familiar, it's because there was another Jack Armstrong that existed around the same time as this: Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy.  This other Jack Armstrong was a radio adventure series that ran from 1933 to 1951.  This character was adapted into a movie serial in 1947, as well as a 13-issue comic book series and two Big Little Books.  There was also a short-lived comic strip based on the radio show, which lasted from 1947 to 1950.  In addition, an animated cartoon pilot was developed by Hanna-Barbera, but it never got past that pilot stage.  While the Wikipedia page on this Jack Armstrong lists this two-book series as an adaptation of the radio character, after reading this book, I can say that this Jack Armstrong is nothing at all like the one from the radio show, movie, or comics.  How Cupples & Leon got away with using that character name is a mystery...

 

The story, with its heavy emphasis on mystic India mental powers, is certainly off-beat for its time, when most series books books were simply filled with adventure or mystery or school-centric tales.  In fact, the publisher has a one page "Explanatory Note" before the first chapter that asks readers to not discount the inexplicable things that take place in the story - "we warn you not to disbelieve the story of Jack's magic crystal and his strange wand that killed with the silence of eternity..."  Yet, it has its own charm, and I wish Wallace (or whoever it was that wrote the books) would have at least written one more, so the reader could share in the joy of Jack Armstrong being reunited with his parents!  Hopefully, one day I'll be able to find the first book (Jack Armstrong's Mystery Eye) and read about the events that led to the story in this book.

 

RATING:  7 great rocks shaped like an elephant out of 10 for a uniquely different kind of mystery of mysticism and magic!

Short Lived Comic Series #35 - Pyschoblast (First Comics)

Now here's a comic series that I do not remember coming out back when it was first published.  At the time, I was buying titles from First Comics (such as Whisper and Evangeline), so I likely saw house ads for this series; but it apparently did not strike my fancy at the time, so I never gave it any thought and let it disappear from my mind altogether.  The series debuted in July 1987 (the first issue featuring a November 1987 cover date) and lasted only nine issues, ending in March 1988 (its last issue sporting a July 1988 cover date).  The series was written by Steven Grant, who was also the creator and writer of First Comics' Whisper series, as well as countless other series for Marvel, Malibu, Dark Horse, Image, DC, Chaos, BOOM!, and any number of independent comic companies.  

 

Psychoblast (quite the unusual name!) is not only the name of the title character, but it is also a term (in fiction, at least) to describe a massive, concentrated mental energy attack.  Back in the late 1800s, the word was actually used in certain scientific realms in reference to a "germ" or "cell" relating to the development of the mind or psyche, but it is now obsolete.  Grant manages to take that term and utilize it for Brian Burke, a young man we first meet as a drifter, working in a church as a janitor.  Taryn St. Jude has been sent to find Burke, unaware that the person who sent her on that mission has a secret agenda.  By the end of the first issue, Brian and Taryn find themselves running from some military men, and when all hope seems lost, Brian suddenly unleashes a psychic ability that not only changes his appearance (giving him that blue and silver costume and the lightning bolt over his left eye) but also allows him to, literally, crush his opponents with one hand - albeit a very LARGE hand!

 

The first story arc encompasses the first three issues, as readers learn a bit about Brian's powers - how they pretty much come into play only when Brian himself is unconscious, meaning that "Psychoblast" is an entirely different being that shares Brian's mind!  Readers also find out that the military men chasing Brian are working for a mysterious woman who has mental powers of her own - but they take their toll, aging her quickly, and she requires fresh human psyche to pause that aging process and give her vitality - and she wants Brian because she believes his psychic powers are the answer to her staying young forever.  Grant gives us one heck of a battle of the minds, as well as the startling revelation that this villainous vixen is not Brian's mother (as we are originally led to believe through visions experienced by Taryn), but actually Brian's sister, Arrabella, who supposedly died six years prior (but, let's face it - no one in comic books ever says dead, do they?).

 

The remaining six issues of the series delve more into Brian's origin as "Psychoblast" and his integration into the New Order - with a team of powered individuals known as Transmuter, Phaseshift, Interface, and Anomaly.  From the get-go, however, the reader can see this is no ordinary super team.  These characters are at odds with one another, and one in particular (Anomaly) believes himself superior to the rest, especially Psychoblast, and the tensions between them ultimately results in some pretty powerful psychic battles. Along the way, we meet a research scientist named Caren Price, who inadvertently leads the evil D.S.X. Machina to Psychoblast's location - and a series climax that reveals their connection and the true extent of Psychoblast's mental abilities!

 

This is, by far, anything but a "super hero" series. Psychoblast is a reluctant hero, as Brian does not know how his powers work, how to trigger them, and more than anything, how to keep this alternate personality from coming out and destroying everything and everyone around him.  D.S.X. Machina is a villain without restraint, who kills civilian and hero alike, leaving very few of the main cast alive by the end of the ninth issue (although, oddly enough, Caren survives the killing blast D.S.X. sends her way, hinting at a potential future story that readers never got to see, as i is clear Caren has some powers of her own and some secrets that never get revealed).  The battles are less about good vs. evil and more about survival and coming to terms with the circumstances of the life one is given.  Grant, as he did with the Whisper series, provides readers with a character-driven saga, and although we only get nine issues and just the tip of the iceberg regarding Brian's origins and Psychoblast's powers, it is easy to get drawn into this world and want to see where the characters are headed.

 

The art in the series is provided by Robb Phipps (pencils) and Al Vey (inks), with some assistance from Karl Story and Jim Bauer in a couple of the later issues.  Phipps and Vey also drew all of the covers.  Since there are only nine issues and no change in artists during that time, the art remains consistent for the entire run, which was a nice change of pace for me.  In today's comics, with so many rotating artists and writers, sometimes within the same storyline (one of the biggest mishaps of this kind was DC Comics' Thriller series, which lost the original artist and writer, and it changed the entire tone and course of the series, leading to its early demise), it is jarring to me when the art style changes mid-stream.  This kind of artistic consistency helps develop the characters, settings, and stories in the reader's mind without having to pause and adjust to another creator's interpretation of those same characters and settings.  Phipps and Vey had some usual imagery to work with, considering the amount of psychic displays that took place throughout the nine issues, but they did an amazing job bringing them to life with a sense of realism for a very fictional idea.

 

Sadly, the series did not even survive its first year, likely due to low sales (which plagued a lot of independent titles in the late '80s and early '90s), which is a shame.  I think the series had a lot of potential, and there were plenty of sub-plots developing that never got to see fruition.  I wonder what comic fans would think of the character today, if Grant were to revive Psychoblast and continue the series today (nearly 40 years later...)?

 

RATING:   9 giant glowing hands in the sky out of 10 for giving the comic world a unique character and creative concept that, unfortunately, never had the chance to reach its full potential.

Extra Sensory Deception - the 4th (and Final) Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery

And so, with sadness in my heart, we come to the fourth, and final, Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery.  With this last book in the series, we get our last adventure with Clara Quinn, her cousin Stephanie, her dog Tatters, her mother Jessie, her boyfriend Rick, the town's sheriff Dan, the sheriff's deputy Tim, Clara and Stephanie's employee at the bookstore Molly, and Molly's new addition to the store, a small homeless cat named Edgar (after Poe, of course!).  Author Allison Kingsley has created a quickly little world in the small New England town of Finn's Harbor, Maine, with a diverse cast of characters that I've grown to really like and about whom I have enjoyed reading.  I will miss them all, and it's a shame Kingsley did not continue the series...

 

Extra Sensory Deception features a murder mystery that is set in the most unlikely of places, considering the location of Finn's Harbor.  A rodeo has come town!  Yes, you read that right.  A rodeo - in a small town on the coast of New England. Definitely not where I thought the author would take our intrepid psychic sleuth next, but it turned out to be quite the intriguing mystery.  A great improvement over the last book, whose murderer just sort of popped up out of nowhere.  This time around, Kingsley provides readers with some subtle clues along the way (if you are careful enough to catch them!), and the visions Clara has with her Quinn Sense are a lot trickier than they've ever been - but they all come true, just not how Clara (nor the reader) expects them to.  Plus, we get a lot more of Tatters in this book, one of the supporting cast finally learns about Clara's abilities, and Clara herself discovers that dogs are not the only animals whose minds she can read.  For a final book, this one pulls out all the stops!

 

The story centers around the rodeo and a murder that takes place on the opening night.  A woman is found dead, strangled behind the main stage.  The problem is, the piggin' string used to stranger the woman belongs to Wes Carlton, a good friend of Clara's boyfriend, Rick.  So, needless to say, Clara, with her cousin's help, begins asking questions, hoping to prove Wes' innocence (although everything she finds seems to point to Wes as the guilty party!).  The visions she has - a clown getting run down by a truck, a cowboy with a red shirt standing over the body, and a clown tumbling down the stands and being chased by an angry bull - make absolutely no sense, and her attempts to warn the one clown she meets are not taken seriously.  The digger she deeps, however, the more secrets she uncovers.  Like, how the dead woman was known for turning down suitors in a hateful manner, making herself any number of enemies. Like, how some of the other women in the rodeo hated the idea that the men they liked were in love with the victim.  Like, how the owner of the rodeo was possibly having an affair with the victim.  And like, how the wife of the owner had some very damaging evidence that she destroyed in order to protect one of the suspects!

 

It is funny how Clara and Stephanie are so careful to avoid doing anything to attract the attention of the Sheriff, since he has made it super clear in previous books that they are to stay out of it; the only problem is, when Clara has her final confrontation with the killer (someone she never even suspected, although some of the clues had been right in front of her the whole time!), it means the Sheriff has no way to show up in time to save her.  It is only through Stephanie's concern for her cousin and Rick's quick actions that Clara is saved from a charging bull and the killer is brought to justice!

 

I have to wonder if Kingsley had been to a rodeo recently, or knew someone who worked in the rodeo circuit, or perhaps even was a fan of rodeos; the story has some pretty good details about the inner workings of such an event, and it lends some reality to the story.  Also, I thoroughly enjoyed Clara's bantering with Tatters (even if no one else can hear the dog's thoughts), and was thrilled when Clara discovered she could also read the minds of cats when Molly happens to hide a stray cat in the bookstore storeroom.  I thought that opened up the doors for some interesting possibilities, had the series continued.  And speaking of which, it definitely felt like Kingsley was setting up the premise of the next book (or, at the very least, a near future mystery), because there were several references to the bookstore getting an author or two to come out and do a signing.  That definitely sounds like a great set-up for a new murder mystery.  But, alas, that was clearly not to be, and such a set-up leads me to believe that the termination of the series was not Kingsley's choice. 

 

It's a shame to see this series end, but if it had to come to a conclusion, this book was a fitting book to do so.  While there were a few plot lines that remain unresolved (does Clara ever tell Rick about her abilities?  does Clara ever move out of her mother's house? do Clara and Rick take their relationship to the next level?), the book ends with a relatively happy, satisfying conclusion that leaves the reader smiling.

 

RATING:  10 thick white pillars wound with English ivy out of 10 for a superbly plotted murder mystery, a fun story, and a sad, but satisfying, ending to the series. 

The Haunting of Drumroe - a Fawcett Gold Medal gothic

This is another one of those gothic novels that I bought some time ago because the cover image resembled the cover of a Nancy Drew mystery (in this instance, the cover to The Secret of Red Gate Farm).  It has been sitting on my shelf with the other books whose covers are similar to Nancy Drew books for years, so I figured it was time to dust it off, pull it out, and actually read it.  When I bought it, I had not even bothered to read what it was about, so imagine my surprise to find it is set in Ireland!  Having visited there just a couple of years ago, I was thrilled to read a book whose setting would bring back some great memories of my trip there.  Plus, it was fun to see how many places in the book I had actually visited, and how many were fictional settings created by the author.  And speaking of the author, as with so many, "Claudette Nicole" is a pseudonym for Jon Messmann, who wrote several Gothics under this name, but also wrote some men's adventure books as "Nick Carter."  It still amazes me how many male authors wrote these romance and Gothic titles back in the day under female pseudonyms.

 

The Haunting of Drumroe was first published in 1971 (with a date of March 1971 on the copyright page) and features a rather dramatic cover, painted by Jeffrey Jones (1944-2011).  Jones was a rather prolific artist, who not only provided cover art for gothic, horror, and fantasy novels in the '60s and '70s, but also contributed to a number of comic book publishing companies with art for DC, Charlton, Marvel, Gold Key, Pacific, Warren, and a number of others.   I was actually surprised to discover that I have a number of comics for which Jones painted the covers (such as Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love, Wonder Woman, Heroes Against Hunger, Heroes for Hope, to name a few).  Jones' art, as can be seen on the cover to this book, is haunting and definitely Gothic in nature.  One can almost hear the drums and feel the wind blowing through the woman's flowing gown as she hides from the hooded figures in the background (which, again, is very similar to the cover of Nancy Drew's The Secret of Red Gate Farm, which has the young detective doing the very same thing!).  

 

The story is not only one of Gothic suspense, but it is one of almost erotic terror.  This is the first Gothic novel I've read where the author makes repeated references to the title character's breasts, and the number of times Eileen Donegan lies naked in her bed could be the target of a drinking game.  It is scenes and descriptions like these that make it clear the author was a man - the constant focus on Eileen's body reads more like a men's adventure tale than a Gothic romance.   However, when you ignore those scenes, the book actually has a really great plot to it.   Eileen is called to Ireland by her aunt, who insists she must come and sign documents that would make her heir to Drumroe should anything happen to her aunt.  Immediately upon arriving, Eileen begins to feel a sense of dread and foreboding - and she realizes her precognition ability is warning her of danger!

 

I like the fact Messmann a/k/a Nicole gives his title character a form of psychic ability, as it adds a new dimension in terror to the story.  Eileen has these visions, but she cannot make sense of them, and the more she tries to fight them, the more insistent they become.  A falling tree, a crash into a lake, a collapsing bridge, and the disappearance of her aunt without explanation make for a very suspenseful read, and the standard trope of two men vying for Eileen's attention leaves the reader tottering back and forth, questioning which one is good and which one is bad - honestly, it could have gone either way!  And when you throw a mysterious devil worshiping cult into the mix, as well as a rather frightening handyman, it seems poor Eileen is not safe no matter which way she turns.  Thankfully, the author provides one steady rock in the story with Molly, her aunt's cook at Drumroe.  Molly is introduced as a caring, very welcoming member of the household - the only one, in fact! - and as I read the story, I kept waiting for the shoe to drop and some revelation to occur that she was not as good as she seemed; yet, it turns out Molly truly was a good person, the only true friend Eileen was able to make and depend on while trying to make sense of the danger around her.

 

There are some ingenious plot twists that make the story well worth the read (so long as you can get past the very strong sexualization of the main character).  The mystery surrounding the missing aunt, the devil cult, and the attempts on Eileen's life, as well as the bitter hatred the townspeople have against the Donegan family, make for a suspenseful story.  One thing I did find rather odd was that at the back of the book, there is a glossary which provides readers with the definitions of many of the Irish terms used throughout the story.  This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing in a Gothic novel; usually, the reader is simply left to look up the definition of any words on his or her own.  And even more surprising is the recipe on the very last page of the book for "Irish Green" or "Erin Sauce," which is a sauce cooked up by Molly for one of the dinners she makes for Eileen within the story.  I have to wonder what prompted Fawcett (the publisher) to include the glossary and recipe into the book!

 

I am definitely intrigued with Messmann a/k/a Nicole's writing, and I am already on the haunt for more of his Gothic novels!

 

RATING:  9 beds of violets turned away from the sun out of 10 for a story filled with plenty of dark mystery, dangerous romance, and deadly Gothic terror!

Trouble Vision - the 3rd Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery

What better way to start off the new year than reading a great murder mystery?  Well, to be honest, I read this book and am writing this blog post before the New Year - but since it's not going up before 2025 begins, I figured it would be a great way to ring in the new year!  And thus far, I've enjoyed the Raven's Nest Bookstore Mysteries by Allison Kingsley, the first two books in the series having some great mysteries to them - and the fact that one of the main characters has a psychic ability is just an added plus.  As the blurb on the back cover says, "Delightful ... [A] winning addition to the cozy paranormal mystery realm" (from bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn) - and I could not agree more.

Trouble Vision is the third book in this series about cousins, Clara and Stephanie Quinn.  After having solved two previous murders in their small coastal town of Finn's Harbor, the only excitement the new year has brought with it is a town uproar concerning the new resort being built along the coast.  The townspeople are fearful the resort will take away a lot of their summer tourist business, but the mayor believes it will only bring in more business for everyone.  The town meeting is heated, and a number of people are extremely irate - but the question is, was someone mad enough to kill the foreman in charge of the construction, Scott Delwyn?  Clara's "Quinn Sense" visions sure think so!

Kingsley provides a superb mystery here, as the foreman's fall from the scaffolding appears to be nothing more than an accident.  No one saw anything, there are no signs of a struggle, and the cause of death is attributed to the damage sustained from the fall.  There is absolutely nothing suspicious about the fall at all.  So, why, then, does the Quinn Sense keep nagging at Clara that there is a lot more to this death than it appears?  She can't go to the police with what she suspects, because who would believe her hunch is based upon a psychic impression, especially when Clara is determined to keep her abilities a secret from everyone except her cousin.  Thus, she and Stephanie, along with their assistant at the Raven's Nest bookstore, Molly, set out to uncover the truth of what happened that night.

The mystery is intriguing through pretty much the entire book.  Kingsley provides only the slightest of hints / clues as to the identity of the killer, and it becomes even more confusing with someone robs the local bank right in the middle of mid-day and gets away without anyone knowing who it was!  Clara's second sight suddenly changes, and she sees the ghost of Scott Delwyn outside the bank, convincing her that his death and the bank robbery are connected.  Clara also finds herself being pulled (psychically) into the past to witness his murder (but not the murderer) and the robbery (but not the identity of the thief).  She even tries to convince the chief of police the two incidents are connected, but he will not listen and warns Clara that she and her cousin better stay away from this or he will throw them both in jail!

And not only does the reader get treated to the evolving powers of Clara's psychic abilities, but we also get treated to Clara's evolving relationship with Rick Sanders, who owns the hardware store across the street from the Raven's Nest.  After what happened in New York, Clara has been ambivalent about whether she has been ready to enter into another relationship - but in this book, she finally takes a step in the right direction, and readers who have been enjoying this series will all breathe a sigh of relief - finally!

The only drawback to this book is the final revelation regarding the killer's identity.  There's no clue anywhere in the story as to the killer's motive, so when it is revealed, it almost feels the same as when Mrs. Voorhees is revealed as the killer in the first Friday the 13th film - absolutely no way the viewer (or in this case, the reader) could have known based upon everything that has been revealed up until that point.  I took a look back through the book, and although there are things that point to the identity of the killer, there is nothing that gives even the slightest hint as to the motive.  For me, that was a let-down, as I have been enjoying this series so much, and I felt Kingsley owed it to her readers to at least give us some tidbit of a clue prior to the final reveal.

Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to reading the fourth (and sadly, final) book in the series, and hopefully it goes out on a high note!

RATING:  7 gift certificates for a day at the spa out of 10 for a great combination of psychic abilities and mystery crafted into a nice tale of murder!

A Sinister Sense - the 2nd Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery

It was definitely time to return to Raven's Nest bookstore to see what trouble Clara Quinn and her cousin, Stephanie Quin, will find themselves in this time.  Surprisingly, the author, Allison Kingsley, moved away from telling the story from both cousins' points-of-view and instead focuses more on Clara in this book.  We only get one brief chapter from Stephanie's point-of-view, and it is merely her trying to get ready as she and Clara prepare to confront the person they believe to be the killer.  Personally, I prefer the story being told from one character's point-of-view, as the alternative POVs can become a bit much at times.  So, I'm happy Kingsley settled on just one character to take us through this second mystery in the Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery series.

A Sinister Sense does not give us a time frame for how long it has been since the cousins managed to unmask the killer in the previous book.  There are a couple of mentions in passing of the women having involved themselves in the last murder mystery, but it comes across as if that happened months ago, if not longer.  Clara and Stephanie have settled into their routine at Raven's Nest, with the help of their young assistant, Molly, and Clara continues to fight her obvious attraction to that hunk of a man who works at the hardware store across the street, Rick Sanders.  And, of course, that ever-bothersome Roberta Prince still runs her stationary store next door, and she still has her eyes set on Rick, even though he has absolutely no interest in her whatsoever.  Life has settled back to normal in Finn's Harbor, and we all know what that means - time for another murder!

Kingsley starts the story innocently enough - Rick's ex-wife has dropped off their humongous shaggy dog for him to take in; and the first thing it does is chase after poor Roberta, who made the mistake of offering it a few dog biscuits, in the hopes of getting in good with its owner.  The next thing you know, the dog chases Roberta into Raven's Nest, and Clara has to prevent the dog from damaging the store!  Rick shows up, bandaged finger and all, to reclaim the dog and explain the situation to Clara (who, by the way, was not even aware Rick had an ex-wife!).  Rick explains how he hurt his finger, giving details about the man who came in asking directions to city hall, the other customer browsing through the garden tools, and him trying to keep control of an uncontrollable dog.  Little do any of them realize that all of these daily things are about to lead to a murder...

The next day, Clara learns that a body was discovered in the back of Rick's truck, apparently placed there last night while Rick was at the bowling alley.  He is only a person of interest at first, since the body was found in his truck and the police have no clue as to the identity of the victim.  Soon enough, however, the evidence against Rick starts piling up.  The victim was in Rick's store the day before the murder.  The hammer used to kill the victim was from Rick's store.  And the clenching piece of evidence is Rick's DNA discovered from the blood on the sleeve of the victim's shirt!  The mayor is clamoring for Rick to be arrested, charged, and convicted so that the tourist town can once again be safe.  But Clara is confident Rick is innocent, and that little voice inside her head (otherwise know as the "Quinn Sense") is telling her the same thing.  The question is, though - who did kill the man and why?

Kingsley crafts a wonderful tale filled with plenty of suspects, and she keeps the clues given by the Quinn Sense vague enough to keep the reader guessing.  But every whispered word Clara hears, and every vision she sees, they all connect and point to a very specific person as the murderer.  For seasoned mystery readers, the killer will likely comes as no surprise (as with the first book, the identity of the killer is not hard to spot - it's the motive that takes some time to figure out); but it's getting there that is all the fun!  The "Quinn Sense" is not overused, nor is it a crutch that Clara is able to rely on to give her clues at exactly the right moment; rather, it is an unreliable tool that requires Clara to research and dig more into things to figure out what the clues mean.  Kingsley also manages to sneak in a bit more about Clara's past in New York and what happened between her and her fiance, which gives the reader a stronger sense of sympathy for the main character, making you root even more for her and Rick to get together!

 

One other thing I enjoyed about this book is seeing (reading?) more about Clara's relationship with her mother.  There is some strain, some love, some contrast, some battles, and ultimately some family bond that shines through, and it comes across very natural and real.  

 

Definitely a must-read for mystery fans and especially those who love these type of cozy mysteries.  It's truly a shame the series didn't make it past four books, but I guess those four are better than none at all!

 

RATING:  9  Northern Italian dinners out of 10 for another fantastic mystery with just a touch of psychic thrown in to make it all the more interesting!

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!

Curse of Salem - a Bishop / Special Crimes Unit Novel

Kay Hooper is definitely back in true form with the second book in the Salem trilogy (at least, I'm assuming this is a trilogy - I haven't seen any solicit or information about a third book in this series yet, but since all previous books in the Bishop / Special Crimes Unit series were trilogies, I have to believe this one will be as well!).  While that final book in the Bishop Files trilogy had left me wondering, with this book, I wonder no more.  Noah Bishop and his group of psychic federal agents in the Special Crimes Unit are back in action and most definitely back in their element as they return to Salem, North Carolina to face another deadly threat - this one even more evil and more vicious than the last.

Curse of Salem takes place just a couple of months after the events of Hidden Salem.  After the defeat of Duncan Cavendish, the townsfolk of Salem thought the nightmare was over.  But for a town filled with psychics, can the nightmare ever truly be over?  When Hollis and Diana have a shared vision in the grey world with a warning of something to come in Salem, Bishop can't ignore it.  And when Sheriff Finn Deverell calls Bishop to tell him that a head of one of the Five in Salem has come to him with a warning, it pretty much clenches the SCU's involvement.  Something bad - VERY bad - is coming to Salem, and for the first time, Bishop's team might actually have a chance to stop it before it begins.

If only it were that easy...

Hooper continues her return to the roots of her psychic crime unit series with a violent tale of a psychic killer that has a personal agenda.  And staying under the radar in Salem, a town made up of five psychic families, where most of the population have psychic abilities on some level, is no mean feat.  But Hooper introduces a new element into the mix - because there is a static that seems to have washed over the town, something that is preventing Bishop's team - as well as the families already in Salem - from utilizing their abilities to warn them of danger.  And when a vision reveals that the killer has not only killed one victim, but has another one that is being tortured, the SCU realizes they did not arrive as early as they had hoped.  But how did the killer take people without anyone noticing?  And how did a small town such as Salem not realize that one ... now TWO ... of their own were missing?

The suspense builds pretty quickly in this book, as the urgency to find the kidnapped victims grows with each turn of the page.  And the gruesome manner in which the killer tortures and kills one of his victims - and what the SCU team finds! - is so horrific, I think this is likely one of the absolute worst murders in the entire series.  And Hooper's ability to make that death have such a huge impact on the reader, not just in terms of its gruesome nature, but in the fact that the victim was innocent - was someone people in the town cared about - and was someone that did not want to die, but still had to suffer what this killer did - well, it goes to Hooper's talented writing skills.  To make the reader care about a character that we barely even know, and to feel the punch to the gut when Hollis, Diana, Reese, Quentin, Bishop, and Miranda, along with Finn and Nelle, find the body (or rather, what's left of it), it speaks volumes of Hooper's ability as a writer.

As with prior books in this series, some of the SCU members find they are developing (or coming into) new abilities. In this one, Hollis discovers she can do more than she ever thought, and the final showdown with the killer utilizes these new talents to lead to a very satisfying conclusion.  Of course, we know this is not the end, as there should be one more book in this trilogy (anxiously waiting on word about when the next book will be coming out!), and it makes me wonder just how much more violence and terror the poor town of Salem can suffer before it is completely destroyed?

 

And I will concede that I thought I had Diana's spirit guide all figured out - I thought for sure I knew who it was; but Hooper put in a final twist that was not what I was expecting.  Which is a good thing, as it keeps on my toes and keeps me from getting too comfortable in thinking I can figure these things out.

There is one scene in this book that truly made me smile, as it has such truth to it!  As Hollis is discussing the crows that are a mainstay of Salem, she wonders about their connection to the people and how they interact. "I wonder if they make exceptions for friends," she speculates (p. 123.)  "Cats don't.  Then again, I've never been entirely sure cats would be bothered enough to make that sort of distinction.  Dogs have master, cats have staff." (p. 124)  Have grown up with both cats and dogs, and having been a cat-lover all of my life, there is no truer statement than what Hollis says here - dogs serve people, but people serve cats!

RATING:  10 half-eaten jelly donuts out of 10 for keeping this series alive with a darker villain and some surprising twists in the world of psychic feds!

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!

Hidden Salem - a Bishop / Special Crimes Unit Novel

Kay Hooper is back on track!  I was a bit disappointed with the way the Bishop Files trilogy ended, and the recent "Dark" trilogy had a rather abrupt ending that left me feeling deflated.  But the first book in Hooper's latest trilogy proves that Hooper is back in the game with a fantastic new story, new psychics, and some new powers as well!  Hard to believe I've been following this series since it first came out back in 2000, and over the course of the past 21 years, I have come to know and love these characters and stories and feel like they are family, of sorts.  So, it's a true joy to read a book that keeps me on the edge, waiting to turn each page to see what is going to happen next like I did when I first picked up Stealing Shadows over 20 years ago!

Hidden Salem opens with a very dark segue way into this latest assignment for Bishop's Special Crimes Unit, as a man find himself being mentally forced to do something he doesn't even know what to do - and the last thing his senses pick up on before he falls into blackness is the smell of brimstone... jump ahead to the small town of Salem (not THAT Salem, mind you, but one located in Virginia or North Carolina - honestly, I could never exactly figure out which, although the fact that it is along the Appalachian trial leads me to believe it is the Virginia one), where SCU veteran Geneva Raynor has been scouting the town at the request of the unit's leader, Bishop, due to a number of alleged hikers that have gone missing.  Geneva is frustrated by the level of static she seems to be picking up on, which hinders her natural psychic abilities, but in her cover as a photographer, she has uncovered a few unsettling truths about this town.

 

One, the sheriff for the county seems content to allow a home-grown militia safeguard the town and basically pleads ignorance of the missing hikers.

 

Two, there are certain individuals within the town who Geneva is unable to read, meaning they have a level of psychic abilities themselves, enough to build some pretty strong walls in their minds.l

 

Three, the idyllic town seems way too peaceful, considering that three people have been found dead in the woods just outside the town.

 

Four, Geneva discovers a fourth body, which she manages to get pictures of before the militia wipes the scene completely clean, as if nothing ever happened.

 

Five, the amount of crows within the town is disturbing, particularly since they seem to be watching her every move.

 

And six, possibly most frightening of all - a little girl goes missing, and instead of there being any panic or search parties, the family just up and leaves on vacation without their daughter, and the town acts like nothing ever happened!

 

Geneva knows there is something wrong with this town.  Evil lurks in Salem, hidden just beneath the surface of its townspeople.  And when Geneva goes to investigate, she suddenly finds that she could be the next victim!  Enter Grayson Sheridan, Geneva's back-up, who arrives in Salem under the guise of just another hiker on the trail.  The only problem is, Geneva is not there.  And Grayson has no clue where to start looking for her!  He has shared a connection with Geneva in the past, but with all the static in this town, he can't seem to make contact.  A cryptic clue, however, ultimately leads him to an abandoned cabin in the woods - where Geneva has freed herself and impresses upon her partner the urgency in finding that little girl before it's too late!  Add in Nellie Cavendish, who has returned to Salem after receiving a letter from her deceased father that was held in trust until her 29th birthday - a letter with an urgent mission that she return to Salem before her 30th birthday and stop a great evil from being unleashed!

Anyone who has read Hooper's books knows that ultimately the paths of these psychics will cross, and they will eventually help one another in a final, climactic battle to defeat the evil of a dark psychic who, in this instance, is hellbent on gaining more power and completely taking over Salem and the lives of everyone there.  There are plenty of secrets to be revealed, and several revelations regarding the citizens of that small community, and Hooper keeps the tension running high from beginning to end, making this book a true page-turner.  I absolutely love the fact that Hooper has introduced some new abilities in this book, with a couple of the psychics being able to communicate, on a small level, with the animals around them.  And Nellie's full acceptance of her own abilities provides for quite the explosive finale!

One difference with this book, as compared with previous stories, is that Hooper does not hide the villain.  This story is not so much about trying to figure out who the villain is, but more along the lines of burning your way through the story to see how Geneva, Grayson, Nellie, and their surprise comrade will stop the power-hungry psychic in Salem and whether they will be in time to save the young girl taken captive.  It makes for an interesting change of pace, and takes the pressure off of the reader in looking for clues to the identity of the killer and focusing more on getting to know the characters.

As this is the first book in the trilogy, I know this is merely a set up, with more evil and dastardly deeds to come.  The next book, Curse of Salem, comes out in December (in hardcover, unfortunately - I will be waiting for the paperback), and I'm guessing the third book will be out next year some time.

One final thing I want to mention - I absolutely LOVE the stylized lettering for the title and author on the front cover.  The font is that fun "optical illusion" type font, where if you try and follow the letters or off-set shading, they don't quite match and seem to loop into each other in impossible ways.  It's a subtle (or maybe not so subtle!) way of letting the reader know right off the bat that finding your way through Salem is not going to be as easy as it may appear at first!  Gotta love it!

RATING:  10 cheerful Disney name plaques out of 10 for bringing the spooky tension back to the Bishop novels and getting me excited to see what's going to happen next!

Psychic Detective Mysteries, Volume 3 - Shadows Deceive

It's been a while since I read S.C. Wynne's last psychic detective mystery, and quite honestly, I wasn't sure there were going to be any more books in this series.  So, I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this third book on Amazon.  I had enjoyed the previous two books, so I did not hesitate to pick up this latest one.

Shadows Deceive takes Liam Baker and his partner, Kimball Thompson, to a completely new level in their relationship - to meet Thompson's family!  Baker, of course, is a nervous wreck.  He met Thompson's younger brother in the last book, and that didn't go so well.  So, how would the family react to meet their son's psychic boyfriend?  Baker's insecurities increase drastically as he meets his lover's mother, father, and two brothers.  The family welcomes him with open arms, but shorty after their arrival at Big Bear Lake, they have two very unexpected visitors - the first is a dead body, which Baker can handle; the second is Thompson's ex-boyfriend from his younger days, which is something Baker can't seem to cope with!

Let's look at the first visitor - Thompson and Baker take a hike up into the woods behind the Thompson's house, but they don't go too far before Baker happens upon the naked body of a young man lying in the woods.  Baker is no stranger to dead bodies (after all, he communicates with the dead and helps the police in murder investigations), but in this instance, something unexpected happens.  There is no spirit.  There is no ghost waiting to give Baker some cryptic clue as to what happened to him.  Did the man die of natural causes or was he murdered?

Now let's look at that second visitor - Alexander Barnaby.  A flame of Thompson's back in the days just before he left for college.  Now, he's a big-time author, so he's famous and somewhat wealthy.  And he just so happens to be REALLY good looking.  And he is polite and the perfect gentleman.  And from the thoughts that Baker is able to read, he truly has no apparent inclination to rekindle that old relationship with Thompson.  So, why is Baker so uncomfortable around him?  Is it simply because he knows the other man used to be Thompson's lover?  Or is it because Thompson seems to be doing everything he can to please his old friend?  Is it simple jealousy or something else entirely?

This is a murder mystery, after all, so it isn't too long before another body turns up - this time, a young pizza delivery boy who just so happened to have a crush on Alexander Barnaby.  Baker and Thompson manage to work their way into the investigation (this is out of their jurisdiction, and the local Sheriff is none-too-keen on having interference from out-of-towners), and when they search the delivery boy's apartment, Baker discovers one of Barnaby's books which is autographed to the boy - along with Barnaby's phone number!  Baker is suspicious, but Thompson ignores his suspicions, writing it off as jealousy.

Wynne crafts a wonderfully twisted mystery this time around, giving poor Baker a difficult time in trying to determine if his psychic skills and intuition are failing him and he truly is feeding off his own jealousy, or if his instincts are right and Thompson is being sucked back into a relationship with the love of his past.  A third murder and a suspect taken into custody only adds more confusion to the mix, and when Baker is kidnapped and left to die, it puts his and Thompson's relationship to the ultimate test!

I think one of my favorite things about this book is Thompson's family.  Patricia (mother), Robert (father), Jeff (younger brother), and Sean (youngest brother) are the kind of family I would love to have!  The brothers banter and poke fun at one another.  The parents are loving but stern.  And the mother has no problems reaching out to her son's boyfriend to make sure he is welcomed into the family.  And their acceptance of Baker - psychic powers and all! - makes it all the more enjoyable to read.  These are the in-laws that every person would love to have!  Wynne provides very natural dialogue for the family, and none of it comes across too sappy or unrealistic.

Oh, and lest we all forget - Baker's arch-nemesis, Steven Pine, manages to worm his way into this book as well...

RATING:  8 glasses of gin and tonic out of 10 for mingling family drama with murder and psychic visions and keeping it thoroughly enjoyable to read!

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!

Hold Back the Dark - a Bishop / Special Crimes Unit Novel

With this book, author Kay Hooper brings her characters back to their roots - tracking down and fighting the darkness that is pure, unrelenting evil! For twenty years now, Hooper has provided readers with quite a few intriguing, page-turning murder mysteries that involve power psychics and dark, almost supernatural evil that Noah Bishop and his ever-growing team of psychic government agents must stop. The books have pretty nearly all been exceptional (we won't mention that whole alien story in the third Bishop Files novel....), and it seems that they were all leading to this...

Hold Back the Dark sets up the ultimate battle between Bishop and his team and an all-powerful, rage-filled energy that is about to be let loose on the world. A select number of psychics across the globe get a "call." Go to Prosperity. These psychics - some we know, some are new to us - each receive the message in their own unique way. Some don't hesitate to answer the call. Some are reluctant, but still know they need to go. And one, in particular, has absolutely no desire to go; he would rather forget he has any psychic abilities and just have a normal life. But normal for a psychic in the world of Noah Bishop is non-existent!

A darkness is growing in Prosperity, North Carolina. It is affecting the people that live there. A family man goes down in his basement and blows his brains out with a shotgun. A loving mother brutally kills her mother and children and then sits down and goes to sleep. A real estate salesman shoots and kills two prospective buyers, then calmly sits on the front porch, oblivious to what he just did. A police officer puts his hands around his wife's through, ready to kill her at the very thought that she cheated on him. The sheriff is at a loss as to how to explain what is going on in his tiny little town - but one of his officers knows something is wrong. Something is coming, and it will take more than either of them have to offer to stop this unseen force.

Enter the Special Crimes Unit.

As usual, Hooper brings together a unique group of psychics, and not even they know why each of them is there. With individual powers, unique to each of them, they must learn to trust each other, to depend on one another, in order to survive the coming battle. Even Dalton Davenport, who is bitter and has absolutely no desire to be there, must not only come to terms with the power he possesses, but he must face the fact that he is there for a purpose. This is what I really love about Hooper's books - they are all about the characters. Yes, there are horrific crimes that happen. Yes, there is always a big battle at the end, where the good guys face down the bad guys. And, yes, sometimes an innocent life is lost before all is said and done. But when it all comes down to it, these stories are about the people, about their lifes, their loves, and their learning how to cope with the unexplainable.

I enjoyed meeting Olivia, Logan, Reno, Dalton, Victoria, and Sully - I do hope that we see more of them in coming books. It was also cool to see Dr. Jill Eason, who appeared in Wait for Dark, as the medical examiner. Having some of the "non-essential" characters pop up now and again keep the continuity flowing and keep the world of the SCU grounded in some level of reality (even though we all know it's fiction).  How Hooper is able to keep all of these ever-growing number of psychics straight is a testament to her writing ability - plus, the sheer magnitude of the stories themselves!

Now, I won't spoil it by revealing the identity of the culprit, but I will admit I was kind of disappointed by the final confrontation. After all of the build up and the suspense leading up to it, plus the coming storm that was developing just over the town - I was really expecting a huge, all-out war. Instead, the final battle pretty much completes itself in just a couple of pages, with a not-so-spectacular climax that felt - well, very anti-climactic.  From everything that was building up within the story, I really was expecting this to be a culmination of ALL of the dark battles the teams have been fighting over the past 20 years - and maybe I just let me imagination run away with me.  It's my hope that Hooper is just laying the groundwork for something even bigger - and based upon her writing up until now, I will keep my trust in her to continue building the teams and building the suspense.

Overall, this was another fantastic read.  I see that another book, Hidden Salem, is set to come out later this year, so I know the SCU is not over yet, thank God!  Can't wait to see what Hooper has in store next!

RATING:  8 squeaky clean whiteboards out of 10 for holding back the dark in yet another tale of psychic suspense that keeps the fans' appetite whetted for more!

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!