Leda Foley of Leda Foley's Far-Fletched Flights of Fancy cringed at her phone screen. ~ opening of Grave Reservations
Crime Fiction; 304 pgs
Business is not exactly booming for travel agent and inconsistent psychic Leda Foley who is trying to keep her business Foley's Flights of Fancy afloat, but she is managing the best she can. Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt isn't too thrilled when his travel agent changes his flight at the last minute, but it isn't long before he realizes she did it to save his life. As a last ditch effort to solve a cold case he is struggling with, he reaches out to Leda for help. The more Grady and Leda dig, there are signs that a mystery from Leda's past may be connected to Grady's cold case.
Leda, sometimes joined by her best friend Niki, can overwhelm Grady at times, but they make a good team when all is said and done. Leda is not very confident in her psychic abilities, but she is gung ho about helping Grady in his investigation. And if if helps her figure out what happened to her deceased fiancé, all the better. Grady's more practical thoughtful approach balances out Leda's more impulsive one. Their methods and teaming up may be unconventional, but it makes for an entertaining mystery.
Some of my favorite moments took place at the nightclub Castaways where where Leda hones her psychic skills by performing karaoke, singing whatever song come to mind after she touches someone's personal item. While these scenes may not be directly related to the mystery, they offer more insight into Leda's character and that of her growing abilities.
Author Cherie Priest mixes humor, the paranormal, and mystery in the first of a promising new series. I enjoyed the back and forth between the characters and the twists and turns of the mystery. Which is why I did not wait too long before jumping into the second book in the Booking Agents series, Flight Risk.
The man in the red plaid shirt fought to get away. ~ opening of Flight Risk
Atria, 2022
Crime Fiction; 304 pgs
Since her success in helping to solve a murder case in Grave Reservations, people have reached out to Leda to find their missing objects and pets, but now she's being asked to find a missing person. The missing woman's brother is desperate to find her. Leda warns her client her psychic abilities are inconsistent and do not always lead to results, but they both agree she will give it a try.
Meanwhile, detective Grady and his teenage daughter come across an unexpected discovery while searching for their runaway dog, Cairo, in Mount Rainier National Park. They find him, alright--carrying a detached human leg in his mouth. Through some luck, a DNA match comes back fairly quickly, and Grady has a lead. Although, nothing proves to be quite that easy. Where is the rest of the body? And what exactly happened?
It's a given Leda and Grady's cases must be related somehow--but I will keep mum to avoid spoilers. Leda and Grady team up to work with each other, along with the occasional help of Leda's bestfriend, Niki. Leda's psychic hunches and Grady's policework can hopefully lead them to the answers they are looking for.
Leda and Grady make a very unusual team--a generation of differences which stand out more in this novel than the last, but those differences work to their advantage more often than not. I admit there were a couple of times I cringed on Grady's behalf when Leda and Niki overstepped the bounds of the investigation--but that could be more because I relate slightly more to Grady as a character. Leda is a great character in her own right though, and I am always rooting for her.
Like in the last book, Leda's Klairvoyant Karaoke performances were among my favorite moments--I cannot help but wish I could take part in one of her shows! This second book in the series was as funny as the first, the mystery even more tangled (in a good way) and an overall enjoyable read.
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