Murder of a Hermit

February 27, 2017
At the start of Hockensmith and Falco’s sprightly third Tarot mystery (after 2015’s Fool Me Once), Alanis McLachlan gets a major-league shock when her con-man surrogate father, Biddle, shows up at the White Magic Five and Dime, the store Alanis inherited from her late con-artist mother, in Berdache, Ariz. Alanis believed he died 30 years earlier after angry gangsters took him for a walk into an Ohio cornfield from which he never returned. Biddle’s resurrection coincides with the odd disappearance of a customer, who vanished after asking to use the White Magic’s restroom. And Alanis, who narrowly escapes being run down by a car, becomes a person of interest to the local police after another customer, who identified himself to her as Mike Brown, CPA, is found dead with one of her business cards in his possession. The authors keep the surprises coming while maintaining a consistently humorous tone. Agent: Josh Getzler, Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency.

February 15, 2017
A fortuneteller gets the surprise of her life.Alanis McLachlan (Fool Me Once, 2015, etc.) has walked a long path from pawn in her late mother's con game to owner of the White Magic Five and Dime. Now a legit tarot reader, she can decipher a standard Celtic Cross layout quicker than you can say "King of Cups." So why did the cards not give her a heads-up that James McDonald, aka Biddle, didn't die in a cornfield all those years ago but instead was about to descend like a thunderbolt onto picturesque Berdache, Arizona, bringing a cavalcade of small-time grifters on his trail? The 70-something African-American's abrupt arrival unleashes quite a bit of family angst for Alanis' mixed-race teenage sister, Clarice. It also brings Trump-style tycoon Ulf Pichler, unkempt Glenn Budziak, and detective Robert Dryja, all looking for something they want that Biddle probably has. When Dryja's body turns up in his room at cushy Devil's Ridge Lodge with a card from White Magic in his pocket, Detective Daniel Burby briefly makes it onto the list of Alanis' problems, but he's soon eclipsed by a couple of geriatric old-school mobsters. And the geezers are pushed to the back burner when someone aims an Uzi at Alanis and takes down a passing pigeon. It's every man, woman, and teen for himself as the authors uncork their third free-wheeling adventure set in the craziest town west of Maggody, Arkansas.

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March 1, 2017

Hockensmith (known also for his "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" novels and the award-winning Holmes on the Range), and tarot expert Falco, continue their quirky series featuring reformed con artist and tarot reader Alanis McLachlan. Alanis is still attempting to right the wrongs of her late con artist mother, who left Alanis the White Magic Five & Dime, in Berdache, AZ. As usual, danger is in the cards for Alanis when a customer dies shortly after an ominous reading, and the supposedly dead Biddle, a key figure from her past, turns up in Berdache with some unpleasant types on his trail. There is also the possibility of romance, but it isn't clear if teacher Victor Castellanos or a dangerously attractive bad boy will have the better hand to play. As usual, Alanis is assisted in her crime fighting by her half sister Clarice and CeeCee, Clarice's girlfriend. VERDICT The authors' third outing (after Fool Me Once) is a diverting series title filled with eccentric protagonists and engaging banter, insights into the art of the grift, and tantalizing love interests. Apt to appeal to Jim Swain fans and lovers of Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg's "Fox and Hare" series.--ACT

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2024
Sisters Hope and Summer Bailey, who own an alternative-therapies boutique in North Carolina, don their amateur-sleuthing hats once again (after Death Rides a Pony, 2022). One day, the sisters notice a strange man lingering outside their shop, dressed in a long cape and holding what appears to be a lantern--just like the Hermit from the tarot deck. But they're distracted by the presence of a woman who's introduced as "Madam Gina." The sisters immediately dislike her; she claims to be a s�ance-hosting medium, but they're sure she's a fraud. However, with a prowler in their cellar, two invaluable "spell books" missing from their bookshelves, a man murdered next to their house, and the sisters accused of his murder, Hope and Summer have plenty of other things to worry about. Determined to clear their names, recover the missing spell books, and establish whether the mysterious Madam Gina is a money-grubbing fraud, the sisters launch an investigation. With a dash of romance, plenty of suspense, some gentle humor, and a satisfying conclusion, this has everything dedicated cozy fans will love.

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April 15, 2024
Supernatural sisters must unravel the death of an apparent incarnation of their Hermit tarot card. It's as if the tarot cards have come to life when Megan Steele tells her friends Hope and Summer Bailey that she's just seen a living embodiment of the Hermit near Bailey's Boutique, their Asheville mystic shop. The sisters joke that the pain pills their pal's been taking for an injured leg are making her see things, but Megan insists that the Hermit, a seeker of wisdom, is corporeal, complete with lantern and cloak. And really, Hope and Summer shouldn't be too surprised at supernatural manifestations popping up in their everyday, since magic runs in the family. Hearing Megan's fear puts the sisters on edge. When a man enters the shop, it's only Dylan Henshaw, who's seeking not wisdom but Hope's attention. Still, the mood is tense as neighbor Miranda Larson joins the chat to report that she's seen the Hermit too, and he's been trying to break into the sisters' cellar. Hope and Summer try to shore up any safety concerns with the help of the police, especially Nate Phillips, who has a keen interest in Summer's well-being, but exploring further reveals only that the Hermit, whoever he is, has already been inside their house. The sisters soon find his drowned body with a very personal book in his possession, a book that could reveal the truth about Hope and Summer's magical connections. The sisters have to make sure they aren't accused of the Hermit's death while also decoding who might be behind it--and just how their book is involved. Newcomers to the Fortune Telling series may find it hard to surmount the obstacles to the payoff.

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