September 12, 2022
At the start of Priest’s lively sequel to 2021’s Grave Reservations, Det. Grady Merritt of the Seattle PD and his teenage daughter, Molly, are searching Mount Rainier for their lost dog, Cairo, when Cairo appears with a human leg in its mouth. Where did the leg come from? And where’s the rest of the person? From Cairo’s poop, Molly recovers a man’s wedding ring, which Grady brings to psychic Leda Foley to test for possible clues. Meanwhile, Leda is looking into the case of a local landscaper who disappeared from a construction site several weeks before and whom nobody reported missing. Though resolving the two cases begins slowly, Leda and Grady eventually discover links between the two and, with the help of some “woo-woo stuff” from Leda, the investigations proceed in surprising and ultimately highly satisfying directions. The dynamic between Generation-X Leda and the staid Grady, a widower, is friendly and realistic. After overcoming his initial skepticism having been overcome, Grady has faith in Leda’s ability to make connections that prove key to solving the conundrums they face. Readers will be eager to see whether anything beyond a collegiality develops between them in their next adventure. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson, & Lerner.
June 10, 2024
Ulka Simone Mohanty and Timothy Andr�s Pabon narrate Priest's second "Booking Agents" novel (after Grave Reservations) with equanimity. Though the novel begins with a detached leg and focuses on two missing-person cases, the narration style and the frequent humorous asides keep the mystery firmly within the cozy category. Returning listeners will surely enjoy revisiting their favorite characters from the first novel. Mohanty and Pabon excel at creating distinct voices, but as is often the case with dual narration, it takes a few chapters to reconcile each narrator's different voicing of the characters. Both narrators employ spot-on comedic timing to keep the story amusing without diminishing the seriousness of the crimes. Their narration creates a sense of community that brings a smile as it strikes the right note. This is less a mystery to be solved by forensics than one that navigates complicated relationships. Magic, mystery, romance, with a little Klairvoyant Karaoke thrown in for good measure--this is a sequel that's sure to please. VERDICT Share this lighthearted mystery with patrons who enjoyed Charlaine Harris's "Southern Vampire Mysteries."--Matthew Galloway
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