Book Review: You've Got Tail (Peculiar Mysteries) by Renee George

You've Got Tail is the first book in the Peculiar Mysteries series by Renee George. Sunny Haddock, an animal-loving vegetarian psychic, is stoked to leave California behind to start a new life in the Ozark town of Peculiar with her best friend Chavvah Trimmel. She ups the moving date when Chav goes missing, and Sunny high tails it to the small town. What Sunny doesn’t realize is that she’s moving into a tight knit community that does not want another resident. When the gorgeous Babel Trimmel, Chav's younger brother, (along with the sheriff, the mayor, and some other nice folk) suggests Sunny haul her U-haul and butt back out of town, she’s undeterred. Her psychic abilities might be out-of-whack, and blood makes her faint, but she’s not a quitter. Besides, she's not about to go anywhere until she finds out what happened to Chavvah. But Sunny has more to deal with than unfriendly townsfolk, like disturbing killer visions and the dog-like animal no one else sees that seems to be stalking her every move. To make matters worse, she is finding Babel to be more irresistible than crack on a donut. Sunny needs to get her ability and her hormones under control if she wants to solve the mystery and save her best friend.

You've Got Tail is quirky and fun- pretty much what I expected from the cover and blurb. Sunny is a character with a lot of heart, but not always a stable train of thought. I liked Sunny's determination and some of her observations. I enjoyed Babel, but felt like I could have gotten more of his character through the story, I liked what I saw I just wanted more depth. I found the mystery about the town and Chav's disappearance was well done, and I enjoyed the characters of the strange little town and the layers to all the secrets they hid. I found some of Sunny's mental tangents highly entertaining, and others less amusing. However, I think it worked for the story. I did not really connect with the characters, partially because of Sunny's distracted way of thinking, but I died enjoy the ride and am more than a little curious to see where the series goes from here. 

You've Got Tail is a fun romance with a good touch or suspense and mystery. I enjoyed the read and look forward to catching up with the following books.

Book Review: A Panicked Premonition (Psychic Eye Mystery) by Victoria Laurie

A Panicked Premonition is the fifteenth book in the Psychic Eye Mystery series by Victoria Laurie. I read many of this series, but am certain I missed some along the way.  I think most fans of the author, even if they missed a book or two, will be able to catch on quickly. However, some newcomers to the series might get lost in the relationships and quirks of the series.

Professional psychic and FBI consultant Abby Cooper has used her inner visions to get her out of many a scrape—and solve many a crime—but she’s about to face a murder scene that will put all her powers to the test. Abby’s husband Dutch has a side business providing security and building panic rooms for wealthy clients. One morning, one of Dutch’s partners, Dave, goes missing on his way to meet a client. Abby’s intuition tells her something terrible has happened to him.  Then two of Dutch’s clients are found brutally murdered inside their brand new panic room, and most of the evidence points to Dave as the killer.  With the authorities racing to find and arrest him, Abby's got to use all her intuitive prowess to get to Dave first, discover the real killer, and save her husband's business. This is one case where Abby is positive there’s far more to this mystery than meets her inner eye.

A Panicked Premonition holds up well in the genre of cozy mysteries. I found that Abby and her friends continue to grow and change as the world around them effects them. I like that they so obviously care about each other, and tell each other the truth- even when it might be hard. I also like that the mystery is multi layered, and while I quickly decided that it was not the obvious culprit- the final reveal left me stunned on a few small details. I liked the way the psychic flavor was worked into the story, definitely playing its role without coming in as campy or solving the entire case with out overcoming actual detective work. I loved seeing the interactions between Abby, Dutch, and the rest of the crew as they settle into life as married couples, and working together in their own way. The characters and the solid mystery kept me eager to see what would happen on the next page, and how Abby might react. I did feel like I might have missed a book or two, or perhaps it has just been too long since I read the previous book, because I did not remember some little things mentioned or alluded to in the book. 

A Panicked Premonition is a wonderful continuation to the series, and had me guessing until the very end. The characters and writing style have stayed consistent, and the mysteries seem to have gotten more complicated and compelling. 

Book Review: Deja Who (Insighter) by MaryJanice Davidson

Deja Who is the first book in the Insighter series by MaryJanice Davidson. Leah Nazir is an Insighter. Reincarnation is her business. But while her clients' pasts are a mess, Leah's is nothing short of tragedy. She's been murdered. A lot. If left to that bitch, destiny, it'll happen again. Leah wants to know who's been following her through time, and who's been stalking her in the present. P.I. Archer Drake has been hired by Leah's mother to keep an eye on her. But the more time he spends watching, the more he finds himself infatuated. Before long, he even finds himself agreeing to help find the person who wants her dead. Now going full-on "rewind," Leah hopes it can stave off the inevitable. After all, she's grown fond of this life, and even fonder of nerdy Archer. But changing her pattern means finding out who her killer is today. And that could be anyone she has come to know and trust. Anyone.

Deja Who has a little bit of everything. There is some worldbuilding, to understand the importance of past lives, and Leah's job to see and explain how those lives could be effecting the daily lives of her clients. The characters are all more than a little quirky, but self- aware of their flaws and idiosyncrasies, which made their conversations, thoughts, and expositions that much more interesting and strange. Leah, Cat, and Archer are all odd people, but in a way that makes them enjoyable to read- most of the time. I have to admit that on occasion it got to be too much and their quirks crossed the line between fun and cute to hit weird and annoying. I found that the mystery part of the book got off to a slow start, because of the world and character building that was necessary to get readers to care about our main players. However, once the mystery got going it was unstoppable and moved very quickly toward the resolution. I liked returning to the quirky writing of Davidson, but am not sure if I will keep following the series. I think that will depend on the blurb for the next book.

Deja Who is full of wacky characters, with a solid mystery interwoven through the insanity. Fans of Davisdon's Queen Betsy series, and other quirky characters she has written, will enjoy this book as well.