Cherie Priest (The Toll; The
Inexplicables) is a prolific author who has published across genres,
including steampunk, horror and sci-fi. In Grave
Reservations, a smart and sassy first cozy mystery, she dips into the
paranormal, telling the story of a fledgling travel agent with often erratic
psychic tendencies.
Leda Foley of Seattle owns and
operates her own travel agency--Foley's Far-Fetched Flights of Fancy--and is
struggling to get it off the ground. Leda also experiences very "strong
feelings" and vibes about things. For fun, she practices her supernatural
skills at a local bar, where she clairvoyantly selects karaoke for customers.
When Leda books a flight heading out of Orlando, Fla., for Seattle Police
detective Grady Merritt, a widowed father of a 17-year-old daughter, she gets a
flash of insight that he should not board the plane. It leads her to
proactively change his flight plans, redirecting him into Atlanta.
Leda's hasty decision upsets Grady.
However, when Leda's hunch spares the detective from a fatal plane accident, it
creates a bond. When grateful Grady returns to Seattle, the two begin a secret
partnership, where the detective enlists Leda's psychic ability to help solve a
cold case. In the process, demons from Leda's and Grady's pasts resurface,
forcing them both to tie up loose threads and reconcile respective losses.
Polished prose, steady pacing and
quirky characters, including Leda's lovable and loyal, long-term best
friend--along with a cast of eccentric bar patrons--add levity and wit to this
suspenseful story that unravels darker themes.
Grave
Reservations: Booking Agents Book One by Cherie Priest
Atria Books (Simon and Schuster), $26.00
Hardcover, 9781982168896, 304 pages
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE
NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being
posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review
on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (October 29, 2021),
link HERE