Happy Monday afternoon, everyone!
I just want to say a quick "hey" to my friend Bobbie at
'Til We Read Again! Congratulations on reaching 100 awesome blog posts! If you haven't already, you should take a gander at her wonderful blog!
Now, onto other business.
I just finished reading
A Timely Vision 
by Joyce and Jim Lavene. This is the first in an all-new series, "Missing Pieces" mysteries. Hopefully, the series will continue to include books as great as the first one!
Dae O'Donnell is the mayor of Duck, North Carolina - a tiny seashore town on the Outer Banks. She is also the owner of Missing Pieces - an antique and "treasures" store, where each piece she sells has meaning. Not only that, but Dae also has a "gift" of sorts. She is the finder of lost things. All she has to do is hold the hand of someone who is searching for something, and she can "see" in her mind the lost item, be it keys, a memento, or, in this case - the watch of the town matriarch, Miss Mildred. It just so happens that the watch is found on her sister, Miss Elizabeth's wrist. Make that: her dead sister's wrist!
When it becomes clear that Miss Elizabeth was murdered, and with the two sisters having a history of bickering and not getting along, it doesn't take long before the local police chief is looking at Miss Mildred as the main suspect. With the evidence starting to stack up against her, it is up to Dae to try to clear the old lady's good name. She enlists the help of her new friend Kevin Brickman, who is the new guy in town and a retired FBI agent. What Dae and Kevin find out is that secrets abound in a small town, and not everyone is as innocent as they appear!
I really enjoyed this book. It was a leisurely mystery that had me guessing almost 'till the very end. I love the character of Dae, a thirty-something whose mother died when she was younger, and who now lives with her elderly grandfather, retired sheriff of Duck.
Her psychic "gift" is a clever take on the paranormal novels that seem to be becoming more and more prevalent these days. It wasn't over the top paranormalcy, though... just enough to add another layer to the mystery. There were even a few ghost mentions, as the town of Duck seems to be known for its occasional other-worldly visitors!
All in all, I really liked this first mystery. It was fun and the characters were likable. It definitely feels like a "beach read", as it takes place on the Outer Banks and there was much mention of the ocean and boardwalk that so many tourists flock to on their summer holidays. I could almost smell and feel the salty sea air of Duck as I was reading. The authors definitely did a bang-up job with the setting, and I look forward to more of Dae's adventures and the hint of romance with Kevin.
A great summer read that will have you longing for sweet ocean breezes and the slow pace of a friendly Southern town.
*****this book was graciously sent to me by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was in no way compensated to give a positive review.
