The White Magic Five & Dime (A Tarot Mystery)
Alanis McLachlan is shocked to discover that her murdered mother, from whom Alanis had been estranged for 20 years, has left her daughter, of all things, a tarot shop in Berdache, Arizona. Why would she do such a thing, knowing that Alanis would see tarot reading as just another con in her mother’s long history of scams. Could the shop have something to do with why she was murdered? Intrigued in spite of herself, Alanis goes to Arizona and finds even more unanswered questions, chief among them, Who is the suspicious teenage girl who was living with Alanis’ mother? Filled with humor, this engaging mystery turns many staples of the amateur-sleuth story on their heads, with each chapter bringing new quirks and ­surprises—Alanis even finds herself drawn to the tarot cards and discovers an ability to use her readings to help people. Hockensmith, author of the award-winning Big Red/Old Red series, and coauthor Falco deliver a charming comic mystery, which one hopes is the beginning of a series. --Amy Alessio