The Telltale Turtle (The Pet Psychic Mysteries)
The husband-and-wife writing team of Joyce and Jim Lavene (authors of the Sharyn Howard and Stock Car Racing mysteries) have created a promising new cozy series. Pet psychic, radio host, four-time widow, and dedicated rescuer of distressed animals, Mary Catherine rushes in to help a turtle stranded in a house, only to stumble over a body. With the rescued turtle as the only witness, MC works with the initially skeptical police to discover the real murderer. In true, small-town style, everyone she encounters is an acquaintance and a suspect. An eccentric and fascinating cast of human and animal characters populate MC’s life in this delightful story, which combines charming ambience with a fast pace and several hair-raising near-death incidents. The Lavenes effectively mix the southern, small-town setting of Rita Mae Brown’s Sneaky Pie series with talking cats in the manner of Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s Joe Grey. Essential for pet-mystery readers. --Jessica Moyer