Death at First Sight
A Bay Island Psychic Mystery, Book #1
By Lena Gregory
ISBN: 9780425282748
Author Website: lenagregory.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis:
Since she left her psychiatric practice in New York City to open up a psychic shop in her hometown on Long Island, Cass Donovan has given her fair share of readings to conflicted customers. But what she sees in Ellie Hawkins’ future doesn’t bode well.
When Ellie’s mother Marge publicly confronts Cass about the reading, the embarrassment makes her want to curl up and die. But when she later stumbles across Marge’s body—and is arrested for her murder—Cass is suddenly the star of Bay Island’s rumor mill.
Out on bail, Cass is determined to prove her innocence and save Ellie from meeting the fate in her unfortunate vision. But even with the help of her friends Bee and Stephanie, Cass will have to channel some serious sleuthing instinct to find the real killer…(Goodreads)
Review:
Cass Donovan is a former psychiatrist turned psychic proprietor of Mystic Musings. She grew up on Bay Island and returns to her roots after her parents pass away, but she has been gone long enough that the town does not really treat her as one of their own. While doing a reading for one of her steady clients, she sees a shadow and gets a bad feeling about her client Ellie. Later on, Cass is publicly accosted by Ellie’s mother Marge, warning her to leave Ellie alone. Now Cass is not sure if her sense of foreboding is about Ellie, Marge, herself, or someone else entirely until she comes across Marge’s body in the local theater. Chief of Police Langdon seems to have quickly concluded that Cass is the only suspect, and Cass decides that she must investigate and find the real killer. Otherwise, she will find herself behind bars for good.
Death at First Sight is the first book in the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series, but throughout the first part of the book I felt like I was missing something, like there were previous books in the series with a back story that I am not privy to. Eventually, missing details are filled in, but I never really lost that feeling. I can only hope that Gregory will fill in the rest of the blanks in future installments. I do not feel like we get to know Cass very well. Not that her character is not well developed, just that there are not a lot of tidbits that make her seem like a relatable, real person. I never get the feeling that she believes in psychic ability so I am left with this unsavory sense that she is taking people for a ride. Now, I do fully believe that she draws on her psychiatry knowledge and education and intuition to “read” people, but the color readings, crystals, and such I wonder about.
The supporting characters are likable. Cass’s childhood best friend Stephanie and her husband Tank seem like they would be fun to hang out with. Fashion designer Bee is definitely not a cookie cutter character, but I had a hard time deciding how I should feel about him. At first, I thought he was drag queen-ish, but then settled on gay with an ultra flamboyant fashion sense. I could not help but chuckle when, at one point, he is described as a bear on stilts. Their loyal friendship to Cass is inspiring. Stranger Luke is secretive enough through most of the book to both annoy and pique my interest, and I am curious to see if he will be featured in future books. And, of course, the dog Beast is a great addition to the story. I love him.
The mystery itself is pretty solid. Marge is sufficiently dislikable for readers to not mourn her passing. Ellie, as the abused daughter, makes a reasonable suspect, as does her abusive, philandering husband Jay. There are other suspects that come and go, but the identity of the murderer is what saves Death at First Sight for me.
I am conflicted about my feelings about Death at First Sight. Overall, it is better than OK. I am not sure, though, if I will continue on with the series as more books are published.
