Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Summary from GoodReads:
Meet Leda Foley: devoted friend, struggling travel agent, and inconsistent psychic. When Leda, sole proprietor of Foley’s Flights of Fancy, impulsively re-books Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt’s flight, her life changes in ways she couldn’t have predicted.
After watching his original plane blow up from the safety of the airport, Grady realizes that Leda’s special abilities could help him with a cold case he just can’t crack.
Despite her scattershot premonitions, she agrees for a secret reason: her fiancé’s murder remains unsolved. Leda’s psychic abilities couldn’t help the case several years before, but she’s been honing her skills and drawing a crowd at her favorite bar’s open-mic nights, where she performs Klairvoyant Karaoke—singing whatever song comes to mind when she holds people’s personal effects. Now joined by a rag-tag group of bar patrons and pals alike, Leda and Grady set out to catch a killer—and learn how the two cases that haunt them have more in common than they ever suspected.
“The world is full of things we can’t control. All we can do is keep trying, keep working. Keep investigating until we finally dig down to the truth.”
Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest
Confession:
What a fun and delightful book this was. So different from her other works that I have read, but that was super ok! Although I did keep expecting that something supernatural and dark was going to crawl out at any moment, it never did. But that was fine as I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading.
Leda was a delightful character and I just loved her enthusiasm and spirit. She was tough to, and determined to get her fledgling travel agency growing as well as understanding her psychic abilities. She had a loyal friend in Niki, who was her confidant in all things. She was also her support system when times were tough. Leda is still grieving for her fiance who was murdered several years ago, and it is this grief that drives her to help Det. Merritt. I so enjoyed her Klairvoyant Karaoke, which I would totally go and see if I could.
Grady Merritt was also a terrific character. He is totally dedicated to his job, but is willing to think outside of the box when he needs to. I loved his relationship with his daughter, who I hope we see more of in the next book. Grady thinks fast on his feet and was as tough as they get, but he still had a soft spot for both Leda and Niki.
“‘Your life has never been normal.”
“But wouldn’t it be nice if it was?”
Niki shrugged. “I don’t know. Sounds boring to me.”
“I could use a little boring right now.”‘
Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest
Lots of other quirky and colorful secondary characters which just added to the ambiance that is Seattle. The setting was perfect, and of course felt very authentic. (The author lives here in the Emerald City.) I loved that she included little digs, like the traffic and how much we love coffee, into the narrative. She also included real places as well as made up ones.
The plot is well done with lots of twists and suspects to keep you guessing as to who the murderer is. The ending was a little intense and I loved the little scene where Leda does a big reveal and explains how it all makes sense. It was a fun ride with lots of good banter between characters. The big plus in my book was that there was absolutely no romance or hints of romances to come. I am hoping it stays that way.
A well done mystery that is as cozy as a rainy day in Seattle. It will keep you smiling until the end. A very nice start to what I hope will be a long series.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 