Wednesday, November 2, 2016

LETHAL OUTLOOK by Victoria Laurie



Publisher:     NAL
Published:    June 4, 2103
ISBN:        978-0451414908
Genre:       Cozy Mystery
Format:     Print
Obtained via:  Publisher  
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

FOUR HEARTS


Back in Austin and slowly but surely recovering from her caper with the CIA psychic Abby Cooper is planning her wedding to FBI Agent Dutch Rivers.  Well, she’s not exactly doing the planning.  It’s actually her sister Cat who is doing the planning.  Actually it’s more like orchestrating the invasion of Normandy given Cat’s love of attention to detail and a flair for the spectacular.  And that is so not Abby so Abby has engaged in her own plan which is to avoid Cat.  Meanwhile she has also been avoiding Dave, the contractor building her and Dutch’s future home.  Along with avoiding any of the details needed to be completed to move ahead with her marriage to Dutch, a mysterious new client appears in her office.

Ms. Smith…not her real name of course, appears in a wig, dark glasses and all but her face and nose covered up.  And her story is really quite strange—she professes to be an attorney who is aware that a client of her firm may have killed someone. Ms. Smith will say little, if anything, except she suspects foul play.  Not one to leave such an odd story alone, Abby engages her business partner, PI Candice Fusco, to join her in the search for this missing woman who Abby knows without a doubt is dead.  Can they find the killer before he strikes again?

After my disappointment with VISION IMPOSSIBLE, the Psychic Eye mystery just prior to this one, I was thrilled when LETHAL OUTLOOK had Abby back to being the character I love.  Laurie’s signature quick wit comes through not just Abby but Candice as well.  I did start to get a little bored by the repetitive references to her aching hips—reminded me of a co-worker of mine who starts every conversation with a litany of her aches and pains.  But kudos to Abby (and of course Ms. Laurie for her taking Abby in that direction) to have her goal being able to walk without her cane on her wedding day rather than a lot of other petty little details that could be raised.  That’s part of what I mean about Abby being the Abby I’ve come to consider one of the best mystery sleuths out there. 

Laurie does a great job with the twists and turns in this one, leading up to the killer being revealed.  She throws out just enough information for the reader to guess along with Abby and Candice and still be surprised at the outcome. 



This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

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