Review and Giveaway: Trouble Vision

Trouble Vision (Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery - Book 3) by Allison Kingsley

Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425251985
ISBN-13: 978-0425251980

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Allison Kingsley (aka Kate Kingsbury, Doreen Roberts, and Rebecca Kent) on the WEB: Webpage, Blog, Facebook, Goodreads, LibraryThing, FantasticFiction, Cozy-Mystery

Books in the Series:

Mind Over Murder (2011), A Sinister Sense (2012), Trouble Vision (2013)

Coverart: Click on the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Trouble Vision, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

In quaint Finn's Harbor, Maine, cousins and best friends Clara and Stephanie Quinn run The Raven's Nest bookstore. But thanks to Clara's ability to read minds and see the future, selling books sometimes gets shelved in favor of saving lives 

When the new mayor calls a press conference about the controversial hotel resort being built on the edge of the city, the residents of Finn's Harbor have an opportunity to express their concerns about traffic and tourists. But when the debating turns into outright fighting, Clara gets a premonition that's nothing but trouble.

While Stephanie is enthralled with her cousin's vision, Clara just wants it to go away. Then a customer comes into The Raven's Nest talking about a fatal fall at the hotel's construction site, and Clara knows better than to ignore her Quinn Sense. In a town full of citizens who want the project to fail, Clara and Stephanie have to figure out who made the jump from anger to murder.

Thoughts:

Allison Kingsley continues the Raven's Nest Bookstore series with a third novel, Trouble Vision. Kingsley is no stranger to the cozy world, writing several series' under more than one pseudonym. She has over 60 books to her credit and her wisdom and experience is evident in her latest novel. Kingsley's use of the paranormal in this series is exceptional. She blends both genres to create something new. Readers who are unafraid of cozies with an edge will enjoy this one!

I'm a big fan of the paranormal. Usually that goes along with werewolves, vampires and the occasional fae. In Trouble Vision, Allison Kingsley takes a more traditional route with her paranormal sensibilities. Main character, Clara has the "sense". More of a psychic type of paranormal experience is what readers will find in this one. It harks back to the old stories from my childhood of friends and family who just seemed to "know things" as my grandfather would say. It made me a bit nostalgic, but I also found it very interesting.

Clara can sometimes read minds, she may have premonitions or even the occasional dream that directs her in a certain way. But her sense isn't exactly reliable. Sometimes it's right on the money, other times not so much. I liked the fact that Kingsley made it seem like Clara was uncomfortable with her gift, that she didn't really want it, while her cousin and partner in crime, Stephanie wishes she had it. It makes these cousins the perfect amateur sleuthing pair. Kingsley plays them off of each other, creating a great crime solving duo. I think readers will enjoy their banter as the try to figure out whodunit.

Finn's Harbor is one of those little towns that writers sometimes create that readers wish really existed. It's the kind of town I'd love to live in. Being in New England I can imagine how the seasons change and what it would look like. Maine is one of my favorite states and I love it when I find a good series that is set there. The townspeople are intriguing, full of surprises and they have a wit and charm all their own. Kingsley has given readers a place to feel at home. Comfortable. 

I liked the fact that Kingsley doesn't make every character a saint, she doesn't tell you everything about everybody off the bat nor does she assume that the reader is clueless. Kingsley lets the story breathe. She lets the reader draw their own conclusions as the clues start to pile up and the puzzle pieces start to fall into place. I did not have this one figured out until the end, though I did narrow it down to a couple of suspects. When a writer can stump me, I consider that a very good book. 

Trouble Vision is available NOW at your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

 

 Doreen Roberts Hight is the best-selling author of sixty-plus books which have sold all over the world. She writes romances as Doreen Roberts and mysteries as Kate Kingsbury, Rebecca Kent and Allison Kingsley. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads and various review sites. Her upstairs/downstairs mystery series featuring the Pennyfoot Hotel will release the 20th book in the series in November 2012.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Trouble Vision by Allison Kingsley.

~You must be a GFC follower or Email subscriber to participate.
~US addresses only (publisher request)
~The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight, EST June 28th.

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