Victoria Laurie, Better Read than Dead

Victoria Laurie, Better Read than Dead - Though he won the lottery and retired from the Royal Oak, Michigan, police department, Milo Johnson works part-time helping the understaffed police with solving crimes. Currently, he is working on the case of a serial rapist. At the same time, psychic Abby Cooper warns a client not to procrastinate when she shops; Cathy Shultz is disappointed in the reading until she delays her shopping that night and becomes the latest rape victim.

Abby's friend Kendal calls in a favor so she is working with him at the Kapordelis wedding when she sees a hitman's aura; the family of the bride is a mob family. Abby works with Milo to stop the rapist, but neither piece together her latest clue leading to a rape-homicide. Andros Kapordelis demands she help him choose which of his sons is best to carry on the business after he dies from cancer. Meanwhile, her main squeeze Dutch Rivers is an FBI agent in training and is embarrassed that his Abby is a psychic. All three of Abby's situations come together in one final reading that could leave her joining her crew on the other side.

This reviewer foresees a long run for ABIGAIL COOPER, PSYCHIC EYE as her second tale BETTER READ THAN DEAD is a fabulous, paranormal detective thriller with Abby yanked by both sides of the law as well as her disillusionment with Dutch. Abby keeps the plot focused whether she is jealous fighting with Dutch, talking with the crew, helping Milo solve the case, or accepting an offer she can't refuse. Victoria Laurie provides a lighthearted, entertaining, psychic, amateur sleuth novel that will entertain the clairvoyant cozy crowd.

Signet, Jun 2005, $6.99, 304 pp.

ISBN: 0451215583

Harriet Klausner