Allison Kingsley

I have not read the first book in this series and don't think I will. When I went through the bags of mysteries my mom got for free at a book exchange, I mostly picked out ones that were culinary and/or book related to take to read. I didn't think to also check if any were paranormals.

I do have to say that for a paranormal, the use of paranormal powers was very understated in this book, but it was almost to the point that I wondered why the author bothered with it at all. It seemed like there were ways the main character could have found the information without relying on a sixth sense--one she doesn't even want to boot.

I also give the author credit for using a dog rather than the stereotypical cat, but the dog didn't stand out as a character for me. The writing and the plot are decent. I figured out who the murderer was before it was revealed by the author.… (mehr)

Another book in the series surrounding the adventures of two cousins, Clara and Stephanie, and the Raven's Nest bookstore in a small town in Maine. Stephanie owns the bookstore, along with being a mom to 3 kids and a wife to a great guy, and Clara has the Quinn Sense that comes on her from time to time. It is definitely a genre fiction book with an interesting murder mystery right at the beginning, and plot twists that left me guessing until the who done it" got revealed at the end and it was a quick lunchtime read. Here's my drawback with it: when I pulled it out of its Bag of Neglect (with all the other books in there!), I couldn't remember if I had read it already. The setting of the bookstore, the relationship between the cousins, the protaganist Clara and her Quinn sense, the store's storeroom were all very familiar between this book and its predecessor, A Sinister Sense. And Stephanie is a little too whiney and Mom-y for the first part of the book. So it may be a facet of the genre, but I hope it does change a bit with the remaining books Allison Kingsley writes. On the plus side, the life in a small town in Maine is certainly small town, the struggles between Clara and her mother are real-world struggles, and the friendship between the cousins speaks volumes about Clara's ability to have love and struggles in her personal life. The doubtfulness of the police department about fall vs. murder brings more realism to the plot, since many of the clues come from Clara's Quinn Sense and she doesn't want to reveal this aspect to her small town neighbors. And the experiences of working in a small business with customers and characters are certainly well drawn. Overall a very good fun read and recommended for mystery fans."… (mehr)