High Crimes on the Magical Plane
A Samantha
Brennan and Annabelle Haggerty Mystery
Kris
Neri
Red Coyote Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9766733-5-5 (0976673355)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9766733-5-4 (9780976673354)
Publication Date: November 2009
List Price: $16.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Imagine the surprise of scam psychic, Samantha Brennan, when she encounters the real thing: an honest-to-heavens Celtic goddess, hidden beneath the steely exterior of FBI Special Agent Annabelle Haggerty. Yet Annabelle's magical powers might not be enough when America's sweet and sexy movie star, Molly Claire, is made the centerpiece of a gangland siege that brings the City of Angels to its knees. And if Annabelle and her family of deities are no match for the Demon of Darkness that she believes is masterminding LA's own Armageddon, what chance does a poor little fake like Samantha have?
Review: Kris
Neri introduces psychic (but not really) Samantha Brennan and FBI agent
(but oh so much more) Annabelle Haggerty, a rather engaging if unusual
pair of crime solvers, in the paranormal mystery High Crimes on the Magical Plane.
Samantha ekes out a living as a psychic in reality-impaired Los
Angeles, but she'd really like to move on to some place where her
talents would be more appreciated, like Sedona Arizona. But until she
can save enough for a move, she dresses the part and sees the future
for a small list of clients, which includes Dodi Drake, the widow of a
former US Vice President. While on her way to visit Dodi, she sees an
SUV filled with ... clowns? Not being a true psychic, but able to
quickly make a connection, she believes the clowns may have something
to do with another resident in Dodi's building, the actress Molly
Claire. Molly had recently been in the news when she unsuccessfully
tried to get a restraining order against a group of stalkers, which the
press dubbed "Molly's clowns". Fearing the worst, she sneaks into
Molly's apartment to find it trashed, Molly missing, and a dead body
stuffed in an armoire. Seizing the opportunity to "see the future"
before it happens (i.e. before the news gets out), but also do her
civic duty, she rushes to the FBI to report her "vision". Assigned to
hear her story is agent Annabelle who immediately recognizes Samantha
for the fraud she is, but also trusts her instincts that the "vision"
is real. She too seizes on her own opportunity: as a Celtic goddess,
Annabelle believes she can use Samantha to help her solve the case
without revealing who she really is.
The story moves along briskly, alternating between the two principal
characters' points of view. For Samantha, it's a first person
narrative, which suits her perfectly. Her character is edgy, sarcastic,
and cynical -- but also self-aware. "Though I generally believed
corners wouldn't exist if we weren't meant to cut them, I decided
tonight I had to play my act straight. Well, pretty straight -- after
all, it was still an act." For Annabelle, it's a third person
narrative, which also plays well into her intellectual and reserved
nature -- as reserved as a Celtic goddess who's also an FBI agent can
be. And though paranormal mysteries must, almost by definition, stretch
the bounds of credulity, the plot here seems overly convoluted,
far-fetched even. Still, the pairing of Samantha and Annabelle, in a
rather remarkable way, keeps High
Crimes on the Magical Plane grounded and, if you will, credible.
It is an interesting and entertaining debut for this series.
Special thanks to Red Coyote Press for providing an ARC of High Crimes on the Magical Plane for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
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Mysteries in this series …
High Crimes on the Magical Plane
Red Coyote Press (Trade Paperback), November 2009
ISBN-10: 0-9766733-5-5 (0976673355)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9766733-5-4 (9780976673354)
Omnimystery keywords for High Crimes on the Magical Plane ...
Location(s) referenced: Los Angeles, California.
