Better Read Than Dead

As good as the first - based on a re-read. The mob boss was deplorable and a bit more could have been done with some of those characters to make it spicier, but having them black and white bad did lend a push to the storyline. The ending was a twist where she gets to bring out some of her dark side with her psychic abilities, and I don't blame her a bit. She also gets to toy with a detective in an interrogation room. These add to the dimensions of her ability and keep them layered and interesting.

Mixed thoughts on the Dutch thing - how clueless was he at lunch? I'm glad to see we have Milo back but already miss Dutch being in his former position. Their relationship is still in the fragile opening stages but I'm not connecting with him show more fully yet as a love interest. Milo stood out as a great character and I hope we see a lot of him in future books. I'm curious on how police interaction will work in the future with the small town and all the notice she must be gathering. The scene where Milo comforts her when she's wanting to completely throw in the towel after she believes her misinterpretation of a vision cost a human life was potent stuff that keeps this series varied in its emotional depth and well-done.

Abby is a delight, especially with her quick tempter. "F-B-Iam a Whore" saying had me laughing. There were several scenes of strong humor in the book, including her and her friend when they realized what kind of wedding they were reading for and rushing out of there. I was almost picturing a comedy hour between those two, which didn't end when they went to the house and found a partner in a compromising position.

Her jealousy made her even funnier and I like how the author gives her realism with worries, insecurities, and genuine fear that makes her run the other way temporarily if needed like more non-paper-people would actually do.

The mystery is well done with genuine tension, clues leading them all over, several key players, a viciousness of attack - highly recommended. show less

Very uneven. Sometimes the main character just gets psychic nudges from her "people" and sometimes she seems to know everything about a person just by looking at them. To me, making a character all-powerful just makes the character less interesting. The story was ok, but I don't think I would search out more in the series.

This is the 3rd story in the Psychic Eye series from author and professional psychic Victoria Laurie. I enjoyed the first two (one was a novella), and the next two are in my TBR pile.

Abby Cooper is a professional psychic. She's looking forward to reuniting with her FBI boyfriend Dutch on Halloween after a two-month absence, but her friend and colleague Kendal asks her for a favor: he's contracted to read tarot cards for a wedding party and he needs another psychic to help out. She'd like to refuse, but she owes him big.

After a quick tutorial in tarot-card-reading (not Abby's specialty), she's doing fine, until she realizes that a) the man whose fortune she's reading is a hit man and b) the family of the happy couple is The Family--the show more mob. She feigns illness and she and Kendal leave, but the mob boss has heard of her accuracy, and insists on consulting with her.

Meanwhile, Dutch's ex-partner in the police force asks for Abby's help with a serial rapist.

Abby refuses the first and accedes to the second, but true to form, the mob boss won't let her refuse--she faces increasingly severe threats to her business, her dog, her home, and her life.

And on top of everything, her sister decides to visit, and her reunion dinner with Dutch turns into a threesome--with his attractive, female partner who makes no secret of the fact that she'll try to get Dutch into bed when they leave--immediately--on their next undercover assignment. Dutch, being male, is oblivious.

Abby being a psychic is a great door-opener, but it doesn't make the series. The wonderful writing does that. There isn't one mis-step in this book. Abby's gifts help her out, but only so far. She still has to use logic to interpret the psychic clues she gets, and she's not infallible. She sticks to her principles, but not to the point of being TSTL. She's hurt and angry with Dutch, but not to the point of overreacting. All the characters behave exactly as you'd expect them to in real life, and there are quite a few characters, all of them with distinct personalities, so that's quite a feat.

The mystery is intelligent as well, though the adventure plot, with Abby trying to stay one step ahead of the mob, overshadows it. There are several plot threads woven through the story, and none of them is given less than its due.

Being a romance reader, I have to mention how much I appreciate Dutch's character. He's worthy of Abby's affections, but he's also very human, very real. He screws up, gets defensive, doesn't know how he screwed up, figures it out, apologizes, grovels a little, etc. So much nicer than those too good to be true pretty boys. That said, though, the romantic interest thread of the plot is only a small portion.

Abby's relationship with her "perfect" sister is another example. Even in the smallish portion of the plot allotted to it, their relationship is clearly drawn, and Abby in particular ends up coming away with a better understanding of her sister and herself.

And to top it off, all the threads end up intertwining somewhere along the path--and not in an awkward, coincidental way.

I truly enjoyed this book, and I'm planning on digging those next two out of my TBR pile soon. show less

Abby's job once again gets her into trouble - one of her readings sparks the interest of the local mob boss (who won't take 'no' for an answer), and Milo hopes that she can help him solve a series of brutal rapes in the area. And just like that Abby is plunged right into the thick of things again.

I relish those parts of these novels where Laurie describes Abby's psychic intuitions and messages. It just clicks in a (for me) utterly believable way. Abby's psychic abilities do help her out in a lot of ways, but they don't just hand her the answers. She still has to figure out how to interpret them. And she makes mistakes - sometimes grievous ones.

What keeps Better Read than Dead from being as strong as Psychic Eye, in my opinion, is that show more the characters I really loved from the first book make only small cameo appearances. Dave the handyman barely skirts around the edges, and Dutch is either away or undercover for most of the novel.

I still enjoyed seeing Abby work, and I'll be picking up the next in the series - where I will hopefully see more of Dutch!

More posted at my blog. show less

I thought that I was just annoyed with the reader on this book, but after awhile, I realized that the dialogue in this book came across as stilted and contrived. And why do we have yet ANOTHER female who bumbles her way into an investigation and trouble and refuses to tell the men in her life what's going on?!? As much as I love reading books in a series, I think I'll skip any more in this one

Abby Cooper, the quirky psychic, returns in Better Read Than Dead. Abby´s new boyfriend, Roland ¨Dutch¨ Rivers, has left the Royal Oak Police Department to become an FBI agent, so he´s at Quantico, Virginia, and unavailable. Meanwhile, Abby gets involved with both the police´s search for a violent serial rapist and a mob boss who wants Abby to accept his offer for psychic help.

Author Victoria Laurie infuses Better Read Than Dead with so many thrills that at first I could not decide which I like better: this second novel or the debut, Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye But as I stayed up way too late reading this sequel, I realized that this second novel was even better. Five stars.

Anyone who has ever thought men can be trouble should have no qualms after reading about Abby Cooper's life.

She finally meets a man who makes her heart (and other places) tingle, but he gets a new job with the FBI and is away for months of training.
Finally they have a chance to be TOGETHER, and I mean that in all ways possible, but the universe has other ideas.
Being Halloween, Abby gets a last minute job reading Tarot cards at a weddding. She can not say no.

Dutch, the new FBI man in her life, is only in town for a very short visit, and brings his new partner along to meet Abby.
Let me say, for an FBI agent, this man needs work on some essential thinking skills.

As learned in the first book of this series, Abby's home is in a constant show more state of renovation. That allows us to get to know Dave, her almost resident handyman. We all love Dave but he has a wife.

Eggy is the other man in Abby's life, and the one who would lay down his life for her. Let's hope things never come to that.

People have widely varied ideas of who or what a psychic is, and how they get their information. This can lead psychics into dangerous territory.
For Abby, danger seems to come from more than one direction at the same time.

In this second novel in this wonderful series, Abby's danger is close to home but also with far reaching arms. She has to travel, but is it to solve a mystery or to protect her own life? Her whole family is put at risk.

There is no shortage of action and suspense. Your heart will be pounding.
Occasionally you may want to SLAP someone.

For sure, when the dust (or ashes) settle, you won't want to wait to see what happens next. I am glad I already own the next book in this series. show less