Vision Of Murder [Mass Market Paperback]

Abby Cooper returns for another installment in the Psychic Eye series. Abby, her sister Cat, and Abby's handyman Dave create an investment company to purchase and renovate real estate. Their first purchase is haunted- to the point that Dave is chased out of the home by his own chainsaw. Meanwhile, Abby's boyfriend, Dutch Rivers, is on medical leave after being shot in the rear end. Abby begins investigating the history of the home and discovers a missing treasure with links to Nazi Germany during World War II. Abby relies on her spirit guides to provide her with leads on the case. In addition, Abby, along with those closest to the case, are being stalked by an unknown assailant. The relationship between Abby and Dutch is also explored further in this novel as they each must learn how to give up some of their independence without sacrificing who they are. I won't spoil the mystery by telling how it all ends. After all, half the fun of this series is watching Abby solve the mystery using the assistance and clues provided by her guides. This series is always a fun read!

Psychic Abby Cooper invests in a fixer-upper with her sister, Cat, and handyman Dave. Abby takes a month off from doing psychic readings to fix up her own house and the fixer-upper. Those plans are changed when her boyfriend, FBI agent Dutch Rivers, is shot and she has to nurse him back to health. Abby does work on the fixer-upper whenever she can but work stops when she and Dutch spot the ghost of a beautiful blonde which disappears before their eyes. Abby has already had visions about the house and now her psychic ability is telling her that the blonde woman had been murdered. When Abby and Dave's houses are both broken into and Abby is attacked, she realizes someone or something is trying to keep her away from the house. But when Abby finds a box hidden in the house and has another psychic vision about the woman, she knows she has to find the killer, even though Dutch is vehemently opposed to her getting involved. When Abby's office is broken into by someone searching for the box and another person is murdered, she is more determined than ever to find the killer.

"A Vision of Murder" is a well written, well done mystery. The psychic elements are very believable. Author Victoria Laurie does a great job describing how the psychic mind works, saying Abby's visions are a sensation like a telephone ringing in another room, only they are in Abby's head. Even though Abby is on vacation, she still has a chance to help people with her psychic ability which makes for some of the most interesting parts of the book. Abby's ability to tell if someone is dead merely by looking at their photo is also interesting. Abby is a very real heroine with some real problems, most noticeably the relationship with her uncaring parents. It's her relationship with other people that help make her such a great characters, especially her long-distance friendship with Medium Theresa; her friendship with handyman Dave, who will do literally anything to help her; and her friendship with her sister Cat. Her relationship with Dutch is one of best written parts of the book, the arguments they have are very realistic. And Abby's attempts to take their relationship to another level are some of the funniest parts of the book. There are other humorous moments, like the protective gear Dave wears when going into the haunted house. Another funny scene involves Cat, a bulldozer, and a police car. The mystery itself is nicely plotted, although there's never much doubt about who the murderer is. Finally, while Victoria Laurie introduces a new character, M.J. Holliday, who now has a series of her own, she does it so that M.J. fits right into the storyline rather than as a promo for the new series.

"A Vision of Murder" is a great mystery. Highly recommended.

I was hooked on the first book because of the way Victoria Laurie writes such interesting stories from a different perspective.

I was very tired of the same old portrayal of Psychics being "scam artist" and "kooks". I love this series because Abby Cooper is a common person who, because of her gift, lives an extraordinary life.

The third in the series deals with all the common elements we loved in the first two, along with a great mystery, murder, wonderful relationships, a haunting, and redemption.

A perfect combination with something for everyone. This series is sure to continue to be a great success.

Thank you, Ms. Laurie, for knowing just what we wanted!

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