Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Telltale Turtle by Joyce and Jim Lavene. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
The Telltale Turtle by Joyce and Jim Lavene
A Pet Psychic Mystery with Mary Catherine Roberts
Midnight Ink (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7387-1226-4 (0738712264)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7387-1226-0 (9780738712260)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $13.95
Review: Joyce and Jim Lavene introduce Mary Catherine Roberts, a middle-aged, four-times widowed (on the look out for number five), radio talk show host who also happens to be a pet psychic, in The Telltale Turtle.
Mary Catherine has returned to her hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina leaving Hollywood after the untimely death of her fourth husband. Her aunt has died and left her run-down home that she has remodeled, creating a veterinarian clinic/hospital on the first floor and her residence on the second. When she begins her pet psychic talk show on the local radio station she thinks her life is all-embracing. Of course, she wouldn’t mind maybe seeking out a fifth husband to make her life complete. On her show, she offers worried pet owners advice on how to make their animals happier and easier to get along with. Her own pet, Baylor, a sizeable orange-colored tabby cat, helps her in the more perplexing situations.
When Mary Catherine finds a murdered woman, the wealthy aunt of her station manager Colin Jamison, more men enter her life than she’s willing to handle. A mysterious private investigator, Charlie Dowd, becomes an unwanted side-kick. She can’t figure out if he is investigating her or digging up proof of an affair Colin may be having. Bernie, a homeless handyman with a goat, shows up and offers to make repairs on her home, in exchange for a place to keep the goat. Buck Maybelle, owner of Meaty Boy Dog Food, is not only fond of Mary Catherine but wants her to take his company on as her sponsor. These characters all intertwine throughout the mystery of the murder of Colin’s aunt, killed with the broken bowl of her injured turtle. Although the authorities have identified Colin as their prime suspect, the turtle somehow convinces Mary Catherine that someone else killed Colin’s aunt. Will Mary Catherine be able to prove this before she herself becomes a victim of the unknown killer?
The Telltale Turtle is a riotous, imaginative story with of a most unusual woman as the lead character. The reader never knows who, or rather what, Mary Catherine will speak to next and the personalities of the various animals are a treat unto themselves. The mystery isn't demanding, and the whole concept may be a bit far-fetched for some, but it does provide an interesting twist on the standard cozy.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Telltale Turtle and to Midnight Ink for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
If you are interested in purchasing The Telltale Turtle from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.
Synopsis (from the publisher): Mary Catherine has a rare gift -- she can talk to animals. A flamboyantly dressed four-time widow, Mary Catherine pulls top ratings for her pet psychic radio show and helps run an animal shelter. Then one day Mary Catherine hears pitiful thoughts of anguish coming from a house. Rushing inside to help, she finds an injured turtle crying bloody murder -- and the dead body of his owner, a society matriarch with a fortune, lying nearby.
By tuning into Tommy the turtle's thoughts and memories, Mary Catherine becomes a vital, if ridiculed, resource for the detectives. But now a psycho caller is threatening the lives of Mary Catherine and Baylor, her haughty and overprotective tabby cat, while dangling clues in front of her like bait. Despite the annoying charms of PI Charlie Dowd -- aka, potential husband number five -- can Mary Catherine use her talent to find a killer more cold-blooded than the star witness?
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I have always loved talking with pet psychics and animal communicators. Such amazing talent and clairvoyant minds, i think.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to grab a copy of this book.