Book 84, 2020

[chez_jae]

Paradise Island by Mary Bowers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



After cleaning house this morning, I took the time to sit down and finish reading Paradise Island by Mary Bowers. It's the 11th part of her "Tropical Breeze" paranormal mystery series. Main character is typically reluctant psychic, Taylor Verone, but this installment followed her friend, Edson Darby-Deaver for the most part.

When a lovely young widow contacts Ed, claims her dead husband is haunting her, and asks him to investigate, he is skeptical. Although Jessamine Pissarro offers him a tidy sum of money, he turns her request down. Later, Ed learns that Jessamine is dead by apparent suicide, and he can't help but feel responsible. He contacts the family and launches a belated investigation. Eagerly assisting him is the so-called Marvelous Dobbs, a paranormal investigator wannabe. Ed doesn't mind taking on the role of mentor, but when Dobbs notifies Teddy Force, Ed's overbearing co-worker on the reality show Haunt or Hoax?, the investigation turns into a three-ring circus.

It becomes even more of a sideshow when the dead husband's business partner and neighbor wants to do a seance and insists on none other than Taylor Verone. Ed is convinced that Taylor won't agree to such shenanigans, but Roy Angers offers to make a generous donation to Taylor's animal shelter, Orphans of the Storm. For that kind of money, Taylor figures she can put on an act. She doesn't expect to actually channel any spirits, but when she does, the results may put someone else in the sights of a killer.

I really enjoy these stories. They're lite and fun for the most part, with a bit of creepiness thrown in to avoid being cutesy. Reserved, repressed Ed is a hoot, and he's the perfect foil for Taylor's more assertive personality. He's even the perfect foil for Teddy's overwhelming presence. Of course, Taylor's mysterious black cat, Bastet, puts in an appearance, and it's comical to see how many otherwise rational people tend to wait with bated breath for Bastet's reactions to certain situations. The plot was intricate for a novella, but it wove together seamlessly. Best of all, none of the main characters was placed in dire danger at the end.

Favorite lines:
♦ Social media, I'm afraid, is the modern version of the public restroom wall, where people enjoy scribbling capricious and slanderous things as if there could be no consequences.
♦ "...you can't expect somebody else to make you happy. It's not their job. It's yours. You choose. You want to be happy? Go ahead. You want to be unhappy? If you do, nobody else will really care; you'll only be hurting yourself. Everybody else just steps around you and goes on with their life, because what else can they do? There you are, determined to be unhappy, and they don't want to be."

Fabulous, five stars!