Book 8, 2022

[chez_jae]

Color Me Dead by Mary Bowers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I began reading Color Me Dead, by Mary Bowers, last night and I finished it today. It's the 13th installment in the "Tropical Breeze" mystery series, featuring reluctant psychic Taylor Verone.

Taylor swears she has no psychic abilities, but when a recently widowed newcomer to Tropical Breeze witnesses Taylor's gift, she becomes a believer. Maida Rosewood's husband, Grant (a famous artist), committed suicide mere weeks ago, leaving Maida adrift. She and her daughter, Carmen (also an artist), clash more often than not, and Maida's gruff brother-in-law, Hank, is only in town for the reading of Grant's will. Taylor is exasperated when Maida calls her in the middle of the night, seeking some sort of psychic guidance for a decision she's on the fence about. Taylor talks her down and goes back to bed, but the next morning Maida is found murdered in her home. Shocked and somewhat guilty, Taylor launches her own investigation. While the police don't see a connection between Grant's suicide and Maida's murder, Taylor is convinced the connection exists. Will she be able to piece the clues together before anyone else ends up dead?

I love these stories. Taylor is a mature, competent woman, and I enjoy the paranormal elements even though Taylor herself would scoff at me. Familiar characters, such as Edson Darby-Deaver, put in appearances, which added to my enjoyment of the book. I had a few people I suspected, but it was interesting to find out for sure who done it and why.

Favorite lines:
♦ I kind of like Mondays. Not a lot of people do, but that's because it's the beginning of the classic Monday-to-Friday work week.
I'm with Taylor; I like Mondays! They're the busiest day of the work week, and I like to be busy.
♦ "You can sleep on the sofa-bed. We've got plenty of aspirin for that backache." // "I don't have a backache." // "You will after sleeping on the sofa-bed."
♦ "That woman is loopy." // "All the way around the bend and looking at her own backside."

A fascinating mystery with shades of paranormal and a mature, intelligent sleuth. Five stars!