THE FORTUNE TELLER MYSTERY SERIES
*4 1/2 Starred RT Book Review!*
*Best Amateur Sleuth of 2011 RT Nominee!*
*See below for reviews and an excerpt*
Paranormal Adult Cozy Mystery
ISBN 978 0425242759
Available NOW from Berkley Prime Crime
BooksAMillion Indiebound BookDepository
Book 1 (Tempest in the Tea Leaves) - August 2011 (Blurb below)
Book 2 (Corpse in the Crystal Ball) - June 2012 (When fortune teller Sunshine Meadows helps the police find a missing person, her vision is crystal clear. Only, she never could have predicted the corpse in the crystal ball would be hunky, hard-nosed Detective Mitch Stone's ex-girlfriend or that he would be the number one suspect. Can he put his pride aside while she clears his name this time? Only the future knows for sure...)
ISBN - 9780425251331
Book 3 (Trouble in the Tarot) - March 2013 (Blurb to be determined)
TEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES
In the fortune telling business there are a lot of pretenders, but Sunshine Meadows is the readl deal--and her predictions can be lethally accurate...
Sunny is a big city psychic who moves to the quaint town of Divinity, NY to open her fortune telling business in an ancient Victorian house, inheriting the strange cat residing within. Sunny gives her first reading to the frazzled town librarian and discovers the woman is going to die. When the woman flees in terror, Sunny calls the police, only she's too late. The ruggedly handsome, hard-nosed detective is a "non-believer." He finds the librarian dead, and Sunny becomes his number one suspect, forcing her to prove her innocence before the real killer can put an end to the psychic's future.
"Fun and fortunetelling await readers in this first-rate debut mystery featuring a young and feisty psychic. Mitch is the perfect adversary for Sunny, and their constant bantering provides plenty of madcap situations to entertain readers. Great pacing, characters and a surprisingly good conclusion make this new series absolute fun!"--RT Book Reviews *4 1/2 Stars!*
"A delightful new cozy mystery series...Highly recommended."--The Mystery Bookshelf
"You have to be psychic to guess the killer in this hit debut novel...Kari Lee Townsend has pulled out all the stops for this fabulous new series... I look forward to plenty more novels by this gifted writer. Tempest in the Tea Leaves is a murder mystery to die for!"--Fresh Fiction
"My tea leaves and my tarot cards agree--Kari Lee Townsend is riding a bullet-train straight to the top. I predict this vivacious, talented author will soon join the ranks of the superstars. Tempest in the Tea Leaves is a stellar launch for the Fortune Teller Mysteries, and every one of them is destined to become a classic. The author herself--well, she already is. And soon the whole world will know it!"--NY Times Bestselling Author of Twilight Prophecy, Maggie Shayne
"You don't need a crystal ball to predict a bright future for Townsend's Fortune Teller mystery series!"--Author of Clutches and Curses, Dorothy Howell
"Stephanie Plum, watch out! A perky, quirky psychic named Sunny Meadows is right behind you and catching up. The smart, funny, and gutsy fortune teller is a delightful new star on the psychic horizon. Witty, captivating, and refreshing."--Author of The Martha's Vineyard Mystery Series, Cynthia Riggs
"Kari Lee Townsend has a hit with her delightful new series about a fortune teller who finally leaves home to pursue her dreams and finds herself solving a murder. A little romance, a big white cat, and a Victorian house make for a fun read. The true meaning of what Sunny sees always reveals itself--and in this case, a killer."--Author of A Touch of Gold, Joyce Lavene
Excerpt
Detective "Grumpy Pants" Stone rubbed his whiskered jaw, looking like he didn't have a clue what to do with me. Well, he wouldn't be the first, that was for sure. "I'd heard you were some fortune-teller from the Big Apple, but come on," he finally said. "You don't really believe in all that hocus-pocus, do you?"
I jerked my shoulders back. "As a matter of fact, I do. I'm psychic, Detective. Tools like tea leaves simply help me interpret my visions more clearly."
"Then why don't you clear a few things up for me. When is this murder supposed to take place, and who is supposed to commit the heinous act?"
"I don't know," I said sheepishly.
"Well, that's crystal clear, now isn't it?" The detective stood, closing the book on this case...on me.
I rushed forward and blocked his path to the door. "Look, I might not know when it's going to happen, but I do know if you don't do something quickly, that poor little librarian is going to die."
"I saw Ms. Robbins this morning, and she was fine."
"Um, hello, hence the words 'it hasn't happened, yet.'" I looked at my watch. "Clock is ticking, Detective."
He sighed, grumbling, "Fine. I'll check on the librarian, but that's as far as I'm prepared to go. I don't like playing games, Miss Meadows."
"I'm not playing games. I'm telling you the truth." I opened the door for him. "Thank you, Detective. You won't be sorry."
He turned and strode out the door into the frosty night mumbling, "I'm already sorry, Tink," and then he was gone.
***
Twenty minutes later, I heard sirens wailing and screeching in the distance. My heart started pounding, and all I could do was pray it wasn't the librarian. Or if it was, then maybe they'd gotten to her in time and caught the bad guy before he could hurt her. Either way, justice must be done.
The siren was so loud now, it sounded like it was right outside. I went to peer out the window, and jumped back when someone pounded on my door.
"Who is it?"
"Detective Stone, Miss Meadows. Open up."
I scrunched up my face. What on earth was the detective doing back at my house? Exhausted and weary, I wanted this day to be over. I opened the door wide to a pair of handcuffs dangling from his fingertips.
"W-What exactly do you plan to do with those?" My voice hitched.
"Nothing if you come along peacefully." His eyes studied me as he finished with, "I'm taking you in."
I pushed my fear aside and allowed my outrage to consume me. "Taking me in for what? I haven't done anything wrong."
He simply stared me in the eye with that stern unreadable expression of his. "Just doing my job," he answered, his deep voice devoid of any emotion. "Sunshine Meadows, you're wanted for questioning about the murder of Amanda Robbins."