It’s always fun to see a beloved author jump genres. There’s a certain inherent delight in the surprise of a shift in voice, theme, or tone. After writing extensively in her Clockwork Century series, Cherie Priest is well-established as the godmother of steampunk. Grave Reservations is an ambitious leap into the world of modern paranormal investigation.
The Basics:
Title: Grave Reservations
Author: Cherie Priest
Genre: Paranormal mystery, cozy mystery
Published: Simon and Schuster, 2021
Spoiler-Free Summary:
Leda Foley is a travel agent and a self-described inconsequential psychic. She gets strong intuitions, which may point her to a grain of truth, but ultimately never change anyone’s life for good or ill. At least, they they have not so far.
When we meet her, she is striking out on her own as a travel agent (a niche job in the age of the internet), and putting her life together after the death of her fiancé two years prior. She warns a client of an impending plane crash based on a premonition, saving his life. This client is Seattle police detective, Grady Merrit.
Grady hires Leda as a consultant on a cold case. She struggles with this new role. Is it right to take money to bring her 99% ‘inconsequential’ gift to a real criminal investigation? Soon, Leda is wracked with feelings and supernatural experiences like she has never felt before, leading her on a wild ride which promises to solve not only the murder at hand, but the unsolved case of her fiancé’s death.
Why You Will Love This Book:
Grave Reservations is a fun, twisty mystery with a lighthearted tone despite the seemingly heavy subject. The deaths happen off-camera and the detective is rarely threatened. So, unexpectedly, I found myself reading a cozy mystery… and it was fun.
Do you like modern settings with just a dash of the supernatural? A varied, quirky, charming cast? Mysteries that ‘play fair’ with the audience (the breadcrumbs are follow-able)? This may be the book for you.
Told in Priest’s signature character-focused style and crisp prose, Grave Reservations was well worth an audible credit.
Where Can You Learn More?
This book has already spawned a sequel, which smells like the beginning of a series to me. Check out her body of work at her blog, The Haunt.
Happy reading, folks.
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