Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of Miller's enjoyable sequel to The Fool Dies Last, sisters Hope and Summer Bailey, the owners of Bailey's Boutique, a mystic shop in Asheville, N.C., reluctantly agree, at their grandmother's urging, to support an upcoming charity festival by setting up a booth for crystal ball readings. These readings, their grandmother reassures them, would be purely for entertainment purposes, not "genuine or serious as they are here at the boutique." Meanwhile, Summer is dismayed by an ominous tarot card reading, given her problems with her controlling soon-to-be ex-husband, "Shifty Gary" Fletcher, who refuses to leave their marital home. Summer just needs boorish realtor Davis Scott to sell the house so she can put the sordid relationship behind her. When Davis turns up strangled at the festival, Summer's hopes of a quick real estate resolution are dashed. The stakes rise after the sisters are accused of the murder; Hope and Summer prove perceptive amateur sleuths as they set out to prove their innocence. Well-rounded characters and sparkling dialogue keep the plot moving. Fans of paranormal cozies will have fun. Agent: Agent: Kari Stuart, ICM Partners. (Dec.)
Kirkus Review
The connection a pair of mystical North Carolina sisters has with a shady realtor threatens to make the women suspects when he's offed during a charity festival. Summer and Hope Bailey, the owners of Bailey's Boutique, have talents that range from knowing about mystical herbs to reading tarot and making modest predictions about the future. The specialty shop is the perfect place to sell their New Age wares and give readings to fellow Asheville residents like patron Rosemarie Potter and her devoted pug, Percy. But making predictions outside the shop isn't standard practice for either of the sisters, and they're miffed when Gram signs them up to do palmistry at the upcoming charity festival. They'd refuse if Gram's main motivation didn't seem to be getting a little closer to Morris, her fellow festival organizer. After all, Summer and Hope would never stand in the way of potential romance. Besides, Summer wants someone to be lucky in love after her split from her cheating husband, whom both sisters have dubbed Shifty Gary. It's hard to believe Shifty Gary could do worse than hold up their divorce and try to keep the house to himself, but now he's hired Davis Scott, an equally untrustworthy realtor, to sell his and Summer's place, and Summer fears she's going to lose big time. Her haunches are raised not only by her history with her ex, but by a quick tarot reading Hope gives her that shows first the Five of Coins and then Death. The reading turns all too literal when Scott's killed during the fundraising festival, making the sisters fear that their link to the realtor will point the finger at them. A gently paranormal setting features a story readers won't need a crystal ball to figure out. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Hope Bailey and her sister, Summer, own a shop in North Carolina selling potions and all things mystical. Summer is going through a nasty divorce from her philandering husband, who is refusing to sell their marital home despite a court order to do so. When the organizer of the town festival asks the sisters to take a booth at the event, they figure it will take their minds off Summer's problems. The stand is extremely popular, but when a brutal murder occurs on the festival grounds, and the victim is a friend of the Baileys, it hits them hard. Then another murder attempt takes place, and it's even closer to home--the victim is found in the sisters' backyard. Although the local cops caution Hope and Summer not to interfere, the pair has solved cases before (The Fool Dies Last, 2022), and despite the cops' warning, they launch their own probe. In a chilling finale, they nearly become victims themselves. An entertaining plot, colorful characters, light romance, and a satisfying ending make this a pleasant and engaging read.
