This third book in Gregory’s Bay Island Psychic Mystery series is possibly the best of the three – and they’ve all been completely enjoyable! Cass is really coming into her own, more comfortable in her own skin, and it shows in her increased sensitivity to the paranormal. Bighearted Bee continues to delight in every scene he steals (which is every scene he’s in), though Cass’ unruly dog Beast gives him some hilarious scene-stealing competition. Some tension between Tank and Stephanie adds to the layers of the main supporting cast, as does Cass’ maybe-relationship with sexy southern cop Luke (though that continues to mostly simmer in the background of the story). The mystery itself keeps readers nicely engrossed, though ‘whodunit’ may be a bit predictable for diehard cozy mystery fans.

(first appeared on RT Book Reviews February 2018 / TOP PICK

Asking for help, a ghost haunts Cass Donnovan in her sleep and visits her in her waking hours. Before too long, Cass discovers a body on the beach. A body she is lead to by the ghost. Cass knows she shouldn't get involved in the police investigation, but the ghost won’t allow her to sleep. Adding to her dilemma are the break-ins to her home and shop. With the help of her best friends Stephanie and Bee, Cass sets out to figure out who the ghost is, and what her connection to the body on the beach is. But the more Cass digs for the truth, the closer she becomes to being the killer’s next target.

Once again, Lena Gregory has written a good mystery. She had my mind going all over the place trying to solve the mystery before Cass did. I failed. In Clairvoyant and Present Danger the secrets have secrets, and some of those secrets are pretty good. I’m looking forward to seeing how the revelations of these secrets play out in the next book.

Great, entertaining mystery by Lena Gregory! It’s been a while since I have read a cozy mystery, and Gregory reminded me of why it’s one of my favorite genres, with a great storyline and great characters.

Cass is settling in nicely on Bay Island. Her business is thriving. She has a playful, loving canine best friend, Beast. She has her two best friends, Stephanie and Bee. She is also enjoying her new relationship with Luke, even if they don’t get to see each other as much as they would like. Life is going good for her, but some darkness is lurking in the periphery, in the form of nightmares of a woman needing her help. Now, she is seeing the visions in the daytime while she is awake. She doesn’t know how to help her or what she wants. All she knows is that it’s frightening. When she realizes what the strange woman wants, she finds herself smack dab back in the middle of a murder mystery and in danger. It will be up to her and her friends to solve it before she risks losing her life.

Gregory has certainly created a delightful cast of characters. Cass is a woman who is very easy to relate too. She has had some disappointments in her life, yet she forges on, continuing to help others. Her psychic abilities made me love her even more. She never uses them selfishly, always trying to bring peace to her customers. Her relationship with Bee and Stephanie is just fantastic. The three are always there supporting each other, even when Cass is asking them to help to seances in the middle of the night. Her relationship with Luke is very realistic, taking their time getting to know each other slowly. I love the added light romance. My favorite character is Beast, maybe because I have two like him myself. I just love any writer who makes a dog a main character in and of themselves.

Gregory did a phenomenal job of creating a cozy mystery with several elements, a bit of romance and with paranormal aspects. Both of these blended flawlessly to create a great book with a fantastic setting! Can’t wait to return to Bay Island to catch up with all Cass and all the others.

***Read and Reviewed for Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews***

Clairvoyant and Present Danger was a fun cozy mystery, with just the right touch of paranormal for me. And a big bonus: a lovable dog who gets into a lot of trouble, making for some interesting times for the main character and her friends. What's not to love?

First of all, the dog. I am not ashamed to admit that Beast was my favourite 'character' in this book. Although he is supposed to be a big dog, he comes across as lovable, oh so cuddly, and mischievous, and I certainly enjoyed his antics throughout the story. He made the story fun and interesting, and I was definitely curious as to what he would be up to next.

Cass and Bee are certainly interesting characters as well. I adore Bee and love how he treats his friends, especially Cass, which makes the book all warm and fuzzy. I would definitely love to see more of him in future books, and look forward to knowing more about him. He just has that right touch of friendliness and sarcasm that warms my heart, but he's definitely not a pushover; his scenes whenever he thought Cass was interacting with a ghost were endearing and I liked him even more during those scenes. It's really nice to read a book where the main characters aren't always in conflict with each other.

I really enjoyed the story, even if I thought the plot was a bit predictable. The writing was good and I certainly enjoyed the vivid portrayal of life by the beach, sitting in my cozy chair as it snowed yet again. It made me feel like I was right there, feeling the breezes on my face. I did enjoy the mystery, but I did think it was a bit slow as there was quite a bit of character development going on. I really liked the paranormal elements as they weren't overdone, and quite believable. I really liked that Cass doesn't quite believe in her own abilities, and is always startled and afraid when a ghost does show up at her door. Running out of her own house because she got spooked made me laugh and like her even more. There are quite a few moments I wasn't expecting which made the book fun to read; I definitely appreciated those twists. I just wish the twists were related more to the mystery than to Cass's life, but they were still fun to read.

Clairvoyant and Present Danger is the third book in the series, and although I haven't read the first two, it certainly didn't matter when it came to the main story line and events. There is probably some background stuff I didn't fully understand, but I plan to read the others to discover a bit more about Cass and some of the situations in which she's been involved. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a lighter, interesting mystery with great and intriguing characters. And I look forward to seeing more Beast antics in future novels!!!

Cass Donovan is settling in to her shop Mystical Musings. She is happy at the way everything has been going. She has very good friends, a beast of a dog and a relationship that may be just what she wants. If the nightmares would only stop life would be perfect.
A walk on the beach with Beast drags her into a mystery that could cost lives. Can her special "intuition" help her discover what has happened before anyone else dies???
An intriguing mystery with wonderful characters and lots of fun. There is no way to guess who the guilty party is until our author sees fit to tell us. There is certainly no shortage of suspects.
This story will keep you engrossed until the last page.
Very good fun.

Clairvoyant and Present Danger
Bay Island Psychic Mystery, Book #3
Lena Gregory
5 Stars

Synopsis:

A haunting vision reveals a ghostly grave in the latest Bay Island Psychic Mystery from the author of Occult and Battery.
Whoever said that dead men tell no tales has never met Cass Donnovan...
Cass has always relied on her abilities to guide her, but after communications with a ghost land her in the middle of a murder investigation, she has to wonder if her gifts are really more a curse.
Cass knows she is meant to help track down the killer--much to the chagrin of local law enforcement--when the apparition leads her to a dead body on the beach near her psychic shop, Mystical Musings. But the police are not the only ones who wish Cass would stick to reading palms. Someone is trying to scare her off, and it will take all her powers of premonition to catch the killer before Cass herself becomes the next victim... (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well developed, well rounded and three dimensional. I really enjoyed spending time with Cass, Bee and Stephanie, three friends that are very close. I really liked how they were willing to have each others backs. They may complain about helping each other (especially Bee) but in the end they were always there. I felt like I had known the three for a long time, instead of just meeting them The secondary characters added a lot to the book, in my opinion.

The author is very talented in creating a small town setting and she did a great job of creating Bay Island. There was all of the nosiness you would expect in a small town and also the camaraderie that goes along with it. She is also very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was walking along the boardwalk, seeing all of the stores and visiting the shops.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. The book moves along at a nice pace and I thought the mystery was well plotted. There were enough suspects to consider and enough clues to sift through and I really did not figure it out until it was revealed at the end.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. And the paranormal aspect was just icing on the cake for me, since those are some of my favorite cozies to read.

Although this is the third book in the series, I was not lost in any way. I felt like the characters were already old friends and I really enjoyed spending time with them. I am definitely going to read the first two books in this series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this great book.

Upheaval and changes are making their appearance on the boardwalk. A quick pace and plenty of action. It is always an adventure to be back on the beach with Cass and Beast, and best friends Bee (whose character and loyalty I LOVE) and Stephanie. Something is up with Stephanie and while alluded to thoroughout the entire book, it didn't come into play until the near end. When resolved it added even more to my adoration of Bee.
Cass never claims to be truly psychic or able to communicate with ghosts or the "other side." However, if she admits that even she has her doubts, what would that mean for the future of her business, Mystical Musings? When a shadowy person begins to appear in Cass' dreams, and customers related to this vision come looking for answers, Cass herself is beginning to feel a bit heebie jeebie.
Danger is dropped right on her doorstep, crashing through her main window, when she can't allow the police to investigate alone after Beast uncovers major evidence of foul play. Beast adds some lighter emotional moments to the tale.
I continue to look forward to this series with each new book.

Kindle Copy for Review

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Cass does a reading for a man who wants to find his estranged missing daughter turns into something more. Soon she will find a skeleton and will become victimized by a killer. Will she be able to find the killer before she becomes the next target?

Welcome to a world of ghosts and paranormal existence. A moving read with an interesting plot.

Clairvoyant and Present Danger: A Bay Island Psychic Mystery
By Lena Gregory
Berkley
February 2018

Review by Cynthia Chow

Despite being the owner of Bay Island’s psychic shop Mystical Musings, Cass Donnovan doesn’t actually believe she’s psychic. This hasn’t stopped the nightmares that keep her up at night, with the vision of the same woman making Cass fearful of falling asleep. It’s the resulting exhaustion that has her agreeing to do a reading for Artie Becker, despite her adoring dog Beast’s uncharacteristic growling reaction. Artie is searching for his missing daughter, but the vague information he provides, not to mention the waking vision Cass has of the woman, leaves them both unsatisfied and suspicious.

The massive Leonberger Cass recently acquired is long overdue for some dog training courses, but his discovery of a bone leads them both to an entire skeleton buried on the beach. Cass may have her doubts about her abilities, but the press and even police jump on the connection, with her best friend Bee Maxwell delighting in the result. Vandalism, break-ins, and yet another corpse herald in a less-than-promising Spring for Bay Island, especially considering the influx of reporters, shady strangers, and a few disturbing visions.

By this third in the series, Cass is learning to accept that her psychic practice is more than just instinct and background as a psychiatrist. Her readings with clients are some of the most entertaining moments of the novel, with Cass providing motivation, comfort, and some deft use of insight. The mystery plays on the outskirts of Cass’s efforts to discover the identity of the woman who haunts her and if there’s a connection to Artie’s daughters, with the focus falling on Cass’s interactions with her friends. Bee could very easily fall into stereotype of the flamboyant gay best friend, but instead his steadfast loyalty and quick wit elevate his character while still serving up ample amounts of humor. Another friend is going through her own inner turmoil, and it takes a very patient Cass to provide support while still allowing for privacy. Overall, this is a very fun paranormal mystery, with a heroine supported by friends who reign in her impulsiveness with their practicality and love.