Gave this book a try but overall didn’t enjoy it. Wasn’t able to get into the story as much as I wanted to.

A Glimmer of Death is delightful new mystery from Valerie Wilson Wesley. The word glimmer references the aura some folks give off to recent widow Odessa (Dessa) Jones. Sometimes it’s a whiff of a smell or a color or mist that surrounds a person. Dessa is an empath who has inherited a wide array of psychic gifts, like most of her relatives.

Dessa self-deprecatingly describes herself as a “woman in her early forties patiently waiting her turn in a beauty salon or checkout line.” Her kind, round face gives her a familial nature. Safe to be said, she’s approachable. But even reluctant psychics struggle when the cliché life comes at you fast comes to pass, confirming Dessa’s ability to sense when bad things are coming.

The office reeked of nutmeg. It tickled my nose, filled my mouth, forcing its way down my throat. Funny thing about nutmeg. A dash can spice up cocoa; too much can make you sick. Determined to ignore it, I focused on the real estate listings in front of me. Yet the smell wouldn’t leave. I closed my eyes, trying to block this pain-in-the-neck, useless sixth sense, but it did no good. To me, Odessa Jones, nutmeg means death.

Unlike her psychically gifted relatives, Dessa doesn’t feel that second sight is much of a gift. It hasn’t helped her for most of her life. Without her beloved husband Darryl by her side, Dessa can’t make a success of D&D Delights, their catering business—she’s too depressed to cook. Recent widows are often told not to make any big changes but faced with the possibility of losing her home, Dessa joins a local real estate firm.

Risko Realty was a cut-rate real estate agency in Grovesville, an aging New Jersey town stuck between struggling Clifftown and affluent Bren Bridge, a once-upon-a-time “sundown town” that folks like me still avoided when the sun set.

Grovesville, Clifftown, and Bren Bridge are fictional New Jersey towns, but Valerie Wilson Wesley gives us a hint by saying that some townspeople “considered it a brief stop toward a brighter destination—Manhattan was just two train stops away.” Grovesville isn’t a particularly affluent community, but Dessa, who always gives people the benefit of the doubt, be they co-workers, neighbors, or relatives, makes Grovesville seem like a friendly place. Dessa finds something to like about the men and women she works beside. Their individuality and humanity shines forth in brief sketches. Bertie lives for online bargains and gleefully displays her new hot-pink leather gloves. Harley has a bike he loves unreservedly and he is always toting two large lattes, one for him and one for Dessa. Vinton is a short and wiry man, a decade or so older than Dessa, and is “surrounded by one of Aunt Phoenix’s glimmers—mouse gray—as if it were inspired by his clothes and being.” Even given her easy-going nature, Dessa draws the line at her thoroughly unpleasant boss, Charlie Risko. With an ugly sense of humor, Dessa describes him as being “as unpredictable as he was spiteful.” He motivates unproductive employees by giving them pep talks in the office, talks punctuated by threats to fire them if they don’t make him some money. He even threatens to brandish his gun.

“So are we on the same page here, Mrs. Dessa Jones?



If he was expecting a response, he didn’t get it. I was too busy staring at the oaken beam just above his head. The nutmeg smell was coming from there; there was no mistaking it. Startled, he followed my gaze then shivered like a wet towel had been slapped across the back of his neck.

The smell of nutmeg doesn’t lie. Charlie is shot to death in his office and after interviewing everyone, the police arrest Harley because his fingerprints are found on Charlie’s gun. Dessa doesn’t believe Harley is a murderer. Frankly, so many people wanted Charlie dead, the police could take-a-number and arrest anyone of his employees, let alone the young wife who he abused and tormented. To save Harley from being railroaded into jail, Dessa harnesses her neglected psychic skills to figure who murdered Charlie.

Valerie Wilson Wesley’s new mystery series introduces us to a circle of friends and family that promise to play a future part. Everyone will fall for Aunt Phoenix, always in Dessa’s corner.

When the phone rang, I knew who it was but answered anyway.



“I know it’s been a bad day, Odessa, but put down that wine. Best get yourself a flash of brandy to take the edge off . . . troubling times.” Aunt Phoenix’s gravelly voice was surprisingly comforting. “It’s curry for me. Strong curry. More powerful that nutmeg, so consider yourself lucky.” I didn’t bother to ask my aunt how she knew what was going on or what I was drinking.

Aunt Phoenix is practical, too. She is well known for her ability to predict winning lotto numbers and she’s always trying to get Dessa to play the numbers she gives her. Dessa also relies on the advice of Lennox Royal, the owner of Royal’s Regal Barbecue. He’s a retired police detective who points her in the direction of Charlie’s wife, saying that most of the time the spouse has something to do with it. I look forward to more Aunt Phoenix and Lennox Royal in the next Odessa Jones mystery.

While stepping up to figure out who killed her boss, Dessa embraces elements of her personality that have been in abeyance for a time. We learn what comforts her, like her feisty feline Juniper. She rediscovers her love of baking and uses baked goods as the wedge in the door that gets folks talking. I defy anyone to resist a piece of Dessa’s signature dish, a classic pound cake punched up with 7UP. Bring on more Dessa Jones, an unusual detective with a winning personality.

She's got the gift of second sight, she can bake like it's nobody's business and she sells real-estate, but can she solve a murder mystery? Odessa Jones recently lost her husband and is struggling to try and get through her life one day at a time. On the brink of losing her home and catering business, she takes a job at Risko Realty. When her boss is  murdered, she starts to do some sleuthing in an attempt to uncover the truth, but finds far more secrets and twists than she'd anticipated. Can she find out who murdered Charlie Risko before the wrong man goes down for the crime?
Thank you Netgalley, Kensington Books and Valerie Wilson Wesley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is the start of a new cozy mystery series, which I'm always down to read. This was a great start, and I really look forward to seeing Odessa grow as a character and learn more about her second sight. This was a quick and easy read, and quite enjoyable. I can't wait for the second book of the series to come out. If you're into cozy mysteries, this would be a great new series for you to try out. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A lovely little cozy mystery! I greatly enjoyed this read and I think many others will love it as well.

This book was a fun and different cozy series. I have not read one with a psychic before, and found that to be a fresh twist on a themed cozy. I cannot wait to read the second book as this one was a quick and entertaining read.

I enjoyed this book. It was a good, quick read. I liked the writing style I would recommend it to others.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. If you like a good cozy mystery you will like this book.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I absolutely adored Odessa, Aunt Phoenix, and Bertie's characters. This is a fun reading experience. I can't wait to read the rest of this series. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This book is in stores for $15.95 (USD). I enjoyed how some characters were of color. The pacing of this book is great. I didn't expect that person to do it.

A Glimmer of Death is a decent start to a promising new cozy mystery series. I really like the premise of this series but I don't feel like there was enough of Dessa using her "gift." I really wanted to see more of that. The main characters are intriguing. I'd definitely love to see more of Aunt Phoenix. There's a lot of potential for character development with all of the characters. As for the murder mystery, it frustrated me a little bit because for most of the book nothing was really going anywhere with it. And then in the last couple chapters stuff started happening. And once it did, it was obvious who the killer was. I think the author has a good premise for this series, but really needs to work on the execution of the murder mystery. The reader needs more clues throughout the book instead of letting it remain stagnant through most of the story and then hitting them with everything all at once. I will read the next in the series though because it is an interesting premise and I want to see how the author develops the characters. Hopefully they'll improve on the mystery part as well.

Wow! A first by me by This author and it didn't disappoint! A first book in a new series is like Christmas morning especially when you fall in love with the characters! Odessa is looking to start her life over after loosing her husband and their business. With not many choices she's stuck taking a job with a nasty boss and mean coworkers. When her boss turns up murdered the list of possible suspects is long but not surprising. Dessa knows there is more to the story because well Shasta empath who is still trying to figure that part of herself out better. As the mystery unfolds I found myself loving this character and and storyline more and the ending was perfection! Can't wait to read more books by this author!

A good mystery, full of twists and turns. More importantly, this is one of the few mysteries starring a black female detective. Given that most murder mysteries have absolutely no POC in them, this is a great addition to the genre.

One note: from the description, somehow I got the idea this was a cozy mystery. It is not and while the somewhat grim atmosphere throughout was appropriate for the style, it was kind of depressing.

A Glimmer of Death is a unique and entertaining first in series by Valerie Wilson Wesley. This is the first book that I have read by this author but it won't be the last. Ms. Wesley is a gifted story teller who gave her main character an interesting ability which ultimately leads to solving a mystery. Even if you don't believe in having psychic abilities or do not enjoy paranormal cozies you will find this mystery to be well-planned and engaging.

I found it quite different from the average cozy mystery and loved it.
It's a bit darker than usual and mixes paranormal and mystery elements.
Odessa is a great character: an adult woman, clever and never reckless.
I loved the style of writing and the character development is excellent.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and kept me guessing
I hope there will a lot of other novels in this series, this one is highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the first book in a new series by a new to me author. it took me a few chapters to get into the book and I am glad I kept reading. I loved the protagonist Odessa, she is strong, smart and learning about her gift of second sight. I also really enjoyed Aunt Phoenix, I hope to see more of her in future books. Overall, an enjoyable new series starter.

How great that this is the first of, I hope, many in a series. Such an interesting story with strong, likeable characters. And the added extra is a touch of the supernatural made it a genuine piece of escapism. Loved it!

Great debut by a new to me author. Was a little confusing at times, I probably just need to get use to this author's style, but a very enjoyable read. Didn't see the ending coming. at all.

Valerie Wilson Wesley never disappoints. I featured Glimmer of Death as Book of the Day on all my social media platforms and included it in a monthly book roundup.

Princess Fuzzypants here: The story had a slow simmer until all the ingredients were added and then it came to a boil. Because of that, it took me several chapters to really get into it but once I did, I loved Dessa our heroine. Widowed a year ago, she is still struggling to deal with life after her husband. But Dessa has a huge heart with great empathy for others. People naturally gravitate to her so most of the characters at one time or another come to her for solace and support.

Dessa has another gift. She sees glimmers and has the power of second sight. It is a petulant gift at best, one she has not yet embraced nor developed but it gets a work out when the boss in her real estate office is murdered. The prime suspect reaches out to her for help when he is arrested. While she is never 100% sure, she believes he is innocent. But who in their little office did the deed? It is not as if they all did not have lots of justification for hating the man. He was reprehensible but he crossed one line too many with the killer and paid the price.

The more Dessa learns about him and his exploits, the more she can understand why he was murdered. Without having to “investigate” the murder and do all sorts of dumb things, people open up to her and she is able to piece together the truth. Although I sussed out the killer early, Dessa was shocked at the end to learn who had committed the crime. The story was told in a compelling and believable way. She is a heroine who does not test the limits of plausibility. Not only is she the kind of person anyone would want to call friend, she is also an incredible baker which leads her to a friendship that might well turn into something more. I hope there will be future stories as this one really takes the cake.

Five purrs and two paws up.

You know that feeling when you get to the end of a really good book and you kinda smile to yourself -- with pleasure or joy or simple contentment? That's this book.

I loved it and will now go find everything else Valerie Wilson Westley has ever written. After I bake the 7-Up cake!

Thanks NetGalley! This was a wonderful read!

After reading as many cozies as I have these past two years, you learn to get pretty critical. I think that this had a really great premise but I feel like the supernatrual element should have been stronger. I also didn't care for our main character Odessa as much as I was hoping to. Average cozy and am still deciding whether or not to continue.