Quirky, funny, and charming describe this mystery with a psychic travel agent, her best friend, and a detective who she inadvertently saved from an airplane disaster. While it’s not your traditional cozy mystery and there is a bit more sadness than expected, there is plenty of laughter and crazy antics to make this a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc.

This was a fantastic cozy Murder mystery book that comes out in October, and I was so excited that I got my hands on it. We follow Ledy, who is a self-renowned psychic who is also a travel agent. When she books a flight for Detective Grady Merritt and cancels it after sensing that flight was going to crash and burn, Grady recruits Ledy to help him solve a cold case murder. Ledy and her ragtag group of friends help Grady to solve this case in a very unconventional way!

I absolutely ate this book up! The characters were very likable and the connections between cases were seamless and made a lot of sense. This was a very light mystery, and although the stakes were high, this book ready very lighthearted and fun. My favorite part was that Ledy would do her Psychic Karaoke at her friend’s boyfriends local bar. It was such a fun element and made her character feel so much more developed.

I would recommend this to fans of Arsenic and Adobo or Finlay Donovan is Killing It! Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! Check this book out in October!

Leda has psychic powers that allow her to get a feel for what might occur in the future. After preventing Detective Grady from getting on a plane that would eventually crash he convinces her to work together to solve a cold case. Leda agrees because she wants to find more info on her fiancé's unsolved murder.

I like the psychic aspect of this book, I thought it was something new and definitely kept me interested. I feel like a cop wouldn't necessarily do any of the things Grady did in this book, but I still found it fun to read if a bit unbelievable. I honestly didn't care much for the actual murders they were trying to solve, the characters involved seemed a bit irrelevant.

I loved Castaways and everything that occurred there. The bartenders and staff were fun to read about and the karaoke was a fun aspect. I also thought the murder board was funny and enjoyed coming back to it.

Overall this was a fun and quick read that was different than any other murder mystery I have read so I would recommend picking it up!

Leda is a travel agent who is also an inconsistent psychic. After saving the life of Seattle Detective Grady Merritt he enlists Leda in helping him solve a case that has been unsolvable. Turns out his case is also connected to the murder of Leda's late fiancé that was also never fully explained. Leda and Grady along with Leda's best friend start doing some unique investigating to see if they can finally solve these murders. I adored Leda so much and thought she was so fun to read about. Leda had such a great support system with her friends and I enjoyed all their scenes together. My favorite parts were the karaoke sessions were Leda would sing a song for someone after holding an object they gave her. This was a fun mystery and I am excited to continue reading this series and hopefully see some developing chemistry between Leda and Grady! Thank you Atria and Netgalley for my gifted copy for review.

Cherie Priest is best known for writing horror. Her novel A Family Plot is one of my most recommended ghost stories, it is part haunted house, part fixer upper. In Grave Reservations, Priest jumps genres into charming murder mystery territory. This book has Psych tv show vibes, but with real psychic vibes.

Leda Foley is trying to get her travel agency up and running while learning to harness her psychic inclinations. Trusting her gut and rebooking her client’s flight results in her meeting and working with Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt on an unsolved cold case. It is a delightful partnership that has me hoping for more books with these characters and wishing Clairvoyant Karaoke was a real thing.

The cover drew me in and it delivers on its bright and pop-y tone. For readers who enjoy a little bit of wit and wacky with their murder solving, this book is for you. It is akin to Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano.

I was given an egalley ARC provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a great cozy mystery! I loved the concept and the characters. Definitely not a life-changing novel by any means, but still a great read. Entertaining and binge-able, lots of comedic relief and twists. I did figure out who the "bad guy" was pretty early on, but I think the mystery was not knowing who it was but figuring out why. I anticipate this will be a big hit in the fall.

Leda Foley an inconsistent psychic travel agent changes her life the day she rebooks the flight for Seattle PD Detective Grady Merritt. When his original flight crashes right after takeoff Grady asks for her help in a cold case he is investigating which ends up being connected to her fiancés unsolved murder. This was such a fun read with Leda honing her psychic skills while doing Klairvoyant Karaoke where she takes an item from a person and sings the song that the object invokes in her at the bar she frequents with her best friend. It was interesting how she the case ended up intersecting with her fiancés murder and how he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Looks like this is a start of a series and it will be interesting to read another one.

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

Between the cover and the story being murder mystery with a hint of humor, this book was just a bit reminiscent of Finlay Donovan is Killing It. Finlay was a five star book for me but Grave Reservations did not hit that high mark. First off, you have to be open to some psychic abilities for this one to hit at all. I really enjoyed the characters and how the mystery was written. It was intertwined nicely with overlapping characters. I liked the detective and how he become connected with the main character, Leda. But there were a couple things that have been bothering me. There was one part that Leda is discussing a "KK thing" and then mentioned that adding another K would be a problem. In my opinion, that felt totally unnecessary and the following lines of dialogue bothered me too. There was another instance where she is talking about a weapon she called a Nazi knocker. It just didn't seem necessary to even use the term Nazi to describe the item. I don't feel I can write a review without mentioning those things that bothered me. I want to be clear that I enjoyed the story itself, but some of the comments rubbed me the wrong way and were not needed to make it a good story.

Who is looking for a new series that is a mix of cozy mystery with a dash of paranormal? I am always excited for a new series and Cherie Priest is setting us up for a fun one. I love Leda! She’s totally annoying, obnoxious and ugh sometimes but aren’t we all?!

Grave Reservations is a slow burn building an amazing series! I can not wait for more!!! Oh wait so I see another book in my future? Yes I think I see it!!!

✨Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest ✨

🗓 Release Date: Oct 26, 2021

Grave Reservations was the ultimate cozy mystery for anyone looking to stay on the murder mystery path or go out of the normal genre they stick to. I had an extremely hard time putting this book down. I would certainly re read this over and over again.

Meet Leda Foley
Klairvoyent Karaoke Star
Travel Agent
Somewhat inconsistent Psychic (or is she?)

When Leda gets a bad feeling about one of her client Det. Grady Merritt’s flight she rebooks him which in turn saves his life as he watches his original flight shoot up in flames on the tarmac. After talking with Leda upon his return to Seattle, and learning of her psychic ‘powers’ he enlists her and her abilities help cracking a cold case that has been sitting on his mind for the last 18 months.

Leda agrees to help all the time thinking of her own cold case, the unsolved murder of her fiancé, Tod. She’s been honing in her skills each week at the local dive bar performing ‘Klairvoyant Karaoke’ for the crowds grabbing belongings from the crowd and finding a song that is meaningful in some way to them. These new honed in skills may just be the key to solve not one but two cold cases.

This novel was spectacular, entertaining, and kept you waiting for more and more. The characters were well developed and dynamic with well established background stories that tied into the present.

🤘 Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

🏷 #GraveReservations #CheriePriest #NetGalley #NetgalleyReview #bookreview #bookrecommendation #mysterynovel #mystery #cozymystery #psychic #clairvoyant #seattlebook

3.5 stars

This is a nice start for a new mystery series. Somewhat in between in mystery/thriller and a cozy mystery Priest has created a cast of characters that you will definitely want to revisit. This book sets up what could be a long running series. The characters have backgrounds you need to know more about, and you're left wanting to know what happens to them next. It has the right balance of procedural, and kooky to seem lighthearted while still dealing with major issues like death, guilt, accepting one's self, and trust. Ultimately it's a fun, and quick read that will put a smile upon your face.

Thank you Netflix, Atria Books, and Author Cherie Priest for this ARC.

The blurb hooked me, but the story bored me.

I thought was an intriguing idea for a story and was excited to read it, however, not only was the story boring, but the writing was all over the place in the POV department which totally through me off. There wasn't many clues or even psychic solving. The mystery didn't even get going until the book was nearly over.

I think I found a new author to add to my favorites list! I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. Disclaimer though, when Leda and her best friend are together, they are infinitely unlikeable, annoying, immature, and obnoxious. I largely skipped over those parts. This isn't deep emotional reading, it's a cozy mystery with a paranormal twist (a twist that I've yet to see which is why I think I enjoyed it so much!)

Absolutely worth picking up if you're looking for a fun read with a cool paranormal twist to it.

Thank you Netgalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4114170412

A quirky, lighthearted comedy-mystery for fans of Finlay Donovan is Killing It and Dial A For Aunties.

This is the start of a new series, and I think it was a fun, frothy book. I enjoyed the relationship between Leda and Niki and I hope we get some unrealized sexual tension between Grady and Leda in future books. But don’t rush it, okay?

I would have liked to see some of the supporting cast fleshed out a bit more, but maybe that’ll come in future books. I would love for Matt and Ben and Tiffany to have a starring turn each.

I read this book while home with the flu, and as they say laughter is the best medicine. It was the right book at the right time for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Grave Reservations was characterized as similar to “Aurora Teagarden.” For those of you who don’t know, Aurora Teagarden is a murder-mystery movie series on Hallmark After reading Grave Reservations, I was underwhelmed at the comparison. I love reading thrillers, suspense, and mystery, not just for the mystery but also for the subplots. Grave Reservations failed to deliver on this. It was strictly about the murders. I felt that the characters were unrelatable and underdeveloped. The best friend seemed to have no purpose to the story. It was like the author threw in a random character, just because they could. I didn’t feel like that character brought anything to the overall development of the story. I was unimpressed with this book as a whole. I give it 2 stars.

Thank you to Artria Books & NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest in exchange for my honest review.

To say that I was excited and felt lucky to be approved for Grave Reservations is an understatment. While I had never read anything by Cherie Priest, everything about this book, from the title, to the perfect cover, to the description, drew me in. Thankfully I was not disappointed.

The perfect mixture of a mystery and a cozy mystery Grave Reservations follows Leda, a not so reliable or proficient physic, who is trying to make it as a travel agent. What better way to secure business than by stopping your client from getting on a plan that explodes on take off? Detective Grady Merritt knows that it was more than just good service that saved him, and he's ready to become a repeat customer. Grave Reservations perfectly shows what could happen when a physic and a detective partner up to solve a cold case or two.

The characters and atmosphere are both strong contributors to what made this book so strong and enjoyable. Leda and her cast of eccentric but lovely, bar dwelling friends are the perfect balance to widowed Grady and his younger daughter. You come to care for the characters and their goals, while enjoying the perfect atmosphere of Castaways Bar and all the magic it can hold. Klairvoyant karaoke was such a fun concept, and even had me tearing up a bit. Priest's side characters are also extremely strong and enjoyable which is really something that elevates a book for me.

Priest's writing style was very strong, and easy to jump into, as she enjoyably wove together, mystery and intrigue, but also emotional connection and a lot of depth in Leda's backstory. The plot was easy to follow, while also building in pressure really well throughout the book. I really enjoyed the way that Leda's physic flashes and break throughs were intertwined with the actual detective work being done.

However I do think Grave Reservations could have benefited from an extra chapter or two to more neatly tie up the story. I hope that this is the first installment in a series or else I will be slightly disappointed in the rushed and open ending. I look forward to reading more that Priest writes either way.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to take a break from heavy mysteries. It was funny, smart, intriguing and kept me hooked until the very. I give this 4.5/5 stars.

Grady, a Seattle PD detective, is rushing to board his flight home when he discovers his travel agent, Leda, changed it at the last minute due to a very strong feeling. This reason seems ludicrous to Grady until he finds himself staring at a fireball at the end of the runway and realizes Leda has just saved his life. Thus begins the tale of how Leda, a reluctant psychic, Grady, a by-the-book Seattle detective and a quirky supporting cast of friends and family work a cold case.

I liked this novel! I connected with the story quickly because the characters where engaging. I enjoyed the dichotomy of the straight-laced vs chaotic characteristics of Leda and Grady. I enjoyed their interactions with each other—the dialogue was sharp and witty. I believe the supporting cast of friends and family added to the entertainment value (ie ‘Klairvoyent Karaoke’). But most of all, I enjoyed seeing Leda and Grady move outside of their comfort zones and learn to trust in themselves and each other.

I’d recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries with a paranormal twist and will definitely read a sequel if there is one in the works.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley for an objective and honest review.

The best way to describe this book is fun. It was almost a cosy mystery but fell more on the side of a light thriller.

First of all, the premise of the book: a psychic travel agent who accidentally saves the life of a police detective by rebooking his flight home against his will. Super cute. And then Leda’s favourite activity, psychic karaoke, where she’ll hold an item from someone in the crowd and then pick the perfect song for them, is really unique.

The side characters, the light-hearted plot, the fact that the two main characters weren’t immediately thrown into a romance; all these things were amazing.

Unfortunately, it also slid into the absurd a few too many times, especially on the police investigation front. It was completely unbelievable that a random civilian is allowed into crime scenes and to interviews with suspects, and it was even more unbelievable that she’d be allowed to bring a friend. The whole scene where Leda reveals who the killer is was probably peak absurdity. Also, where the heck is Leda from? She says dude and man, snog, and also uses cheesy little catchphrases like someone from the south. It would make sense if she was described as someone who travels a lot but that’s not mentioned at all. Unless I missed it??

However, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book! If you’re interested in a light murder-mystery/thriller, bordering on a cosy mystery, this is a good one.

A solid (slightly banal) fun entry to a new series. What got my attention was the comparison to Spellman and Teagarden. While not quite up to par with them it was fun and I will be looking for the next one in the series with joy.

Quirky, smart and quick read. This was my first book by Cherie Priest. I enjoyed the light hearted murder mystery writing from the author, as I typically stick to darker thriller reads. The build-up was slow, but I really enjoyed getting to know the main character Leda Foley and her quirky personality. If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller, this is not for you, but if you are open to a more slow-paced "Finlay Donavan" vibe book, this is the book for you!