A 30-something psychic travel agent turned amateur sleuth helps a Seattle detective solve a murder mystery. That pretty much sums up Leda Foley the main character in Grave Reservations. It’s also what enticed me into grabbing this book months ago which somehow got lost in my TBRs until recently.

This is the first in a new series by Cherie Priest – a new-to-me author. I was looking for something a bit different and fun and this one delivered. It was an entertaining, light read (except for some sections that seemed to drag with dialog) with a real quirky twist.

Even though the story centers on death, it’s filled with a goofy kind of humor. This became apparent early on as Leda hones her skills as a clairvoyant when she takes the stage, at a bar managed by her best friend’s boyfriend, to perform something she calls Klairvoyant Karaoke. After a slow start, I was hesitant but her twist on typical karaoke got me hooked. In fact, it was the cast of charming characters that stood out in this book over the cozy-ish mystery.

Totally believable? Nah but a fun read that had me chuckling. A promising start to a new series.



FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Grave Reservations was a fun, light-hearted mystery read. The story felt a little clumsy at times, but it did not distract me from enjoying the story overall. I enjoyed all the main characters, and their interactions kept me coming back to read more of the story. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

i wasn’t that big of a fan. i could barely get myself past 40% and i was awaiting when i’d be done with it. it didn’t pick up until around 50% and that was too long for me

Definitely in the same vein as Finlay Donovan is Killing It , so fans of that would probably enjoy this as well! It is funny, a little dark, and the characters and writing are awesome!

This book starts out fairly fast by us getting to see the power that Leda has and how she is able to save Grady and then the mystery begins. Grady has been wanting to solve a murder for a while and Leda has been wanting to solve her fiance’s murder, so what better way than to team up together, along with Leda’s fun and funny friend Niki. I really liked the idea behind this book and thought it was a fun read and a good start to the series.

The characters were pretty fun. I really like that Leda goes out and uses her powers by singing karaoke and that is how she hones them. I also really enjoy her relationship with Niki who makes for a fun secondary character who always has a funny line to make you chuckle as you are reading. Grady is well written and I like that he is open to Leda’s powers and wants to involve her in his work and also help her solve her mystery as well. I do wish there was a little more romance between them, but I also realize it just wasn’t the right time and if they end up in a platonic relationship then I will be okay with it.

Overall the plot of the story is fairly well written. I think there could have been a little more mystery to it because I was able to figure out the mystery pretty early on. I do think you have to suspend reality for this in a way because of course you have the clairvoyance aspect, but also you have to be okay with the fact that in real life no detective would break as many rules as Grady does to allow Leda and Niki to be apart of it.

I think it was a fairly good start to the series and I will possibly pick up the second one to read it and see what happens next.

Grave Reservations is a promising start to a new paranormal cozy mystery series by Cherie Priest. Released 26th Oct 2021 by Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out summer 2022. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats, it makes it so easy to find info with the search function.

This is such a well written, quirky, and genuinely funny story. The main protagonist is a travel agent working in her own agency alongside her undependable unasked for sixth-sense clairvoyant talent. She gets a very strong "feeling" about one of her clients and changes his travel plans, potentially saving his life in the process when his original plane bursts into flames on the runway, without him inside it. He's a police detective and, when he returns home, convinces her to try to help him with a stalled-out cold case he's been working on.

I liked that she has a good relationship with her best friend Niki who also helps her uncover clues and isn't afraid to drag her off for a drink or three if she's getting too wrapped up in her own head (she has some unresolved trauma from the loss of a partner some years earlier). The disparate threads entwine more closely throughout the book into a clever and satisfying denouement and resolution. Her cooperative work with police detective Grady is very well written and it's a lot of fun to read their interactions. I really really liked it a lot that there wasn't any insta-romance or foreshadowed attraction between Grady & Leda - they're colleagues at least for the present.

Four stars. The author is adept, the mystery is very well constructed, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next for Leda, Niki, & Grady.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

First in the series.

I have to admit, I know Cherie Priest more for her stellar Twitter comebacks and pet posts than her books. I do own a few, but horror really isn't my thing. So when she announced this book, a paranormal cozy, I was quite excited.

It didn't disappoint. Leda the intermittent psychic and Detective Grady come off with a bit of an odd couple vibe, but actually work together really well. At times I laughed out loud, especially at Klairvoyant Karaoke. What a concept, haha.

All in all, this was a quirky, fun and fast read, and I am looking forward to more.

It’s quirky, and totally engaging. Leda has a gift that saves a world weary detective from death. These two team up to solve a crime that is baffling . It opens a world of characters and plot twists to rival the best. A great read.

This was my first book by this author and it was definitely a cute one. I loved the premise! That is what drew me to this selection on Net Galley, and the product definitely did not disappoint! The main character is a travel agent. But she in't your normal travel agent. She is a psychic. And she uses her abilities to prevent the death of one of her clients. This leads her to get involved with helping the police solve a cold case murder investigation. Add in that she does psychic karaoke on the side, there are a lot of funny moments in this book. I admit, the title and the book cover really pulled me in, but the story line, author's style and the character personalities really kept me interested and involved in the book. Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Shuster for a gifted e copy of this book!

Blog: The Life & Times of a Book Addict
Date Posted: March 25, 2022

REVIEW:

Grave Reservations is a light and easy mystery that was just what I needed.

Leda is a fun and pretty optimistic travel agent/psychic. Detective Grady is down to earth and level-headed. He’s followed every possible lead he could with this case he is working on and gotten nowhere. The only thing he hasn’t tried by now is an actual psychic. Enter Leda, the psychic who saved his life. They both bring something to the table and they complement each other very nicely.

Even though Grady asked for Leda’s help, I’m glad he didn’t pin all his hopes on her psychic abilities. He used logic and real evidence to further investigate and see if it matched what Leda saw or remembered. Leda’s best friend Niki tagged along with them also which was something I didn’t quite understand. She had no reason to be involved in the case, but I went along with it anyways. Especially since she brought more fun to the story with her unfiltered and often comedic personality.

The mystery aspect of the story wasn’t super thrilling or suspenseful, however seeing all the different interactions between Leda, Grady, Niki, and her friends at the bar was fun and made things more interesting.

This cozy mystery is a little quirky, a little funny, and very entertaining. It’s also the first book in a series, with the second book, Flight Risk releasing November 1, 2022.


**Though I received this book on behalf of the Publisher, the thoughts and opinions expressed are solely my own.**


RATING: 3-3½ OUT OF 5.

This is my first book by this author and it didn't disappoint. It's a quirky thrilling story that I found entertaining a d easy to read.

A solid 1st book in a new series. Leda is a psychic who doesn't have a lot of confidence in her skills. She teams up with Grady, with the Seattle PD, and together they work to solve a case that has gone cold, and another case with close ties to Leda. It's fun to watch her become more confinest with her skills, while Grady tries to not let her ruin evidence. I would definitely read another book in this seties, and I enjoyed this one.

I would read 30 sequels to this book. What a fun, quirky murder mystery! The characters were wonderful, and the snark and humor were on point. I hope there are a lot more adventures to come with Leda, Grady, Niki, and the rest of the gang.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

2.5 stars
The premise was fun. An amateur psychic/travel agent helps a sweet police officer solve some murder cases. ⁣
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But…⁣
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It was just too slow and dragged down by too much detail that didn’t move the plot forward at all. ⁣
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Bummer.

This was a mix between mystery & cozy mystery. I’ve not read a cozy mystery before but I’m here for it. I really enjoyed this one.

My Thoughts:

I like the characters in the book, especially Leda and Grady. I like that they have a platonic working relationship. Leda also has good chemistry with her BFF Niki. The two women share a good sense of humor and nice banter.

I also like that while Leda gets psychic clues, she isn't handed all the answers on a plate. She and Grady have to figure out what things mean. The Klairvoyant Karaoke is a cute way to show off her abilities.

The investigation moves along nicely. It follows a natural progression. There is an action sequence at one point that's nicely done.

Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's well written. If you like your mysteries with a touch of the paranormal, it's worth reading. It's a good first book in a new series.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I would first like to thank Atria Books and #NetGalley for my complimentary copy of Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest.

I have not read anything by this author yet and I'm so glad I was able to give this one a shot. It was a great read! The MC and all the characters had great personalities which made for a fun experience.

Synopsis

Leda Foley is an aspiring travel agent with a special gift. When she changed Detective Grady Merritt's flight causing him to avoid a plain crash, he had to know if it was coincidence or a special ability.

Grady has a homicide case that has been stalled and is looking into trying to solve it again. With the help of Leda, will they be able to catch a killer?

This is 100% a 5⭐️ read, it's fun, witty and I was unable to figure it out! I definitely recommend if you like a little bit of mystery.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

This book is perhaps not quite as good as the author's other books (her steampunk books are a hoot), but it's entertaining enough that I would give the next book in this new series a try. The main character seemed to vacillate between highly intelligent moments and then somewhat ditzy moments. The book sets up some good supporting characters plus the promise(?) of a love interest/relationship in the future. Enjoyable, entertaining, and with some good potential.

This story was so fun! The first chapter hooked me right away. I don’t normally like the idea of a psychic but this was so cute and somehow made being a psychic seem normal. Mix between mystery and cozy mystery in the best way! The ending set up perfectly for the second. I can’t wait!

Thank you for the ARC!

This one really just didn't do it for me. I had higher expectations. Could not recommend to a friend.