“When psychic travel agent Leda Foley is approached by a man searching for his sister, she quickly agrees to help.”

Puppies and Karaoke and Psychometry, oh my!

Listen, this book has all the things. It has murder, mystery, missing loot, a bonkers best friend, and. of course, witty banter.

You know what it lacks?

ROMANCE.

The feminist part of me (and that’s a very large part) thinks that boarders on REVOLUTIONARY – books with male and female characters that DON’T want to bone?

BREATH OF FRESH AIR.

Buuuuuut then there’s that teeny, tiny, socially-constructed part of me that wants everyone to HAVE THEMSELVES A SMUTTY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, thank you very much.

Did I still enjoy this delightful (if mildly predictable) tale?

Yes.

Will I read any subsequent books, still hoping for some action?

Also, yes.

7/10

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this vacation of an ARC.

I had to DNF this at roughly 40%.

I was mostly bored and wasn’t enjoying it at all. I did really enjoy the first book, but I don’t think I’ll be able to continue this series.

Flight Risk is a fun and entertaining novel, perfect for fans who dream of being amateur detectives. Cherie Priest's latest novel is the second in The Booking Agents series and it follows Leda Foley, a full time travel agent, and sometimes psychic, who can perceive images by simply touching an object or person. With the professional help of Seattle police detective, Grady Merritt, the two solve murders and missing person cases.

I really enjoy the levity that Cherie Priest brings to her stories. Leda and her merry band of side characters are relatable and also completely foolish in some ways; and I find it lends itself to many laugh out loud moments. This novel is an easy and delightful read and I am certainly looking forward to any more stories that come from this series.

This series by Cherie Priest is so much fun! I’m glad I stumbled across the ARC for Flight Risk on NetGalley and discovered the greatest mash-up of things I love - my job (travel agent), cozy mystery and something from TV shows I used to watch - when the cops bring in a “consultant” of some kind or another, to help solve murder cases! (in these books, it’s the unreliable psychic)

Since this was book 2 in a series, I read book 1 first (Grave Reservations). Best decision, and I highly recommend not going into this book blind. There is a ton of info learned in the first that I believe you’d be super lost without! Like, how did our unreliable psychic travel agent fall into these roles, as well as start consulting with the Seattle PD, or get teamed up with Grady? What’s up with Grady, his daughter and his dog’s relationships? Why is Leda singing really strange karaoke?? All of these things are in book 1, and not really gone over again here.

Book 2 starts with a lost dog search, a found dog with a new chew toy (a leg, eww), and two crossing cases between Grady at the PD trying to find the rest of the leg’s owner, and Leda having a psychic client request for a missing person.

The banter between Leda, bestie Nikki, the whole bar crew, and Grady (and his daughter) is all extra good and continues from book 1. I read these back-to-back and wish I had another to jump right into - they were that good! There’s also some chemistry and tension between Leda and Grady … but with this type of book, I guess that may never go anywhere?

I definitely recommend this series and this book to everyone - lover of cozy mystery or not! It had a lot of humor and wasn’t purely mystery or all about the murder solving or psychic ability.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Atria Books, and this is my honest feedback.

Leda’s travel agency is getting more business, but the publicity surrounding the case she and Detective Grady Merritt solved also has provided clients looking for psychic detectives. She takes the case of a man looking for his sister, Robin. She disappeared with a huge amount of cash belonging to her company, but he refuses to believe she stole it. Instead, he thinks that her husband, a professor known to have dalliances with students (and who never bothered to report her missing), might be responsible.

Meanwhile, Grady and his daughter Molly are searching Mount Rainier for their lost dog. After three days they find him when he runs up to them with a man’s shoe in his mouth—foot attached! Extensive efforts to find the rest of the body are fruitless but a DNA test reveals a link to Leda’s case.

Leda’s capricious psychic skills provide flashes of images and feelings but nothing that points to Robin’s location. But by joining forces, the psychic psongtress and detective are determined to sort through the lies and conflicting stories to find Robin.

I find this cozy mystery series a delight. The two main characters are a great pair: Leda is likable but brusque while vegetarian Grady has a more sensitive nature. His daughter, Molly, had more of a role in this book and she was a fun addition while Niki continued to be a fun and unpredictable sidekick. And of course, cute dogs!

The professor’s misdeeds are timely (though frustrating that there were few consequences to his behavior). I had hoped for more karaoke and for Leda’s relationship with Avalon Harris to be developed more, and I was not prepared for such a gut-wrenching ending.

FLIGHT RISK, though, is a modern and refreshing cozy mystery, recommended for those who like Mia P. Manansala.

I will say I didn't read the first book in the series. The author does bring readers up to date quickly at the beginning of the story in kind of a book dump. Quickly moves into the current story which is 100% beyond unrealistic which might be why lots of romance readers enjoy this author so much.

The story is simple, easy to read, and nothing truly stand out. The characters are odd and charming, and the story moves quickly and yet after putting it down. I couldn't remember the book and what it was about.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Flight Risk by Cherie Priest.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Flight Risk (Booking Agent #2) by Cherie Priest
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 317 / Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Happy Pub Day for Flight Risk by Cherie Priest! Psychic travel agent Leda Foley is back with a new mystery only her psychic prowess can solve. Tasked with trying to locate her client’s missing sister, Leda’s new case coincidentally overlaps with a case her favorite detective stumbles upon when his dog finds a fun new toy — a severed leg in the woods. Both cases could have easily gone unsolved if not for Leda’s flashes of psychic visions.

Like Grave Reservations, the first book in the Booking Agent series, Flight Risk is a light-hearted mystery with fun characters and the intriguing element of psychic powers. I thoroughly enjoyed both books.

Thank you @netgalley and @AtriaBooks for the advance copy of this book. I’m already looking forward to the next one.

I mostly knew the name Cherie Priest from her Clockwork Century series which I read about ten years ago, so given the nature of that series, Steampunk, I was surprised to learn she was now writing a cozy mystery series. And it’s a blast. It all starts with a missing dog…who turns up with a severed leg. The dog in question belongs to the daughter of detective Grady Merritt, so even though the body was found outside his jurisdiction and it shouldn’t be his case, when the dog ends up pooping out a ring, before he turns it in he can’t help but do a little investigating on his own. So he takes it to his friend Leda Foley who is a psychic travel. (Okay I realize psychic travel agents sounds odd, so let me clarify. Leda is a travel agent who also just happens to be psychic.) As it turns out, she’s just taken on a missing persons case. It would be too much to hope the leg belonged to the missing person, right? Right! But the two cases are connected and the duo must work together to solve the mysteries. I didn’t read the first book in the series, but I’ll be correcting that oversight in the very near future. This was a really fun mystery and I hope the series continues. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Flight Risk.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1ARJ7ZSTPDB7R/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flight-risk-cherie-priest/1140976086?ean=9781982168940&bvnotificationId=83d7ed79-6518-11ed-9e33-0a002ef91e71&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/228431938

Flight Risk, "The Booking Agents #2" is another smash hit "cozy" murder mystery that will leave you flipping the page at an alarming rate!

Receipe for Disaster...Recovery that is

Leda Foley (1) part travel agent, (1) part Klairvoyent Karaoke Star, (1) part Psychic

And

Grady Merritt (1) part homicide detective, (1) part now psychic woowoo believer {for the most part}

Add that up with a loose dog, detached body parts and multiple missing persons and youve got yourself the ultimate whodunnit that will leave you guessing leading up to the big reveal...or is it REVEALS!! DUN DUN DUNNN

I said it for Grave Reservations and I will say it again for Flight Risk. These novels were 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!

Overall I enjoyed this, though not as much as Grave Reservations-- the mystery wasn't quite as engaging.

The book was fun, quick, and quirky. The banter between Leda and Grady is funny.

I’d like to see a romance for Leda in the future.

Thanks to the publisher Atria Books who provided an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

So my only complaint about the first book in this series was that the level of quirkiness did not meet my expectations. I did not know if that was a product of me wanting something other than the author intended or whether Ms. Priest was just warming up. It looks like it is the later of the two because this book starts with quirkiness in full gear! I mean, what dog owner doesn't wonder when their furry friend will find a dead body or body part? The continued development of smart characters, including Grady's daughter, makes these unique cozies even more enjoyable. I love the weird combination of Leda's jobs as travel agent, karaoke clairvoyant, and part time sleuth! Even thinking about it makes me smile. I look forward to whatever whacky trouble Leda and pals get in to next.

Leda Foley works as a travel agent arranging exciting trips for other people. She has an unusual talent - she is psychic and gets flashes from handling objects that have meaning to a person. In this book, a man comes to her office and wants to engage her services as a psychic, which excites her very much. His sister has disappeared with 50,000 in cash that did not belong to her, and he is afraid that something has happened to her, as this is not like her. What is really suspicious is that her husband has not reported her missing, and they are having marital troubles.

Meanwhile, Grady Merritt, a detective in the Seattle Police Department, has lost his dog Cairo at a large state park with an extinct volcano (Mt. Rainier). He and his daughter Molly are passing out flyers (whether the people want them or not), and searching for the dog. This has been going on for a week. Then their dog shows up with a human leg in his mouth. Grady and Leda had worked together to solve a mystery in the first book, so Grady approaches her to see if she can pick up any clues to the man's identify with her extra talent.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, which is the second book in a series. It is not necessary to read the first book in order to enjoy this one - I didn't even realize until halfway through the book that it was the second book. One thing I really loved about the story is all the red herrings - just when you think that you have an incriminating clue, there turns out to be a reasonable and non-criminal explanation. Then another clue or piece of information shows up, and Leda and her policeman friend veer off in another direction.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher Atria Books via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

The first book in this delightful series got me hooked, this current installment continues to delight. Leda Foley, our favorite "inconsistent" psychic is hired to locate a missing woman. Leda's gift allows her to hold a person's object and if her "woo-woo" registers Leda will sense a song that will mean something. Meanwhile, Det. Grady Merritt of the Seattle PD and his teenage daughter, Molly, are searching Mount Rainier for their lost dog, Cairo. Cairo is found with a human leg in his mouth.

Of course, these are connected. Leda is so much fun, and her BFF Nikki, is equally a hoot. The relationship between free spirited Leda and staid Grady has evolved. They are friends, and he has learned that Leda has a special gift that can be useful to solve crimes.

This is a fun cozy, we have a few red herrings and a great cast of characters. I enjoyed watching Leda and Grady work out the clues and resolve the mystery. I am eagerly waiting for the next adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. The review is my own.

In Flight Risk, Leda is a part-time psychic/full-time travel agent who finally has a psychic-needing client looking for a missing sister—not another lost cat. Her friend, Detective Grady, has a personal interest in the puzzle of a missing man.

The good news is that Grady’s dog is found after being lost in a national park for a weekend. The bad news is that he (the dog, not Grady) is gnawing on a man’s severed leg. Yuck! Soon, it is apparent that the two cases are intertwined. Leda and Grady must work together to find out what really happened in this entertaining cozy mystery.

Sometimes you feel like eating a tasting menu at a pricey French-Thai fusion restaurant. But sometimes, perhaps more frequently than you would like to admit, only a greasy cheeseburger will satisfy your cravings. Flight Risk is definitely closer to the burger—but that doesn’t make it any less delicious. Spend a few hours reading this delightfully unbelievable escape from reality. And don’t feel guilty it’s not Dostoyevsky, you only live once! 4 stars!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Flight Risk A Novel by Cherie Priest is the second, and a sparkling new addition, in the Booking Agents mystery series. Psychic travel agent Leda has a new client who needs help finding his missing sister, whose husband doesn’t seem concerned in the least. When Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt’s runaway dog turns up with a human leg, Lena’s and Grady’s cases are irrevocably entwined.

I have discovered a new favorite protagonist and her author! And - lucky me! - there is one previous book in the series. There was so much to like in this mystery. The characters were relatable, down-to-earth, and just plain real people - well OK, except for the psychic part. The forested park setting was a wonderful backdrop that lent a unique and complex aspect to the mystery, which was well-plotted and engaging. Lena’s friends were fun and quirky, as was the Klairvoyant Karaoki. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.). Pure delight in book form! Please write faster Ms. Priest as I can hardly wait for the next installment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the E-Arc. I'm not even gonna lie I did not think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. I was hesitant because its the second book in a series and the main character has psychic abilities. But I did not feel lost at all the author wrote this book so good that even though there was references made to the first book I didn't feel like I needed the back story. Lena was a whoot and her psychic abilities were written to be seen as light it was not too heavy, and what can we say about Detective Grady he was so enjoyable. I cant wait to read more of them

I yet again have done myself a disservice by not looking into the book I was reading, and found out that it was a part of a series (oops) and I have not read the first book! However, this book definitely read like a stand alone so that was really nice and I was able to still enjoy the storyline.

Imagine you lose your dog in a national park. Two days later, you come back with flyers and are looking for your dog, when up they trot, human leg in tow. This is how this book starts and from there you find yourself thrown into the world of Detective Grady Merrit and his psychic friend/consultant Leda. Suddenly they realize that the two cases they’ve been working on are in direct correlation to one another. Both a husband and a wife have gone missing. Did the husband kill his wife so he could continue preying on his students at the university he taught at (ew)? Did she run off with a large sum of money to start over? This is where Leda’s psychic abilities come in handy and where the ever so logical Det. Grady work together to figure out what went down.

This book gives off a cozy vibe even though the cases are pretty dark. I enjoyed how the abilities of Leda were used to assist the case to a point where the two of them still had to actively figure things out, rather than just having the outcome fall into their laps. I felt as though the ending wrapped up a little too nicely and there were some things I didn’t love that went on in the story, as well as some things that took a bit too long to figure out. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and might even check out the first book “Grave Reservations.”

⚠️TW: death, murder, infidelity

Thank you @atriabooks, @simonandschusterca and @netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Did you catch Cherie Priest’s first Booking Agents mystery, Grave Reservations, when it came out last year? Leda Foley, a Seattle travel agent and sometimes psychic returns with Homicide Detective Grady Merritt in another off-beat story, Flight Risk.

It’s been a year since Leda and Grady solved a murder case together, but she’s eager to use her psychic abilities to help others, even if those abilities don’t always lead in the right direction. When Don Matarese shows up at her travel agency, he’s desperate for information about his missing sister, Robin Reddick. She disappeared from her work site with $30,000 in a bank pouch, but Don insists she’s not a criminal. He’s worried about her, and half-convinced her cheating husband, Paul, was involved in her disappearance. The professor never reported his wife missing. It was their son, Jeff, who insisted on reporting it to the police.

Grady Merritt is oblivious that a woman is missing. But, his dog has disappeared, and Grady’s teen daughter, Molly, is frantic. Cairo was frightened and bolted when they were hiking in the Mount Rainier Paradise area. They’ve been out handling out leaflets, but screams finally indicate something’s going on in the park. When Cairo shows up, he has a man’s leg in his mouth. This might be a job for the local police, but Grady’s interested since his dog found a body part.

By the time the leg’s owner is identified, Grady and Leda discover they’re working two sides of the same case, the disappearances of Robin and Paul Reddick. Grady’s reluctant to include Leda in his investigation, but she has proved helpful in the past. And, she has been hired as a consultant for the Seattle Police Department.

Several dogs, scandals on campus, and, of course psychic karaoke nights at the local bar, all add up to an enjoyable mystery with fun characters. Take a Flight Risk with Leda and Grady and the rest of the cast.

4/5

Easy fun read that you don’t need to think to hard about! If you like goofy tv shows (think Brooklyn 99) then you will like this book.

I’m sold when the author uses words such as bougie silk-blend socks. Also the humor was spot on in my opinion!

“Well, I’m just glad you finally found him. I’d be worried sick if Brutus ever ran away.” Grady’s eyes narrowed. “Isn’t Brutus a fish?” “Swam away, whatever.” She waved her hand as if this were a mere technicality. “I’d be beside myself.”

That put a smile on my face! I loved the chemistry that all the characters had together. The father daughter relationship was heartwarming and I loved Grady and Leda’s relationship. They level each other out, where Leda is a free spirt and she goes with her gut with out a second thought while Grady is level headed and down to earth.

I was worried that this was going to be another book where the characters were being pushed together but I was presently surprised that there wasn’t any of that!

I loved Molly she was such a sweet character that added a little bit of a break from the mystery of the book. Like Cairo compost… she is too cute!

All in all a fun read thy you can turn your brain off and enjoy! Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

Cherie Priest is a fantastic writer. I first found her books via the Borden Dispatches series, which combines Lizzie Borden, Cthulhu, and a secret cult… trust me, it works! So when I saw she was writing a mystery series I knew I wanted to read it. The first in the Booking Agents Mysteries, Grave Reservations, was very enjoyable, but the mystery itself wasn’t as good as I would have liked and it was a bit slow at spots.

But Priest has really found her stride with book two, Flight Risk. The pace is faster and the mystery could be solved by the reader and was not completely dependent upon the main character’s, Leda’s, psychic flashes. We get to enjoy all the fun characters again, including Leda’s best friend, Niki, and all the fabulous bar patrons. And we get a new character that is a medium and an older character which added another layer to the book. Grady, the detective, has relaxed a lot in this book and basically partners up with Leda since their cases seem to be connected. It was enjoyable to have the police presence share information with the main character and not have them continually tell her not to investigate.

If you are looking for a police procedural or an intense mystery, this is not it. But if you want something light, amusing and in the vein of Janet Evanovich, then welcome to the world of the” inconsistent psychic” who will tell you a bit about yourself or your future via karaoke!