Prudence Ryland has made a living at being Madame Ariadne, a psychic with a talent for interpreting dreams. Although it is not her dream, it pays the bills. That is, until one of her clients tries to murder her.

Prudence flees, and uses the opportunity to start fresh, working toward her true dream of opening a bookstore dealing in the paranormal. But she shouldn't have let her guard down so easily because next thing she knows she's waking up in a carefully staged scene next to a murdered man. Someone is clearly trying to frame Prudence and she has a good idea who it is. So she turns to the only person who can help her.

Jack Wingate has a knack for investigation. He's very interested in the steps to follow to figure out how to solve a crime. Hearing about Prudence's psychic abilities, he becomes drawn to her case and agrees to work as a consultant if for no other reason than to also prove that psychics aren't real. But his own convictions are called into question as he and Prudence try to draw out a potential murderer.

I did not read the previous book in the series although I had read the others prior to that. I'm not sure if there were events from that previous book that effected the main characters in this story, or if some of the background information for these characters was just that: background. But there were oftentimes I felt like I was missing out on something. Not enough to keep me from following along in the story, but just enough to have this strange nagging feeling like I would understand the characters a bit better if I had read the previous book.

This series has always leaned into the paranormal. What started out in earlier books as characters having an intuition or a sixth sense-type of a talent now unabashedly leans heavy into parapsychology. In fact, there's no supposition about it, Prudence can read dreams and influence people's psychic energy. It's one of those things where you just have to go with it if you want to read this series. You have to suspend your (dis)beliefs a little. But honestly, if feels right for the time period - 1930s - just for the fact that spiritualism had a strong presence in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Writing this review a couple of weeks out from finishing the book, I can say that looking back , it's a little difficult to piece together the various twists and turns and also kind of the reasons why of it all. Looking back on the story I think there's a lot that happens due to coincidence, or simply because the author needed it to happen a certain way, so that's the way it's written. I feel like there's very little organic build up, and nowhere is this more clear than early on when Prudence suddenly wakes up next to a murdered man. I honestly was so jarred by the change in direction from the previous chapter that I thought I accidentally skipped ahead, but I didn't. It's further compounded because she knows the man as well. Suffice it to say, there's a little bit of catch up to do, but once that's accomplished, justifying the connections is a little murky.

It's only from a distance that these issues were glaring for me. While reading, the story was paced well enough to keep me interested and I enjoyed it the same as the rest in the series. I appreciate Luther Pell and Raina Kirk being the two characters who kind of tie this series together as they're always circling the periphery of the story. Amanda Quick is also great at really setting the atmosphere of 1930s California. ( )

Prudence Ryland is trying to live with her ability to see people's dreams and playing psychic but the last thing she expected is to have to fend off a murderous client. And then he dies, after collapsing in her rooms. Later she finds herself kidnapped and drugged, waking up beside a dead man in a wedding dress. She knows that this is all a disaster as the man is the son of a woman who is somewhat obsessed with her skills. She accepts help from Luther Pell and the scarred Jack Wingate and as they investigate they get closer to each other and to trouble.
It was a fun light read with characters that I enjjoyed. ( )

This latest in the Burning Cove series stars dream reader Prudence Ryland and consultant Jack Wingate. The story begins with Prudence facing down a murderer who has come for a reading. She uses her psychic talent to make him pass out. It confirms to her that she really needs to change careers.

Her next job is in an academic library filled with male chauvinists. When she's kidnapped and wakes finding herself wearing a bloody wedding gown and next to a corpse, she's sure that someone is trying to frame her for murder. After all, one of her former clients tried to bully her into marrying the man who is now a corpse.

She flees to Burning Cove where Lucas Pell pairs her up with investigator Jack Wingate who is writing a book about criminal profiling. Although Prudence recognizes that Jack has the psychic gift of intuition, Jack is convinced that psychic gifts are not real and thinks Prudence is a fraud. However, he does agree to look into her case and try to find out who is trying to kill her or frame her for murder.

Sparks fly between Jack and Prudence as the danger to Prudence increases. And Jack is more than willing to use her as bait to bring the criminals out into the open.

The story was fast-paced and filled with 1930s historical detail. I loved the growing relationship between Prudence and Jack that began with a lot of verbal sparring. Fans of paranormal mysteries and great banter will enjoy this latest episode in the series. ( )

I've been curiously reluctant to review this one -- it's got a good creep factor to it, and I like the flavor of psychics that this series addresses, but this one felt a little more rote than usual, a little less spark between the characters. Solid Burning Cove, and I might be more into it in a different mood.

Advanced Readers' Copy Provided by Edelweiss. ( )