Vikki VanSickle has had a long career as a children’s author (and bookseller), and this is her first foray into the world of adult mystery writing. As I read the book I was thinking “this is kind of like a grown up version of Nancy Drew,” and after reading VanSickle’s biography, it makes sense. The main character, Drew Benson, has inherited her Aunt Hannah’s metaphysical shop, as well as the building it was housed in, which includes an apartment. Like many another cozy heroine, Drew has returned back home to find herself after a mainly unsatisfying job in the city.
As the book opens, an old classmate, Nick, comes into her empty shop, telling her that he’s a reporter, looking into the very cold case of a long missing fellow classmate, Ginny. The 20th anniversary of Ginny’s disappearance is coming up and he’s wanting to do some investigating. He starts with Drew because her Aunt Hannah had been involved in the case, working with the police using her psychic abilities. Because Ginny was never found Hannah had become something of a town pariah, and Drew’s parents drew her away from her beloved aunt.
Nick asks Drew to look into her aunt’s old journals to see if she can find anything resembling a lead. She’s reluctant to help him, but she does drag the journals out. She finds a clue and she decides to accompany Nick as they begin their own investigation of the disappearance. For Drew, it turns out that looking for Ginny involves her long unused psychic ability of getting a “glimmer” when she holds an object belonging to someone. She proves it to herself and Nick by holding an old key chain of his and making Nick a believer in her ability when she reveals what she’s seen.
While this may be a young adult type set up (as well as a typically cozy one), the emotions in the book are more adult. Drew is not only trying to fit into her old hometown, she’s coming to terms with her aunt’s memory, her own mother, old neighbors, and old boyfriends. The store is doing poorly as well, so one of Drew’s objectives is figuring out if she even wants to stay in town, or does she instead want to sell the valuable property her aunt has left her?
The mystery surrounding the missing girl takes some very believable emotional turns as Nick and Drew continue to turn over (metaphorical) rocks to see what they can discover. Drew is also coming “out of the closet” as she comes to terms with her psychic abilities. I am a sucker for any book with a tarot card reader or any kind of psychic element, so this book was literal catnip to this reader.
VanSikkle is an extremely adept and compelling storyteller, and she’s created characters that stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. I loved Drew’s journey in this novel, and if the resolution to the mystery was slightly predictable, I didn’t care, as I enjoyed the read so much. Often writers who turn from young adult to adult writing already have a huge advantage: they know how to tell a fast paced story that’s well structured and well written. VanSikkle is also an example of how cozies can change and expand – she’s pushing the envelope a bit. Not so much she’ll alienate older readers, but she’s drawing younger readers into the fold as well. This was a sterling effort. — Robin Agnew