Mind Over Murder by Allison Kingsley (Book Review)

Mind Over Murder

by Allison Kingsley

262 pages

The Berkeley Publishing Group, September 2011

crime/mystery

Read in 5 days

My Rating: ★★★1/2

Another Review...

"Stephanie Quinn Dowd you've got to be kidding!"
First Line 

My Review: I don't normally read "penny mysteries" but whenever a title captures my attention I am willing to give it a try. A Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery hooked me from the beginning. I never realized the world I'd be entering of all the female mystery writers there are who've written various series. Some with titles including dessert, food, buttons, or in this case (and others) books/bookstore.

Aside from Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, & Jonathan Kellerman I've never read a mystery series until now. I'm glad I started. What I consider a good mystery is one that either keeps me guessing all the way until the end or one that allows me to feel like I'm picking up vital clues along the way with the main character. Clara Quinn and her cousin Stephanie Quinn, who owns the Ravens Nest bookstore, are the main characters. They get involved in solving a murder in order to clear the name of an employee of Stephanie's. The idea comes about because Clara has a family gift known as Quinn Sense where she is able to detect if someone is lying to her, among other things. That is my only issue with the premise of the book. I realize Clara having Quinn Sense is what will keep these books going but I feel it's just as good without it.

Did young and naive Molly kill Ana, the woman who was despised by almost everyone in town for one reason or the other? It's just her misfortune that she lives in a small town where a harmless argument is known (and heard) by all, so when Ana turns up dead in the Raven's Nest its obvious to everyone who did it.

I would have appreciated one more murder or a bit more danger but seeing as this is a town similar to that of Cabot Cove, ME I was satisfied with what I got. If you don't know why I mentioned Cabot Cove, it's referencing the Murder, She Wrote series and where most of the stories took place. A small town with nosey neighbors and gossipers, with the occasional murder. If there were to be more than one each time the town would quickly be nonexistent.

If you're looking for a quick read that will keep you guessing and interested until the very last page, this is a good choice. And if you think this is the last time we'll have Clara and Stephanie solving a crime, "Don't bet on it."

Synopsis: Cousins and best friends, Clara and Stephanie Quinn run The Raven's Nest Bookstore, where people go to find their most coveted reads. But they have no idea it's the psychically-gifted Clara who's reading them...

The bookstore has made an enemy of the town crier, Ana Jordon, who claims that the store's occult collection is "poisoning" the town's youth. Meanwhile, the store's number-one employee, Molly, has made no secret of her anger over Ana's antics. So when Ana is found dead, killed by the bust of Edgar Allen Poe sculpted by Molly, the evidence is stacked against her. And Clara must rely on her gift to make sense of this senseless murder...