Sizzle and Burn by Jennifer Ann Krentz

Sizzle and Burn by Jennifer Ann Krentz - 467 pages

Zack Jones, an investigator, and Raine Tallentyre must work together to solve the mystery of a missing scientist with ties to Raine's family past.
This is the first book in the Arcane Society series about a secretive psychical society.  The mystery was interesting and the romance was fun to read.  A great introduction to the series.

Rituals by Mary Anna Evans

Rituals by Mary Anna Evans - 415 pages

Faye Longchamp doesn't believe in ghosts, but she's an archaeologist—dead people are her life. While working in Rosebower, a rural New York town founded by Spiritualists, Faye is surrounded by people who talk to the dead on a regular basis. So when influential Spiritualist Tilda Armistead invites Faye and her daughter to commune with the dead, she can't say no. An hour after Tilda's crystal ball shows Faye things no rational mind can explain, Tilda is dead. The evidence says someone trapped Tilda in a small room, nailing its one door shut before setting her house afire. There is no possible way for her to have escaped the blaze, let alone drive for miles before finding Faye and dying in her arms. Yet Tilda did. How? And why?

I enjoyed this but it seems again very wordy.  I guess I just like action.

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz - 294 pages

Catalina and her best friend were witnesses to a murder 15 years ago.  Nobody believed them so they stopped talking about it.  But now, someone has set out to find the witnesses.  Catalina must work with fellow investigator Slater to find her kidnapped friend and discover what really happened then and now.

I believe this is probably the first book in a new paranormal series by Jayne Ann Krentz.  All of the characters are psychic in some way.  It also features a huge conspiracy theory.  I enjoyed the book although at times the story felt rushed.

The Institute by Stephen King

The Institute by Stephen King - 576 pages

This book is a throwback in a good way to early King novels such as Firestarter and It with its themes of children with powers fighting evil government agencies. 

Luke Ellis, an extremely smart kid, is sleeping when agents sneak into his Minneapolis house, murder his parents, and kidnap him for transport to The Institute.  He wakes up in a room that looks just like the bedroom he left but there is no window and the door opens onto an institutional hallway and a yard with other kids.  Luke soon discovers that the sinister forces behind The Institute are dead set on extracting psychic powers from the minds of gifted kids no matter the cost.  King's worlds are never black and white and it is fascinating to see what choices his characters will make in the grey. 

Dream Eyes by Jayne Ann Krentz

Dream Eyes by Jayne Ann Krentz - 325 pages

Gwen Frazier has a unique psychic ability.  She can talk to the "ghosts" found at scenes of violent death.  When she stumbles upon the death of her friend, she asks psychic investigator Judson Coppersmith to help her determine who killed her friend.

This is a book loosely connected to the Arcane Society books by Jayne Ann Krentz.  I enjoyed the book.  It was an interesting mystery with several twists that kept you guessing.

Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle

Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle - 355 pages
Looking Glass Trilogy #3

Charlotte and Slade must work together to solve the mystery of a paranormal weapon made of glass.

This is  a paranormal romance by Jayne Ann Krentz written under one of her pen names.  It concludes the Looking Glass Trilogy while also setting up the Rainshadow series.  The book story was good with interesting characters.  I listened to the audio and the narrator did a good job distinguishing between the characters.

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick - 340 pages

Adelaide Blake has started a new life in Burning Cove after escaping from a sanitarium where she was held against her will.  There she meets Jake Truitt who is vacationing with exhaustion.  They soon get caught up together when a psychic is murdered after predicting her own death.

I listened to this on audio.  I enjoyed the story.  The narration was a little distracting at times.  The narrator tried to distinguish between the voices and the choices for a couple of the male characters grated on my ears some.

Death by Diamonds by Annette Blair

Death by Diamonds by Annette Blair - 277 pages
A Vintage Magic Mystery #3

Maddie has another murder to solve.  Unfortunately, this time it is the death of her close friend and Broadway star Dominique DeLong.  She was killed and millions of dollars of diamonds were stolen.  Now Maddie must figure out her killed her friend and find the diamonds before someone comes after her.

Another great entry in the series.

Larceny and Lace: A Vintage Magic Mystery by Annette Blair

Larceny and Lace by Annette Blair - 288 pages
A Vintage Magic Mystery #2

Maddie is running out of time before her shop's grand opening.  Unfortunately, things just keep getting in the way of her preparations.  There's a fire at the business across the street.  Her aunt convinces her to host a Halloween part in the upstairs room of the shop.  And there is another murder to be solved.

This is the second book in Annette Blair's Vintage Magic mystery series.  I really enjoyed the first book.  I thought the second book was a little more rushed in its story.  Still, it was an enjoyable a read and I look forward to reading more of the series.

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig - 276 pages

Miriam Black knows that information is power, but in her case it is a curse.  All she has to do is touch you to know how and when you are going to die.  It may be hours or decades away but she sees it all.  This window into darkness has led Miriam to a nomadic life on the fringes of society where she crosses paths with a con man, a trucker with a heart of gold, and a violent criminal conspiracy.  This is a very dark and violent look at the nature of fate and whether redemption is possible when your life has gone down a very twisted path into the heart of darkness.  Miriam is an unapologetic antihero that you don't want to root for, but you will. 

A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair

A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair - 246 pages
A Vintage Magic Mystery #1

Maddie is returning home to help plan her sister's wedding.  Unfortunately, she stumbles across the dead body of her sister's fiance's ex-girlfriend.  She's been killed with her sister's wedding veil.  Maddie is determined to prove her sister was not the murderer and she'll use any clue she can to do that -- even clues from visions she is getting from the vintage clothes connected to the killer.

This is the first in a mystery series with a psychic twist.  The main character is able to get visions from vintage clothing.  I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of this series.

Silver Master by Jayne Caste

Silver Master by Jayne Castle - 307 pages

Matchmaker Celinda Ingram seems to be caught up in a guild investigation for a missing relic.  Detective Davis Oakes is determined to stay by her side until he recovers the relic . . . and to protect her from those out to harm Celinda.

This is a futuristic romance by Jayne Ann Krentz set on the alien world of Harmony.  Most of the characters have some kind of psychic ability.  While the mystery was fairly easy to figure out, the romance was still fun to read.

Dark Light by Jayne Castle

Dark Light by Jayne Castle - 387 pages

Reporter Sierra McIntyre is shocked when guild boss John Fontana suggests they get married.  It's all a ploy to figure out what is happening to retired hunters who are disappearing.  Does it have something to do with the motorcycle gang selling drugs on the street?  Or is the aliens returned?

This is one of Jayne Ann Krentz's futuristic romances set on Harmony.  It includes paranormal aspects with the various characters have psychic powers.  It was an interesting romance and a fairly decent mystery.

Visions in Death by J.D. Robb

Visions in Death by J.D. Robb - 371 pages

Somebody is killing women and leaving them displayed in the city's parks.  Detective Eve Dallas will do anything to solve the case . . . even work with a possible psychic that showed up saying she's seeing the murders happen in her dreams.

I thought this was one of the better volumes in the Eve Dallas series by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts).  It reveals more about the history of Eve while also growing several other characters stories and motivations. 

Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts

Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts - 336 pages

Sasha Riggs finds herself on the island of Corfu.  There she meets five others she has been dreaming of for the past year.  Together they are meant to the find the fallen Stars of Fortune.  But will they be able to trust each other enough to become unified and find the stars?


I listened to this book, the first book in a trilogy by Nora Roberts, on audio.  I enjoyed the audio version of the book.  The narrator did a good job of keeping the various accents distinct even when in rapid dialogue between the many characters.  I already have the next book on audio on hold.

The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick

The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick - 371 pages

Beatrice Lockwood and Joshua Gage work together to solve the mystery of who is framing Beatrice for blackmail and targeting her for kidnapping.

This is a historical mystery / romance by Amanda Quick (aka - Jayne Ann Krentz).  While the villain is determined fairly early in the story, it was interesting to discover how he was located.  A great book for those who enjoy historical mysteries or romances.

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick - 342 pages

Virginia Dean and Owen Sweetwater must work together to figure out why someone is killing psychics.  They must work quickly as it appears Virginia is the next target.

This is a historical romance entry in the Arcane Society series by Jayne Ann Krentz.  (Historical entries are under the name Amanda Quick.)  I enjoyed the audio version of this book. I liked the narrator and the story kept your interest.

Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz

Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz - 467 pages

Raine is going through her aunt's house to get ready to sell it when she stumbles upon a crime scene.  Turns out a serial killer is using the house a base for his operations and there is a girl locked up in the basement.  Luckily the girl is still alive. However, this leads to the killer fixating on Raine as she is the niece of the local witch and he is determined to kill all the witches.  Meanwhile, Raine must also deal with her family's past when psychic investigator Zack Jones hunts her down in the course of his latest investigation.

This is one of the contemporary novels in the Arcane Society series by Jayne Ann Krentz.  (There are also historical entries under the name Amanda Quick and futuristic entries under Jayne Castle.)  This was a good entry in the series.

Light in Shadow by Jayne Ann Krentz

Light in Shadow by Jayne Ann Krentz - 369 pages

Zoe hires Ethan when she discovers that her interior design client killed his wife.  What she doesn't tell Ethan is that she knew this because she sensed the violence in the room where she was killed.  She also doesn't tell him her biggest secret -- that she escaped from a mental hospital where she was committed against her will by her in-laws.  But now, that secret is out and Ethan must help her escape the thugs from that mental hospital and her former family to keep her safe.

This is actually the first book in a two book series by Jayne Ann Krentz.  I had listened to the second book Truth or Dare a couple weeks ago on audio.  I would definitely suggest starting with this book first as it gives a lot of background that would have been useful in reading the second book. 

Truth or Dare by Jayne Ann Krentz

Truth or Dare by Jayne Ann Krentz - 401 pages

Zoe and Ethan are settling into married life when things start to get interesting.  Zoe, a psychic interior decorator, starts sensing toxic spiderwebs at various locations throughout town.  Then their friend Arcadia seems to have a stalker.  They must work through these and more issues to get to their happily ever after.

This is actually the sequel to Light in Shadows so it was a little confusing.  I listened to this on audio and the narration was good as was the story.  However, there did seem to be several instances were previous knowledge was required.  Still I enjoyed the audiobook.