Her entry begins:
I always enjoy books with offbeat humor, especially if they contain supernatural elements, so I was pleased to I discover Richard Kadrey’s The Everything Box and its sequel, The Wrong Dead Guy. Coop is a thief who specializes in stealing magical objects mainly because he is immune to magic. When a mysterious client hires him to steal an equally mysterious box, Coop finds himself involved with the quirky Department of Peculiar Sciences, a top secret government force that polices anything out of the ordinary. Along with his partners in crime, Giselle, who can make everyone around her invisible, and Morty, whose talent allows him to open any lock just by looking at it, Coop realizes there’s more to this box than...[read on]About Death by Dragonfly, from the publisher:
Flamboyant actor Leo Pierson’s Art Nouveau treasures have been stolen, including a one-of-a-kind Lalique glass dragonfly he claims is cursed. David Randall, 302 Grace Street’s private eye, agrees to recover the valuables before he realizes murder has raised its ugly head in the Parkland art community. Samuel Gallant of the museum board is missing, until Randall and his landlord/consultant Camden find Gallant’s body stuffed in a museum closet. When another board member suffers a fatal accident and the art critic for the Parkland Herald is attacked, Randall suspects the stolen dragonfly is indeed cursed. He investigates Richard Mason, curator of the Little Gallery,Learn more about the book and author at Jane Tesh's website.whose artwork consists of ugly mechanical sculptures, and Nancy Piper, finance manager at the Parkland Art Museum.
Meanwhile, Camden struggles against psychic visions he’s had since birth, taking pills to limit sudden intense visions. His wife, Ellin, fends off Matt Grabber, a television celebrity healer threatening to take over her Psychic Service Network and using his two large pythons to emphasize his bid. The pythons take a liking to Camden, upping his stress level, while he takes more pills hoping his visions—and the snakes—disappear. Kit, a new tenant at Grace Street, is a young rock star who is also psychic. As Camden becomes more addicted, Kit becomes an early warning system, alerting Randall to the next attack.
Randall works to solve the murders, find the jeweled collection, help Cam, deter Grabber and his pythons, romance the young lovely Kary, and avoid stray curses. A spirit on the Other Side surprisingly requests his help, a spirit with ties to the stolen pieces of Art Nouveau.
Coffee with a Canine: Jane Tesh and Winkie.
The Page 69 Test: Mixed Signals.
The Page 69 Test: Now You See It.
The Page 69 Test: Death by Dragonfly.
Writers Read: Jane Tesh.
--Marshal Zeringue
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