Victoria Laurie – Better Read than Dead

The second book in the Psychic Eye Mystery series, published June 2005.



Word of Abby's talents reading tarot cards has reached a mob boss who wants her help in some business matters and he doesn't take no for an answer. When the police seek out her psychic intuition to shed light on a masked man who's been attacking women, Abby finds herself working both sides of the law on her own, leading her to wonder, why didn't I see this coming?


Unknowingly Abby has agreed to read clients at a wedding party, given by the biggest Greek mob boss in town. She gets scared when she does a reading for the family hitman and realises what she has gotten herself into. Unfortunately, her reading is so good, the mob boss wants her help with his business. And he won’t take no for an answer.
At the same time, a client who came for advice (and did NOT take it) is raped brutally, and Milo is asking for her help, solving the case. When they arrest the victim’s neighbour, they are convinced they have the serial rapist they have been looking for. Abby knows differently, but the cops are not listing to her, and another woman gets raped, and does not survive it. Abby does not even have the comfort of her boyfriends arms, as Dutch has been accepted into the FBI, and is working undercover with his female partner. A female who made no secret to Abby of the fact she wants to steal him away.
So now Abby is juggling the demands the police place on her, and the intimidation tactics the mob is putting on her, to get her insights. Can she juggle them all, especially when her sister Cat is in trouble as well?


I read this second book in record time, as it was very fast paced with a great plot. Really suspenseful, I had to know what would happen on the next page. So, I got my boyfriend to cook so I could keep on reading.
I still like Abby and the secondary characters. Abby knows herself, and she is just a normal person, but with a psychic gift. She wants to help people, and the police to solve their cases, knowing the gruesome details will give her nightmares. I was less impressed with Dutch in this book, he was a real jerk sometimes. A fun scene: the strippoker contest at the police station, where Abby really gets them all down to their underpants …

Whenever someone lies to Abby, or if she lies herself, she hears the little rhyme: liar liar, pants of fire. And I do fear that is stuck in my head for now. But well, it is a good book. So Amber and Vickie, thank you for the recent recommendations, I will go right on with book three. I really like Victoria Laurie’s writing style, her sense of humor, and everything.

9 stars