A Timely Vision

May 1, 2010
Dae ODonnell is the appealing heroine in this new mystery series by the Lavenes. She runs a collectible shop known as Missing Pieces, is the mayor of the small town of Duck, North Carolina, and specializes in finding lost things. She manages the latter because, on top of being a savvy and compassionate businesswoman, Dae also happens to be psychic. By simply touching the owner of lost things, she is able to find whatever is missing. One of the oldest residents of Duck, Miss Mildred, asks Dae to find her missing watch, but when a body turns up, Dae becomes involved in finding a murderer insteadand in proving that Miss Mildred couldnt have been responsible for the crime. As is typical with the Lavenes cozy mysteries, this one is filled with likable (if eccentric) characters and boasts a vividly realized small-town setting. There is also a touch of romance between Dae and retired FBI agent Kevin Brickman. The combination of small-town ambience, a psychic main character, and plenty of antiques should give the authors plenty to work with in subsequent adventures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)