A Watery Death by Joyce and Jim Lavene

First Line: Captain Bill Lucky swaggered down the Duck Shoppes boardwalk with his roving eye cast on every woman.

It's the Fourth of July weekend, and thousands of visitors have packed Duck, North Carolina for the festivities... and to learn of the death of Bill Lucky who was captain of the new gambling ship docked there. Mayor Dae O'Donnell has her hands full with the parade, a friend who's turned into a very nervous bride, and trying to get her store, Missing Pieces, stocked for the busy summer season. But when rumors persist of mermaids being involved in Lucky's death, Dae has no choice but to become involved in the investigation.

I was a huge fan of this series for the first three books, but my opinion gradually began to change as Dae's "powers" began to change. From being able to touch an object and see its history or touch a person to see where his or her lost item is, Dae began to be able to time travel, and now with this last book in the series, mermaids (and mermen) take center stage. This whole part of the plot just did not work for me, but I kept reading because of my fondness for the main character, the setting, and for the authors of the series (both of whom left us way too soon).

The paranormal and fantasy elements weren't the only things that bothered me. The mystery took a backseat to the rest of the action in A Watery Death, and for some strange reason, Dae suddenly decided that she had the right to start making decisions for everyone else. That's guaranteed to rub my fur the wrong way.

This book may have ended the series on a bit of a sour note for me, but I do recommend the first three books in the series: A Timely Vision, A Touch of Gold, and A Spirited Gift. They are filled with wonderful characters and a setting that you can see and smell and touch. And I won't even go into the history of the area that you'll be able to learn!
  

A Watery Death by Joyce and Jim Lavene

ASIN: B00VS9LWLI

J. Lavene © 2015

eBook, 264 pages

Cozy Mystery, #7 Missing Pieces mystery

Rating: D+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.


  

Dae's Christmas Past by Joyce and Jim Lavene

First Line: The Currituck Sound had a smooth, glossy surface leading to the horizon as I walked down the boardwalk.

The election is over, and Dae O'Donnell has some parties to attend. Mary Catherine Roberts, well-known pet psychic and former Duck, North Carolina, resident has returned with messages for Dae, and her presence puts a spring in Dae's grandfather's step. Big Christmas plans are afoot to bring lots of people to the small town in the off-season, and vacancies have to be filled on the town council. But before work on any of this can get started, strange things start to happen. 

Large herds of wild horses stampede through town in the wee hours of the morning, making noise and leaving a large swath of destruction in their wake-- but although these creatures can be heard and felt, no one can see them. Dae knows that they're tied in with the horse statue that archaeologists are uncovering outside of town and that they're bad news. When wild horse rescue director Tom Watts is found dead in the middle of the road and Dae's friend Jake Burleson is accused of his murder, Dae knows she has to work fast before even more death and destruction comes to her beloved town.

This Missing Pieces cozy/paranormal series has been one of my favorites from its inception. I love the small town setting of Duck, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks and how the authors have woven the area's history into the storylines. Joyce and Jim Lavene also do a wonderful job in showing what it's like to be mayor of a small town in troubled financial times, and how people in a community can come together to make the town-- and their lives-- better. Normally readers pick up books like these and read about the problems, but don't see much in the way of finding and implementing solutions.

I've also come to care a great deal for Dae, her grandfather, her boyfriend, and other characters in her circle of friends and acquaintances. The paranormal hook appealed to me as well: Dae's ability to hold objects and "see" their history, or to have people come to her for help in locating missing things and her being able to find them simply by touching the person. We even have a new character in Dae's Christmas Past: Mary Catherine Roberts, who first appeared in the  Lavenes' The Telltale Turtle. Roberts can talk to and listen to animals, and in this book, flocks of them have plenty to say to her. I liked Mary Catherine, but other than providing a romantic interest for Dae's grandfather, she really didn't have all that much to do. Telling us several times throughout the book that the animals were worried and afraid doesn't make her vital to the plot. It will be interesting to see how her role adapts in future books.

I've been telling you about all the things I've liked about this book and the series as a whole, but I've been avoiding the elephant in the room. (Mary Catherine would've told you what the elephant had to say by now.) I'm more than willing to go wherever authors want to take me. I like to see how they introduce new elements and how they can push the envelope. More often than not, I enjoy these changes-- but sometimes I don't, and this is one of those times. 

The plot hinges on a prehistoric horse cult on the Outer Banks. This was introduced a book or two ago, and I have to admit that I eyed it nervously. I was right to, at least for me. Dae's developing psychic abilities and her testing their boundaries has kept me interested, but I just could not buy into this horse cult. When the ringleader of the reborn cult was revealed and began to spout rhetoric, the character sounded straight from a James Bond film-- just another megalomaniac trying to take over the world. It just didn't fit. It just wasn't Duck.

There's still a lot that I like about this series, but I have to admit that I'll be looking forward to the next book, not only with anticipation, but with a big dollop of apprehension as well.
  

Dae's Christmas Past by Joyce and Jim Lavene

ASIN: B00O12FCR4

J. Lavene © 2014

eBook, 253 pages

Cozy Mystery, #6 Missing Pieces mystery

Rating: C

Source: Purchased from Amazon. 

 

A Finder's Fee by Joyce and Jim Lavene

First Line: Dae O'Donnell, mayor of Duck, North Carolina, had been missing for three days.

An antique amber necklace has connected Dae to the spirit of Maggie Madison, who wants her bones to be reburied so she can rest in peace, but finding Maggie's bones leads to an even bigger mystery, a mystery that dates back forty years and has ties to Dae's mayoral opponent.

Dae wants a clean campaign, but finding those remains in Mad Dog Wilson's old race car has the town divided as to her motives. To make things even worse, her grandfather might be mixed up in the whole thing. If Dae doesn't find the real killer and put Maggie to rest fast, her political career is going to go right down the tubes.

The Missing Pieces cozy series is one of my favorites. I really enjoy the characters of Dae and the man in her life, former FBI agent Kevin Brickman. Dae's impetuousness often ties in with her gift-- being able to touch objects and "see" their history-- and if this gift ever puts her in hot water, she's quick to make amends because she's a genuinely caring and honest person.

The Lavenes have created a strong story line that moves from book to book. It's not absolutely necessary to read each book in the series in order, but it certainly does help. The paranormal element is seldom overdone, which is good news for those of you who don't particularly care for that sort of thing. However, I have to admit that having Maggie Madison's spirit inhabit Dae's body didn't entirely work for me. The only time it had any real success was as comic relief. You see, Maggie had been a comely barmaid who's been away from men for a couple of centuries, so whenever Dae gets too close to a good-looking man, Maggie has a tendency to take over and get Dae in hot water. As Kevin says to Dae, "Now I know how someone feels dating a person with a split personality."

Taking care of Maggie's request and the finding of a killer is dealt with well (if not smoothly for the characters), and A Finder's Fee ends with some real cliffhangers that make me want the next book in the series in my hands right now. The Lavenes are weaving an engrossing tale centered in a small community on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and populated with a strong cast of characters. I've come to care about Duck, North Carolina and its mayor, but now I have to play the waiting game. Again.

A Finder's Fee by Joyce and Jim Lavene

ISBN: 9780425252314

Berkley Prime Crime © 2013

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #5 Missing Pieces mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen. 

A Haunting Dream by Joyce and Jim Lavene

First Line: "Ann? Is that really you?"

In just one moment, Dae O'Donnell's life--which she thought was heading straight into perfection-- went right down the tubes.  Instead of envisioning herself with Kevin, she now gets to see him with his ex-fiancée (and ex-partner in the FBI). The only thing that could possibly bother her more is the sudden change in her gift. Her gift had always been limited to finding lost items, but when she touches a medallion owned by local man Chuck Sparks, she not only sees his murder, she also hears him cry out for help.

Dae doesn't know what to make of what she's seen until she has another vision about a kidnapped girl-- Chuck's little daughter. With a missing child involved, the FBI take over, but they seem to be going about the investigation all wrong, and Dae simply cannot ignore the visions she has of that little girl. Another thing she can't ignore is the fact that the only person who's going to be able to help her find the child is Kevin's ex-fiancée. Life certainly would be much simpler if all she had to deal with was her campaign for re-election.

I've always thought that Dae O'Donnell has one of the best paranormal gifts in all of cozy mysteries. I wouldn't mind having it myself. The next time my husband misplaces something... snap! I find it without having to retrace his steps for him. I also think it would be wonderful to pick up an old item and be able to tell its history. However, in this fourth book in the Missing Pieces series, authors Joyce and Jim Lavene ratchet things up a notch or two by increasing Dae's small gift into something much larger and filled with a sense of foreboding.

The only thing that didn't delight me about this book was the fact that I deduced the whodunit angle too quickly, but that was a very minor annoyance because I enjoy so many other things about this series. Dae O'Donnell is the mayor of Duck, North Carolina (a real town on the Outer Banks). Through her, the authors show what is involved in trying to keep a small town running smoothly-- especially one that has 500 year round residents and 25,000 summer ones. We get to learn about Duck's weather, preparing for hurricanes, and about Duck's sometimes piratical history. Dae's also running for re-election, so readers experience small town politics in action. All this makes Duck a vital piece of what makes this series work so well.

Dae is a very special main character, too. She's bright and funny, and a genuinely caring person. It's painful but enlightening to watch her deal with the arrival of Kevin's ex-fiancée. She's someone you'd want as a friend, and definitely someone you would want on your side in a fight. But that ex-fiancée's arrival is only the first of a one-two punch. To have her safe little "gift" change to such an alarming degree lets us see her even more off balance and fighting to understand what's happening to her. Dae is evolving as a person just as her gift is evolving, and these changes create a nice little cliffhanger that leads right to the next book in the series, A Finder's Fee, which will be released in October. The ending really has me anticipating this next book, and in a way I'm glad I didn't read this book as soon as it was out on the shelves. Now I don't have to wait so long for the next!

A Haunting Dream by Joyce and Jim Lavene

ISBN: 9780425251799

Berkley Prime Crime © 2012

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #4 Missing Pieces mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen

A Spirited Gift by Joyce and Jim Lavene

First Line: "I'm nervous."

Dae O'Donnell has good reason to be nervous. As mayor of Duck, North Carolina, she got the bright idea of inviting twenty small town mayors as well as their spouses and assistants to the Blue Whale Inn for her first Mayors' Conference Weekend. Unfortunately a storm got its own bright idea of becoming a hurricane and heading right for Duck, contrary to what every weather forecast predicted. With the power out and trees crashing through windows, there's little time for Dae to keep track of so many people.

The next morning the body of one of the mayors is found in what's left of the inn's toolshed. Although police believe the woman's death was caused by the storm, Dae knows it's not because she found Sandi's ring in the ballroom the night before, and the vision she had showed Sandi being held at gunpoint.

I have really enjoyed the Missing Pieces series up to this point. I love the setting on North Carolina's Outer Banks (incidentally, the town of Duck is a real place), and Dae's ability to touch an object and be able to see parts of its history fascinates me. Dae is a likable and sympathetic character as is her romantic interest, former FBI agent Kevin Brickman. However, from a promising beginning, the series began to sag into complacency a bit. Dae and Kevin's relationship has remained static, and Dae seldom uses her gift to any degree-- especially in solving crimes. Mostly she seems to put on her big mayor's smile and take care of Duck's business, and although I like the place, I don't read these books to find out how to run a small town on the Outer Banks.

The mystery in A Spirited Gift never became anything but lukewarm to me for two reasons. One, the victim didn't generate much interest. She wasn't a particularly admirable person, but I couldn't even work up a good dislike towards her. The second reason the story never really took off for me is the fact that I spotted the killer the very first time the character was described. Many times this does not sound a book's death knell for me, but when I couldn't get interested in other parts of the book, it was tough going here and there.

Fortunately I did read the entire book because at the very end, the authors made it abundantly clear that major changes are in the works for Dae O'Donnell. The timing is fortuitous, and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book in this series. No, I'm not ready to give up on Dae-- I like her that much!

A Spirited Gift by Joyce and Jim Lavene

ISBN: 9780425245026

Berkley Prime Crime © 2011

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #3 Missing Pieces mystery

Rating: C

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

A Touch of Gold by Joyce and Jim Lavene

Title: A Touch of Gold
Author: Joyce and Jim Lavene
ISBN: 9780425240243
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, 2011
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth, #2 Missing Pieces mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

First Line: "On a dark night in 1812, the schooner Patriot vanished with all hands onboard, never to be seen again."

Before he ever became the curator of the Duck Historical Museum, Max Caudle had discovered the museum's greatest treasure-- a wooden chest filled with gold coins. But it seems that someone wants that gold, and when a cannonball is fired into the building, Max is killed, Mayor Dae O'Donnell is injured-- and the gold disappears.

Before her ears have a chance to stop ringing, Dae finds out that her ability to touch an object and learn its history has been greatly amplified. Excruciatingly amplified: Dae starts wearing gloves and avoids touching anything. Fortunately she can blame the gloves on her injuries so people don't ask too many questions. But she has questions of her own, and with the help of ex-FBI agent Kevin Brickman, she hopes to learn how to use and decipher her visions in order to catch a killer before someone else dies.

As in the first book in the series, A Timely Vision, two of the characters annoyed me-- Dae's half-baked medium friend, Shayla, and Tim, the man who refuses to believe that he and Dae won't be getting married in the near future. Fortunately they didn't make many appearances in this book. 

I did enjoy the twists and turns of the plot and getting to know the people of small town Duck, North Carolina better. A very interesting subplot involved an historical figure, Theodosia Burr (daughter of Aaron Burr), whom I'd read about in the past. Bringing in bits of local history like this adds a great deal of depth to the setting and the characters.

Dae has survived trial by cannonball. I'm eagerly awaiting what's in store for her next.

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A Timely Vision by Joyce and Jim Lavene

Title: A Timely Vision
Author: Joyce and Jim Lavene
ISBN: 9780425234754
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, 2010
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy/ Amateur Sleuth, #1 Missing Pieces mystery
Rating: B
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: It was right after the Fourth of July parade that follows the crowning of the new Miss Duck when Mildred Mason tapped me on the shoulder and sighed.

Duck, North Carolina is a small town on the Outer Banks. Its mayor, Dae O'Donnell, is the person everyone in town wants to see when they've lost something. If they keep their minds focused on what they've lost, all Dae has to do is touch them, and she knows where the item is.

Dae wears many hats in Duck: mayor, ceremonial ribbon cutter, UPS contact, finder of lost stuff, and owner of Missing Pieces-- a shop in which she sells treasures she's found on her travels. (That is, she'll sell everyone the run-of-the-mill tourist souvenirs, but if you want one of her special treasures, you'd better hope she likes the cut of your jib.)

Little does Dae know, but helping Mildred Mason find her watch leads her right into a murder investigation. The police seem to think they have the case wrapped up, but Dae knows the folks living in her small town. She soon persuades neighbor (and retired FBI agent) Kevin Brickman to stop remodeling the Blue Whale Inn so he can help her find the real killer.

I'd figured out most of the puzzle pieces in this book, but the enjoyment wasn't to be found in the puzzle as much as it was in the "ride". The setting of the Outer Banks and the small town of Duck was extremely well done, but I loved some of the characters even more than I did the setting.

Dae was the best of the lot. Her ability (which I wish I had) wasn't overused, and I loved the way she operated her business. Her willingness to go out on a limb for the people she's known all her life is admirable, and it says a lot for her intelligence that, when she discovers her neighbor is a former FBI agent, she goes to him for help.

However, there were two characters I could have done without. I've said before that one character type in a cozy mystery that rubs my fur the wrong way is the Disapproving Mother. A Timely Vision had two more: the Stupid Wannabe Boyfriend and the Man Hungry Best Friend.

Tim proposes to Dae just about every month without fail. She turns him down without fail-- and she doesn't do it in a coy manner that would give him hope. The man is stupid because (1) he can't figure out that no means NO, and (2) he thinks his-- cough, choke-- irresistibility will finally wear her down.

Dae's friend, Shayla, must be the type who'd almost kill to have "Mrs." in front of her name. (In fact for a few pages I harbored hope that she was the killer.) Shayla will throw herself at any eligible male-- especially if he shows any interest in Dae. Both Tim and Shayla could disappear in the next book in the series and I wouldn't miss them at all.

I do intend to continue reading this series. Even though my fur got all tangled with two of the characters, there's too much potential here for me to miss seeing what happens next in good old Duck.

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