Reviewed By Liz

I have issues with books that show alternative belief systems. And by alternative I don’t mean other religions, I mean belief in the supernatural, superstitions, mystic, other-worldly, and whatever else you want to label it. It doesn’t have anything to do with my personal beliefs, it involves the suspension of disbelief factor. When you read a book that is science fiction set in an alternate universe or time, you suspend disbelief because things are totally different and a new world has been created for you, new rules established, and you accept them. When you read a fiction book that is intended to be realistic, you don’t expect to suspend disbelief and you measure it against real life. When you read a fiction book that has a supernatural element to it, but is set in a realistic manner, it just seems off and my brain has a hard time reconciling the elements.

There are several mystery authors who are doing this combo of real life and mysticism and Blevins is one of them. The main character is Annie Szabo. She is middle-aged, the mother of three (young) adult children, who had married young into a gypsy family and was widowed after just a few years of marriage. Her mother-in-law, with whom she has a long-term antagonistic relationship, works as a fortune-teller and keeps to many of the Romany traditions and beliefs. In this book, an additional mystical element is added when Annie and her family become involved with a young boy in Chinatown who can heal people through “toning.” Annie inadvertently puts his life in jeopardy and must now protect him.

As I said, the suspension of disbelief factor makes this book a little weird for me. However, there are some really good elements that make this worth reading. First, the characters and their complex relationships are both good and interesting. Second, some of the writing is almost poetry. There is a richness of language in this book that is enjoyable to read even if it is about topics that are odd to me.

Did I guess it? Yes. It seemed pretty obvious to me. Will I read more? These won’t be among the first on my list because of the whole reality thing, but the writing is good and I probably will get around to them again in the future. Those of you with more flexible brains than mine will enjoy these more than I did. And if you are stuck in a rut, pick one of these up for a little walk on a different side.

Mystery Book Reviews by Reviewed By Liz.com ©2006