Published by Penguin on 2004
Genres: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Mystery
Pages: 295
Format: eBook
Goodreads
We predict amazing success for this brand-new mystery series starring Psychic Abby Cooper
Abby Cooper is a P.I., psychic intuitive. But her insight failed her when she didn't foresee the death of one of her clients-or that the lead investigator for the case is the gorgeous blind date she just met. Now, with the police suspicious of her abilities and a killer on the loose, Abby's future looks more uncertain than ever.
Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye follows a psychic intuitive named, you guessed it, Abby Cooper. Abby, though apparently being quite talented, fails to predict her client’s murder and ends up bumbling through the investigation. Of course the lead detective on the case happens to be the handsome man she went on a blind date with earlier in the week and he is not buying what she is selling.
Honestly, I felt like this cozy mystery left a lot to be desired. I have read a handful of wonderful, immersive books so far this year and unfortunately the world of Abby Cooper fell short. The characters seemed more like outlines or sketches and didn’t provide the depth I was hoping for. Dutch, we are told, is the embodiment of male virility, In fact, he oozes it (though I think the word she used was exudes).
Dutch is also the king of indecision. Kissing “the bejesus out of her” (really?) but then saying they need to slow down because he isn’t sure about all this psychic stuff.
Abby was juvenile and hot headed. We were warned at the beginning when Abby mentioned that she didn’t act her age, and I really should had steeled myself because goodness did she make me angry. Abby has a tendency to fly off the handle and truly, mouthing off at detectives is not intelligent. I wanted to slap the cuffs on her just for being obnoxious. Abby, you can’t be surprised that they don’t believe you considering psychics in general make up a very small amount of the population. Also it’s unfair to expect them to look past the stereotypes surrounding psychics when you, dear Abby, accuse all law enforcement of being rigid, analytical types that live in a box. Pot. Kettle.
Finally the biggest issue: blatant foreshadowing. It reminds me of shoddy narration from true crime shows. Comments like “After this I wouldn’t neglect to answer my intuitive phone calls for a very long time”, “In retrospect…” or her spirit pals chanting “Liar Liar” when someone lies had me throwing up my hands and shouting “SPOILER ALERT!” To be fair to the author, this is purely my preference and I’ve raged about foreshadowing in other books I’ve read, including Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons.
On the bright side, everything picked up a little over halfway through the book. Rather than droning on about her intuitive telephone and how she can tell if someone is lying, the story focuses on moving the plot line along as the investigation picks up. While I enjoyed the latter part of the book, I don’t plan on reading more of this particular series. Abby and I just aren’t meant to be pals.
[…] Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye was a selection for my cozy challenge. My thoughts on the book can be read here. Finally, I read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine for my local book club pick. The book was as […]