CANR
WORK TITLE: A Trinket for the Taking
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://victorialaurie.com/
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COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: LRC Aug 2021
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born December 29, 1976, in MI.
EDUCATION:Attended college in MI.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and psychic intuitive. Formerly worked in “corporate America”; professional psychic for 25+ years; co-creator and cohost, with sister, of Psychic Eye Mysteries Podcast.
WRITINGS
Contributor of novella “Blind Sighted” to Drop-Dead Blonde, Signet (New York, NY), 2005.
When was optioned by Warner Brothers for a TV adaptation.
SIDELIGHTS
Victoria Laurie is a professional psychic who turned to writing in 2003 as a way to educate the public that intuitives are actually a lot like everyone else. In Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye, Laurie fictionalizes her experiences as a pragmatic channeler for residents of the Other Side. Although she planned to write only one or two novels, she continued to follow the adventures of twenty-something psychic Abby Cooper and her adventures working in the FBI’s “cold case” division in her “Psychic Eye” mystery series, and she has also created the “Ghost Hunter” and “Cat & Gilley Life Coach” mystery series.
In an interview with Ellen M. George for the Authors Den, Laurie explained that Abby Cooper, the fictional psychic sleuth in her “Psychic Eye” books, is based on her creator. “Whenever I write her, I always put myself in her shoes—what would I do? How would I react if this life and death stuff were actually happening to me?,” Laurie explained. “Sure, some of the people around her aren’t regulars in my everyday life, but every single solitary character that she interacts with has been an important person to me, and I think that’s why the books resonate with people. They see themselves in these real people and they feel like they could blend in with this crowd too.”
Laurie’s long-running series began with Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye, which introduced the psychic sleuth. In Vision Impossible, Abby is commissioned by the CIA to track down a missing drone that can target people by the auras. A Publishers Weekly reviewer called this a “lightweight” series installment. A Kirkus Reviews critic also had a mixed assessment of the novel, noting: “Natural pacing and humor offer compensation for a plot freighted with heavy-handed exposition.” In Lethal Outlook, Abby and her best friend, PI Candice Fusco, are trying to find a missing mother. A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the “connections of supportive friendship, effective teamwork, and tough love between Abby and Candice come through with sparkle and warmth.”
In Deadly Forecast, Abby has a premonition that her fiancé, FBI agent Dutch Rivers, is in danger in his latest case involving suicide bombings. Abby manages to insert herself in the case to protect Dutch. A California Bookwatch reviewer had praise for this installment, commenting: “A fine story evolves, perfect for any who like a hint of the supernatural in their mystery reading.” In Fatal Fortune, Abby—now married to Dutch Rivers—must come to the aid of her friend and business partner, Candice, who is accused of killing a man in cold blood. “This has a fast-paced plot with many twists and turns and a touch of humor that will keep the readers laughing while on the edge of their seats,” noted Voice of Youth Advocates contributor Deborah L. Dubois. Similarly, a Kirkus Reviews critic commented: “Laurie sticks with what she does best, concentrating on her heroine’s snappy inner monologue without letting too much hinge on plot details.” In A Sense of Deception, Abby tries to prove that a convicted killer is innocent in a “compelling read,” as a Bookwatch reviewer noted. Similarly, a Publishers Weekly writer felt that “fans of hard-edged cozies will be rewarded.”
Abby returns in A Grave Prediction, traveling to San Diego to train FBI officers to use their own powers of intuition in investigations. While there, she becomes involved in a bank robbery that ultimately develops into a murder investigation. A California Bookwatch writer called this a “powerful read with plenty of twists and turns that mystery fans will find satisfyingly absorbing,” and Reviewer’s Bookwatch contributor Margaret Lane termed it a “little gem of a ‘who done it’ mystery that will raptly engage the reader’s dedicated addition from first page to last.” Panicked Premonition finds Abby and Candice trying to find the missing partner in a panic-room business. Dave McKenzie is the third partner in this construction business that serves the super wealthy of Austin, Texas; the other two partners are Abby’s and Candice’s husbands. “Abby taps into her psychic eye when she can, though her suspicions seem to lead her back to uber-wealthy meanie Murielle McKenna, who’s got her own eye on Dutch,” noted a Kirkus Reviews critic. A Publishers Weekly reviewer had praise for this installment, commenting: “Witty dialogue, compelling characters, and a crackerjack mystery combine to make this a delightfully entertaining read.”
Laurie’s “Ghost Hunter” series features a spiritual medium, M.J. Holliday, who runs a ghostbusting business with her best friend, Gilly Gillespie. The series begins with What’s a Ghoul to Do?, in which M.J. and Gilley are hired to prove that the granddaughter of wealthy doctor, Steven Sable, did not commit suicide as the police say. Investigating the house where it the death happened, they find a number of ghosts complicating matters. Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls sees M.J. and her team, who now have a cable television show, Ghoul Getters, investigating haunted Dunlow Castle in Ireland. A Publishers Weekly reviewer termed this installment “frantically fun,” adding, “Laurie’s enthusiastic, punchy ghost busters make this paranormal series one teens can also enjoy.”
The series continues with Ghoul Interrupted, in which M.J. must take on a ghoul who is killing off the family of her boyfriend, Heath. “Fans of supernatural adventures and mysteries will enjoy this book,” noted Voice of Youth Advocates contributor Jonathan Ryder. A more mixed assessment was offered by a Publishers Weekly reviewer, who noted: “While the romance between M.J. and Heath never catches fire, series fans will enjoy the straightforward storytelling and gentle humor.” In What a Ghoul Wants, the Ghoul Getters team investigates a haunted castle in Wales which is home to the ghostly Grim Widow. This ghoul delights in drowning visitors to the castle in the moat. A Publishers Weekly writer felt that series “newcomers will slip into the story with ease.”
While Laurie’s “Psychic Eye” and “Ghost Hunter” books are geared for adult readers, her “Oracles of Delphi Keep” books are written for middle-grade readers. Focusing on orphaned siblings Ian and Theodosia, the series begins with Oracles of Delphi Keep and continues in The Curse of Deadman’s Forest and Quest for the Secret Keeper. When readers first meet them, Ian and Theodosia Wigby are living in the orphanage at Delphi Keep, located along Dover, England’s chalky cliffs. Their life is tranquil until they unleash an evil sorcerer and learn that the only way to save the world from the Nazi hoards is to solve the riddle of the Delphi oracle. Although Necia Blundy noted in School Library Journal that Oracles of Delphi Keep is overly long and “overloaded with characters,” the reviewer added that Laurie’s novel “begins well and has several breathtaking action sequences.” Preteen “fantasy fans who enjoy an endless parade of close escapes will look forward to the sequel,” predicted Booklist critic Cindy Dobrez.
Reviewing The Curse of Deadman’s Forest in School Library Journal, Sue Giffard noted: “The sense of adventure is hampered by a meandering plot, wooden dialogue, and one-dimensional characters.” The action continues with Quest for the Secret Keeper, in which the children continue their quest to save the world during World War II. Voice of Youth Advocates reviewer Kate Neff felt that this “story is well paced and moves through scenes briskly.” A Kirkus Reviews critic, however, found less to like, terming the book a “confusing tangle of myth and history, slow going to boot, despite corpses and bombs aplenty.”
Laurie is also an author of stand-alone novels for young adults. When features Maddie, who is sixteen and has slowly learned to deal with her special power: she sees dates on the foreheads of people that say when they are going to die. She begins doing readings for people and when a wealthy woman comes to her about her daughter, Maddie sees a photo of her son and the date on his forehead is for the following week. When she warns the woman of the danger, the client storms off in a huff. Then, when the boy is murdered the next week and another teens is similarly killed, suspicion falls on Maddie. “The character development is just as riveting as the plot in this well-constructed thriller,” noted a Kirkus Reviews critic of When. Voice of Youth Advocates contributor Karen Sykeny also had praise, commenting: “This novel will provide crossover appeal to both older teens and adults.” Similarly, School Library Journal writer Lisa Nabel commented: “The plot is filled with false turns, which will keep readers engaged until the surprising ending.”
Forever, Again is a tale of reincarnation and mysteries. Lily Bennet is a teenager who is now living with her mother in a lonely old house as her parents go through a messy divorce. She discovers that she is the reincarnation of Amber Greely, a girl who supposedly killed her boyfriend and then committed suicide several decades earlier. Lily is compelled to prove Amber innocent, but as she investigates, Lily finds herself in danger when her own family members may have been involved in the crime. A Kirkus Reviews critic was unimpressed with this novel, complaining of “boilerplate dialogue and convenient coincidences,” and further noting that both the killer’s identity and the circumstances surrounding the murders “are so preposterous that no amount of suspended disbelief will help them ring true.” Others, however, found more to like. Voice of Youth Advocates writer Savannah Withrow noted: “With plot twist after plot twist, the book never dulls, and readers will be totally entertained page after page.” Similarly, Booklist reviewer Heather Booth commented: “Laurie pulls star- crossed love, the paranormal, violent ends, and investigations into a heart- swelling, page-turning package.” Likewise, School Library Journal writer Karin Greenberg observed: “This fast- paced romance-mystery is an engaging read.”
Laurie opens her “Cat & Gilley Life Coach” mystery series with Coached to Death. Cat Cooper is beginning to wonder about her life decisions. She sold her high-flying marketing firm after being on the wrong end of a brutal divorce and is now trying her best to succeed in her second career—a life coach with business acumen for the folks of exclusive East Hampton. Whether or not she is a good life coach is beside the point, however, for she is a bit wanting in the relationship department. A prime example is her neighbor, Heather Holland, who seems intent on getting Cat out of town. When she receives a luncheon invite from Heather, Cat thinks maybe things are improving between them. However, upon arrival she is mistaken for the help and leaves, knowing Heather must have arranged this embarrassing situation. Then Heather is killed at the luncheon, and Cat becomes the prime suspect of Detective Steve Shepherd of the East Hampton PD and is arrested on a date with Mr. Perfect, Maks Grinkov. Now Cat needs to get to the bottom of this and prove her innocence, enlisting the help of her gay roommate, Gilley Gillespie.
“If Cat and Gilley can stay out of trouble long enough, they just might solve the crime,” noted a Kirkus Reviews critic of this series launch. The critic added: “Laurie’s new series focus pays off in her hallmark flairs of fun without the baggage of long-term character building.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer also had a high assessment, terming it a “superior series launch from bestseller Laurie,” and adding: “Cozy fans will embrace this intelligent heroine with plenty of backbone.”
The series continues with To Coach a Killer, in which Cat and Gilley are determined to make her the top life coach of East Hampton. Gilley is a bit sad, missing his fashion photographer mate. Meanwhile, both Detective Steve Shepherd and Maks Grinkov (who has Chechen mafia connections) seem to be competing for her attention. When Maks is accused of multiple murders, Cat and Gilley swing into action to prove his innocence, but this effort ultimately takes some very unexpected turns. “Fans of superior cozies will be well satisfied,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer of this second installment. A Kirkus Reviews similarly commented: “Predictable plotting doesn’t slow a fun read that gets by on its characters’ charm.”
The third series addition, Coached in the Act, sees Cat now romantically involved with Detective Shepherd. Trying to cheer up Gilley, she enlists Steve’s help in getting them tickets to a local show, Twelve Angry Men, a one-woman show written by and starring Yelena Galanis, who intends it as a tell-all about twelve rich and powerful male residents of East Hampton she has gone through in the past. When Yelena is murdered during the intermission, Cat is in attendance and ready to jump to the defense of Aaron Nassau, her client and now a suspect. The subsequent investigation, however, does not sit too well with Detective Shepherd. A Kirkus Reviews critic lauded this installment, commenting: “Heroine and author both shine in a tale that offers a good time to everyone but the victim.” Similar praise was offered by a Publishers Weekly contributor, who noted: “Laurie smoothly mixes eccentric characters and gossipy backstories with sufficient plot complications. This is quick and easy reading for cozy fans.”
[open new]Cat herself becomes a suspect in Coached Red-Handed, as wealthy romance novelist Scarlet Rubi gets killed shortly after receiving advice from Cat about how to prevent her relatives from sponging off her any longer. With detective Steve—aka “Shep”—pointing out that, lamentably, she cannot leave town for her planned European getaway with just-divorced Gilley, Cat aims to solve the crime. As it takes “two more murders and assorted acts of mayhem for her to crack the case,” a Kirkus Reviews writer noted that Laurie “makes it clear how well regarded Cat is as a solver of life’s problems.”
Coaching Fire finds Cat, who is still recovering from her own divorce, fleeing from Shep’s unexpected marriage proposal to find Gilley at the Texas home of his new beau, enviable costume designer Stuart Jacobs. When Stuart’s assistant is murdered on the eve of the Texas Rose Festival and the police quickly pin the crime on his twin sister, Imani, to hush things up, Cat and Gilley sense Imani’s innocence and seek to single out the killer. Summoning Shep after a costly case of arson, they just might solve a jewel theft along the way. A Kirkus Reviews writer remarked that “charming characters and a primer on festival parades add depth to the thorny mystery.” Observing that fans who have “invested in Cat and Gilley’s personal lives will find plenty of juicy developments to savor,” a Publishers Weekly reviewer praised the series’ “fizzy” fifth book as “good fun.”
Laurie kicks off her fresh “Magical Trinket” mystery series with A Trinket for the Taking. Comely Georgetown mystic Dovey Van Dalen is just settling in to celebrate her two-hundredth birthday when the mystic to whom she is bound, Elric Ostergaard, gives her a pressing assignment: to locate the Promise, one of seven magical Pandora trinkets stolen and now being used to prey upon the unbound, or mortals. The Promise can compel those who gaze upon it to commit suicide in whatever way they find most appalling. When D.C. becomes host to a string of suicides, Dovey must team up with leading-man FBI agent Grant Barlow to track down the Promise and the perpetrator wreaking havoc with it. A Kirkus Reviews writer declared that this series opener “packs quite a punch,” with a “juicy romance,” a “bunch of gory fight scenes,” and “heaps of mystic-on-mystic malevolence.” Reveling in the mix of puzzles and the supernatural, the reviewer hailed A Trinket for the Taking as a “magical mystery tour coming to take you away.”[close new]
In a Writers Digest interview with J.D. Myall, Laurie offered the following tips for prospective mystery writers: “I think it’s really important to get dialogue right. A lot of writing can be really stiff and formal. You want to write the way people speak and the way you speak. I think it’s so important that people read their dialogue out loud to themselves. Read every word, and try to take the stiffness out of it. As far as tips for writing mystery, I’m a big fan of a twisty ending. I am a big fan of writing myself into a corner and seeing if I can get myself out of it. I think it’s important to make sure that you’re going in a direction that hasn’t been done ad nauseam and isn’t too obvious. Make sure you have enough dead bodies and suspects to make it interesting, and have an ending that the readers can’t see coming.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 15, 2009, Cindy Dobrez, review of Oracles of Delphi Keep, p. 56; November 1, 2016, Heather Booth, review of Forever, Again, p. 56; November, 2024, Karen Muller, review of A Trinket for the Taking, p. 29.
Bookwatch, October, 2015, review of Sense of Deception.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, June, 2009, Kate McDowell, review of Oracles of Delphi Keep, p. 407.
California Bookwatch, September, 2013, review of Deadly Forecast; September, 2016, review of A Grave Prediction.
Internet Bookwatch, October, 2015, review of Sense of Deception.
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2009, review of Oracles of Delphi Keep; June 15, 2011, review of Vision Impossible; December 15, 2011, review of Quest for the Secret Keeper; July 15, 2012, review of Lethal Outlook; June 15, 2013, review of Deadly Forecast; June 15, 2014, review of Fatal Fortune; October 15, 2014, review of When; October 1, 2016, review of Forever, Again; June 15, 2017, review of A Panicked Premonition; August 15, 2019, review of Coached to Death; June 15, 2020, review of To Coach a Killer; June 15, 2021, review of Coached in the Act; May 15, 2022, review of Coached Red-Handed; November 1, 2023, review of Coaching Fire; December 1, 2024, review of A Trinket for the Taking.
Publishers Weekly, November 15, 2010, review of Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls, p. 43; November 28, 2011, review of Ghoul Interrupted, p. 40; May 21, 2012, review of Lethal Outlook, p. 38; November 19, 2012, review of What a Ghoul Wants, p. 39; May 20, 2013, review of Deadly Forecast, p. 38; May 19, 2014, review of Fatal Fortune, p. 52; May 25, 2015, review of Sense of Deception, p. 39; May 1, 2017, review of A Panicked Premonition, p. 39; September 23, 2019, review of Coached to Death, p. 59; July 27, 2020, review of To Coach a Killer, p. 41; October 9, 2023, review of Coaching Fire, p. 53.
Reviewer’s Bookwatch, October, 2016, Margaret Lane, review of A Grave Prediction.
School Library Journal, August, 2009, Necia Blundy, review of Oracles of Delphi Keep, p. 107; December, 2010, Sue Giffard, review of The Curse of Deadman’s Forest, p. 118; November, 2014, Lisa Nabel, review of When, p. 119; October, 2016, Karin Greenberg, review of Forever, Again, p. 112.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August, 2009, Heather Christensen, review of Oracles of Delphi Keep, p. 240; April, 2012, Jonathan Ryder, review of Ghoul Interrupted, p. 77; June, 2012, Kate Neff, review of Quest for the Secret Keeper, p. 179; October, 2014, Deborah L. Dubois, review of Fatal Fortune, p. 69; February, 2015, Karen Sykeny, review of When, p. 80; December, 2016, Marla Unruh and Savannah Withrow, review of Forever, Again, p. 77.
ONLINE
All about Romance, https://allaboutromance.com/ (June 26, 2017), review of Forever, Again.
Author’s Den, http://www.authorsden.com/ (February 13, 2008), Ellen M. George, author interview.
Celebrity Extra, http://www.celebrityextraonline.com/ (May 14, 2015), “Interview: Victoria Laurie Talks Ghosts, Death Dates, and Her Real-Life Dutch”; (September 8, 2016), “Interview: Victoria Laurie on the End of an Era, the Continuation of Another, and the Beginning of Exciting New Ventures.”
Pubishers Weekly, https://www.publishersweekly.com/ (June 25, 2021), review of Coached in the Act.
Victoria Laurie website, https://www.victorialaurie.com (May 18, 2025).
Writers Digest, https://www.writersdigest.com/ (February 8, 2018), J.D. Myall, “Author Victoria Laurie on Writing Realistic Psychics, Penning a Good Mystery and Her Publishing Journey.”
I’m author and psychic intuitive Victoria Laurie. As a mystery lover, I’ve used my storytelling skills to become a New York Times bestselling novelist and penned multiple series: Abby Cooper Psychic Eye, M. J. Holliday Ghost Hunter Mysteries, Cat & Gilley Life Coach Mysteries, and The Spellbound Series. My award wining Y/A novel When continues to rank as a top seller and can be found in most US school libraries. Learn more about my novels here!
My spine-tingling murder mysteries are often inspired by my abilities as a psychic medium. So, in addition to writing 35+ books and counting, I’ve also maintained a thriving 25-year practice as a professional psychic where I provide clients from all over the world with both a future forecast and access to loved ones that have crossed over to the other side. Book a psychic session here!
Most recently, in partnership with my sister, I launched the Psychic Eye Mysteries Podcast, a weekly true crime show where we feature some of the most famous and enduring real-life unsolved mysteries. At the end of each episode, I use my intuitive talents to provide a possible answer to who, why and how. Tune in here!
Laurie, Victoria COACHED RED-HANDED Kensington (Fiction None) $26.00 7, 26 ISBN: 978-1-4967-3443-3
A life coach helps solve her latest client's murder.
If the main requirements to become a life coach are to know nothing about either human psychology or the legal system, Catherine Cooper nails them both. When famous, wealthy East Hampton romance novelist Scarlet Rubi appeals to Cat for advice about how to stop the incessant demands for more money from her sister, children, nephew, and grandchildren, who have been sponging off her for decades, Cat offers the following easy fix: Give each of them title to the home she's allowed them to live in rent-free in return for signing a contract to never, ever, ever ask her for anything again. But before Scarlet can find out whether written agreements can reverse her relatives' years of bad behavior overnight, or whether any court would enforce such a vague and sweeping contract, someone kills her. Even though Cat's job description doesn't include murder investigations, she feels obliged to act, especially when her boyfriend, police detective Steven Shepherd, informs her that she can't leave town because she's a suspect. She's just promised to take her best friend, Gilley Gillespie, on a quick trip to Italy and France while his ex-husband, Michel, picks up his belongings from Gilley's digs, which is also Cat's guesthouse. How Cat has come to afford her East Hampton estate, why Gilley lives there, and how either of them became life coaches are left to the reader's imagination, although author Laurie makes it clear how well regarded Cat is as a solver of life's problems. Too bad it takes two more murders and assorted acts of mayhem for her to crack the case. At least she and Gilley go to Europe.
Piffle.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Laurie, Victoria: COACHED RED-HANDED." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A703414095/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9f363f31. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Coaching Fire: A Cat and Gilley Life Coach Mystery
Victoria Laurie. Kensington Cozies, $27 (304p) ISBN 978-1-4967-4246-9
Laurie's fizzy fifth cozy featuring Hamptons life coach Cat Cooper (after 2022's Coached Red-Handed) sees Cat and her best friend, Gilley Gillespie, investigating the murder of a costume designer. After literally running away from her boyfriend's marriage proposal, Cat seeks the support of Gilley in Texas, where he's staying with his new boyfriend, Stuart Jacobs. A former Broadway costume designer, Stuart has been hired to create elaborate dresses for the Texas Rose Festival's queen and her attendants. Not a full day of work passes before Stuart's assistant designer, Broderick Carmichael, is found dead, and Broderick's twin sister, Imani, is arrested by the overeager local police, who want to close the case before it threatens the economically vital festival. When Cat and Gilley, convinced of Imani's innocence, set out to find the real culprit, their digging rurns up additional crimes, including the theft of the festival queen's jewels. The mystery plot sprawls a bit, but series fans who've invested in Cat and Gilley's personal lives will find plenty of juicy developments to savor. This is good fun. Agent:Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Dec.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Coaching Fire: A Cat and Gilley Life Coach Mystery." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 41, 9 Oct. 2023, p. 53. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A770539983/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=17ab25c6. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Laurie, Victoria COACHING FIRE Kensington (Fiction None) $27.00 11, 28 ISBN: 9781496742469
Old friends continue to excel at solving murders.
Arriving home from Europe, life coach Cat Cooper and her best friend, Gilley Gillespie, are met at the airport by Cat's boyfriend, East Hampton police detective Steve Shepherd, with a ring and a proposal. Although Cat's in love with Shep, reservations stemming from her nasty divorce send her fleeing to Texas, where Gilley's new boyfriend, designer Stuart Jacobs, is in charge of the Texas Rose Festival costumes. Stuart invites the friends to join him at the home of fabulously wealthy rose grower Nigel Bloomfield, where he'll be staying in the guesthouse during the festival. Though they live in tony East Hampton, they're impressed by the place, and willingly pitch in to help Stuart, whose reputation is on the line. It quickly becomes apparent that the festival has attracted some nasty backbiting from people eager to see Stuart fail. When his assistant designer is murdered and his sister, dressmaker Imani, is arrested for the crime, Cat and Gilley start sleuthing. Although Cat knows Shep would be a big help, she can't bring herself to call him until the warehouse holding the costumes and a safe with a fortune in diamonds is set on fire, leaving Stuart on the hook for a vast sum. Since someone keeps trying to destroy Stuart's work and a murderer is still on the loose, it will take the combined talents of Cat, Gilley, and Shep to solve the interlocking crimes.
Charming characters and a primer on festival parades add depth to the thorny mystery.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Laurie, Victoria: COACHING FIRE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A770738790/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ee3b5b51. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
A Trinket for the Taking.
By Victoria Laurie.
Dec. 2024. 288p. Kensington, $27 (9781496742490);
e-book (9781496742513).
Georgetown resident and mystic Dovey Van Dalen has been bound to Elric Ostergaard, the mystic in charge of the North American territory, since she was a teen. After wrapping up an investigation, she is ready to start a day of pampering for her two-hundredth birthday. Instead, Elric assigns an urgent task: find the Pandora trinket, stolen from a visiting diplomat. This trinket, enclosed in a ring box, has the power to compel anyone who looks at it to commit suicide by the means most abhorrent to them. A news flash alerts Dovey to the first victim, an art dealer. He is not a mystic, but an unbound, or mortal--as is the second victim. As Dovey navigates between the mystic world and the unbound world, she works with an FBI agent, trying not to break cover in the rush to end the string of deaths and rescue the trinket. Fans of Carolyn Hart's Bailey Ruth Ghost mysteries will enjoy meeting Dovey in this first in a new series describing a mystic world parallel to our mortal one.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
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Muller, Karen. "A Trinket for the Taking." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 5-6, Nov. 2024, p. 29. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829739796/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a31625c6. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Laurie, Victoria A TRINKET FOR THE TAKING Kensington (Fiction None) $27.00 11, 26 ISBN: 9781496742490
A band of mystics sows mayhem in and around the nation's capital.
Dovey Van Dalen hoped to spend her 200th birthday sipping cocktails with her bestie, Ursula Göransdotter, in Georgetown. But when Elric Ostergaard summons Dovey to his headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, she literally can't say no. She's been bound to Elric by a magic spell ever since her father lost her to him in a card game in Copenhagen when she was 18. Her binding does have its upsides. She ages slowly enough so that, even at 200, she looks like a model. And she has access to magical items known to mystics as "trinkets" that provide all sorts of benefits, like rendering their holder invisible or curing mortal wounds. The downside is that she must always do Elric's bidding, even though he has no corresponding duty to honor her or even to refrain from wooing other women. When Elric says he needs to recover the Promise--one of seven uniquely powerful trinkets known as the Pandoras--she hurries back to D.C., where victims of the mystical Promise are dropping like flies. Dovey teams up with Special Agent Grant Barlow of the FBI, who thinks he's investigating a string of suicides, though Dovey knows better. Since the Promise has the power to force those who see it to kill themselves in the most fearsome way imaginable, she knows those suicides are actually the work of whoever stole the mystical trinket. Laurie's series debut packs quite a punch. In addition to murders, there's a juicy romance between Dovey and the handsome special agent, a bunch of gory fight scenes, and heaps of mystic-on-mystic malevolence--enough to satisfy readers who like their puzzles with more than a hint of the supernatural.
A magical mystery tour coming to take you away.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Laurie, Victoria: A TRINKET FOR THE TAKING." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A817945727/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a18396ab. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.