One Woman’s Junk Review

The first book in JB Lynn’s Psychic Consigment Mysteries allows the author to write what she does best, humor, mystery, psychic powers, and sisterhood.

The Concordia Sisters, Winnie, Amanda and Bea have lived with their godmother since their parents’ untimely death when they were young children, growing up and going on to their own lives. Now with their godmother’s sudden death, they reunite for the funeral and to handle her consignment shop.

Oh and they also got hit by lightning when spreading their godmother’s ashes, and now they have awakened their latent psychic powers.

Together, they must begin to amend their estranged relationship, their own crumbling lives and deal with the wacky clientele in Florida while dismissing the charges that accuse their dear late godmother of theft.

While the summary inside makes it seem like it’s the youngest sister, Bea’s book it actually alternates to through the three POVs with Beatrice getting the lion’s share. As such, Beatrice is a good protagonist as she is the one with the most heart, concerned with upholding her godmother’s wishes and wanting to reconnect with her sisters. She also holds a secretive past (that does not get revealed! Really hoooking readers to get to book two) regarding her flighty party-girl past that she wants to shed. Not to mention the slight klepto-tendencies with inatimate objects speaking to her.

The other sisters are intriguing too with Winnie, the middle child and Type A who lost her business and is floundering in trying to keep everything in control (and in denial of her powers), and Amanda, the eldest whose neat suburban life is shattered with her ex-husband cheating and now, she can see dead people (handsome dead people. But still). One wants to sell the shop, the other wants to use it as an opportunity to start over. Overall, lots of sisterly bickering that threatened to tear them apart because they refuse to see past their bubbles.

But sisterhood is at the heart of it because despite the bickering you can feel the protective concern and love the sisters have for each other in spite of it all. They just have to learn to channel it in more productive ways that respect the other’s autonomy. Which isn’t happening but that’s what development over a series is for.

As for the humor, it is light but quirky with the unique outfits and even more eccentric personalities adding some levity to the mystery. Not to mention three very handsome love interests that seem to hold secrets of their own.

The mysteries abound also as ghe girls grapple with their psychic powers and how it helps them find the clues to uncover their godmother’s innocence. However, it also sparks more unanswered questions-like was their aunt murdered? And why? And who?

There’s also the case of why is their a ghost haunting a homeless girl? What is the baker’s deal? What happened in Beatrice’s past that caused her to break her legs and refuse to talk about any of it?

I don’t know but it sure makes me want to find out. And while the beginning did have more than a few similarities to her Confessions of a Neurotic Hitwoman series, what with the protagonist being able to talk to a self-important toy sheep, tendency to not lean on others, troubled sister dynamics, and psychics, there is enough differences that it doesn’t feel like a rehash. It’s perfect for anyone who wants a light mystery read.