The Fortune Teller's Daughter

Lila Shaara's novel "the Fortune Teller's Daughter" leads readers on a journey full of twists and intrigue -- the intrigues of an eccentric lady with her home-made temple to the Sky People, the intrigues of life in a small town in the south that seems frozen in time, and the intrigues of life in academia where the politics can be deadly. As the story emerges the characters develop more depth, and with this depth we see their fascinating attributes as well as their flaws -- in essence very human as they are multidimensional individuals. The story opens with Harry Stirling trying to find a topic for his next book, and as he investigates possible leads he encounters the cast of characters who take us with them on their adventures. At one point or another in the story, everyone's sanity is questionable, everyone's identity a well crafted fraud, and the reader is left wondering what will come next. The book is well written, kept my attention and left me surprised at the plot twists and turns. Highly recommended.

Enjoyed reading this new book by lovely Lila Shaara. I disagreed with the woman who had a problem getting into it, since I found it to be of interest, even intriguing, on a "page by page" basis. The slightly romantic idea of a bonified fortune teller and curious abilities concerning tarot cards and those who read them, piqued my interest. When you enhance your "very interesting" cast of characters with a good story, you have a real page turner! I especially loved the North Florida landscape and character "types", as well as the college connection. I'm going to re-read it before I pass it on to family and friends and I will be watching for Ms. Shaara's next mystery novel!

Piney woods, palmettos, booze, fortune tellers, ex-wives and a former investigative reporter searching for a topic for his next book at a publish-or-perish north Florida university are the perfect mix for murder and a fine second novel by Lila Shaara. Junior faculty member Harry Sterling assures his academic colleagues that the third book he's working on is going well. Truth be told, he doesn't have a topic or a clue. The clues begin to appear soon enough once he learns second hand that a fortune teller on a lonely road might have said famed physicist Charles Ziegart didn't actually discover the "Ziegart Effect." Sterling arrives at psychic Josie Dupree's house drunk enough to throw up on her front porch before he can ask what the Tarot Cards might know about Ziegart. This is a bad omen for a successful reporter and a poor introduction to Dupree's withdrawn, other-worldly niece Maggie Roth. While some people suggest Maggie is potentially retarded and her close family and friends warn him to stay away from her, Sterling believes she has seen more in him than anyone else in his life and more in the cards about Ziegart than she's prepared to disclose. And then, too, all the other principals in the Ziegart matter, including Ziegart, are dead. Shaara, daughter of the late Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Shaara, spins a haunting romantic mystery with well-drawn characters and a wonderfully compelling and tangled plot. This book represents elegant work, work about which any teacher and father would say "I am well pleased." Readers caught up in this page turner are likely to agree.

University teacher and writer Harry Sterling fears he might have writer's block as he cannot even fathom a topic. Harry uses alcohol to hide from what he assumes will be his next failure. However he becomes animated when he hears a student comment that local psychic Josie Dupree implied that renowned physicist Charles Ziegart did not discover what he is famous for. A former investigative reporter Harry visits Madame Dupree where he meets her niece, Maggie Roth. He is attracted to her, but she rejects his advances. As he digs deeper into the Ziegart mystery, he continues to try to persuade Maggie to give him a chance. She distrusts him because he is investigating ostensibly Ziegart, but doing so through inquiries into her family. This is an engaging romantic suspense that is built on the premise of Harry investigating the fortune teller while falling in love with her relative. The characters seem full blooded with flaws such as Harry's sleuthing incompetence affirms why he is a former investigative reporter. Although a vengeance subplot adds tension, that track fails to connect with the prime story line. Still overall this is a solid romantic mystery. Harriet Klausner