cover image Truly, Madly

Truly, Madly

Heather Webber, . . St. Martin?s, $7.99 (316pp) ISBN 978-0-312-94613-5

This clever paranormal mystery series launch is sure to delight fans of Webber’s gardening detective, Nina Quinn (Weeding Out Trouble , etc.). The Boston Valentines have been professional matchmakers for generations, but Lucy Valentine’s psychic talent tends to show her people’s lost car keys rather than their ideal mates, so she’s shocked when her parents stick her with running the company. A vision leaves her wondering whether a client murdered his girlfriend, so she hires sexy PI Sean Donahue to find the missing woman, but while she’s imagining them naked in bed, he’s suspecting her of murder. Lucy has to contend with her meddling grandmother’s efforts to find her a new boyfriend as she dodges the cops, hunts a killer, and struggles to explain the truth to Sean. Fun characters, sparkling prose, and a twisty plot add up to a great beginning for Valentine Inc. (Feb.)