Murder in Scorpio: A Mystery

Lawrence's debut introduces Elizabeth Chase, suburban San Diego psychic who has abandoned her psychotherapy practice to solve crimes. Police sergeant Tom McGowan's gut feelings about the death of an old high-school flame don't match the department consensus. Although he says he is skeptical about Elizabeth's psychic abilities, Tom admits he has nowhere else to turn in the case, in which Janice Freeman's car, along with that of another driver, plunged off the side of a road, killing both drivers in what has been officially called an accident. Delving into the dead woman's background and trying to identify the driver of the other car, Elizabeth becomes increasingly convinced that Janice's death was intended. Finding many suspects in the young woman's life, including an old boyfriend who was hounding her and possibly dishonest co-workers at Pacific Properties, Elizabeth picks up clues using a believable blend of investigative technique and psychic information. In the end, she convinces readers as skeptical as McGowan that, while some phenomena can't be explained rationally, they can be enjoyed by readers. (Nov.)