Hypnosis Is for Hacks

Berry’s delightfully witty fourth Eleanor Wilde mystery (after 2020’s Curses Are for Cads) finds the former con artist (“I’m not that woman anymore. I make potions and cast spells and investigate paranormal crimes, but I don’t take advantage of people”) entertaining her visiting brother, Liam, at her Sussex cottage. When wealthy Vivian Hartford, the mother of Eleanor’s long-standing beau, reveals she has a suite booked at a luxurious hotel in Brighton, Liam and Eleanor agree to accompany her there. At the hotel, Eleanor is dismayed to see that her onetime partner in crime, hypnotist Armand Lamont, is among the guests. She’s sure Vivian will be Armand’s next mark. While Eleanor shares her suspicions with Liam on the nearby deserted beach, they spy a man struggling with two shadowy figures on a boat near the shore. The man falls overboard, and his assailants vanish. The clever, amusing Eleanor narrates with brio what follows, including a series of thefts at the hotel, the appearance of a Victorian lady ghost, and the discovery of a body. Hopefully, she’ll soon be back for more paranormal shenanigans. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (Oct.)