Grave Reservations

This frothy blend of paranormal cozy and off-the-books police procedural from Priest (The Toll) stars travel agent Leda Foley, the owner of Foley’s Far-Fetched Flights of Fancy in Seattle, Wash., who also moonlights at a local bar, where she divines meaningful songs for the customers by means of psychometry. Her life changes when she acts on an overwhelming urge to change the flight plan of a client, Det. Grady Merritt of the Seattle PD. Her decision saves his life and leads Grady to hire her out of his own pocket to help him with a cold case. As Leda follows Grady to the scene of the crime and to interviews with persons of interest, she begins to sense that the case is connected to an even colder one: her fiancé’s unsolved murder from 18 months earlier. Soon witnesses and suspects are dying in unusual circumstances. Will Leda be next? Snappy patter and the irrepressible, goofy charm of Leda and her colorful friends more than compensate for the lack of thrills, chills, and breathtaking surprises. Readers will hope this is the start of a series. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary. (Oct.)