Bad Karma

Cleo Tyler is a fraud. A fake. A phony. At least that's what police officer Daniel Sinclair thinks. And Cleo agrees. But she's out of money and needs a job, so when the call for a psychic comes from the chief of police in Egypt, Missouri, Cleo, and her dog Premonition board a train in Seattle for the cross-country journey to the Midwestern town that is so small a vegetarian would-be psychic can't find a decent meal. There, beneath the picture of pulchritudinous perfection, Cleo finds a whole cast of eccentrics, including former San Diego hostage negotiator Daniel Sinclair who has returned home to care for his developmentally challenged brother Beau, a police chief who consults tarot cards, and a dentist mayor with the phoniest smile money can buy. Haunted by nightmares of the accident that killed her fiancé and their unborn child, Cleo believes her "gift" for seeing things relates solely to the horrible night she'll never forget. Imagine her surprise when she finds her dreams filled with torrid visions of her dubious escort, Daniel--and details of Egypt's only murder, which is as yet unsolved. Award-winning author Theresa Weir blesses audiences here with her talent for vivid prose ("He looked at her with spoon-bending concentration ...."), quirky characters, and unexpected humor. --Alison Trinkle