A Stone Cold Murder

Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery, #1

by

Kris Bock

Her uncomfortable psychic ability puts her on the trail of a killer.

A Stone Cold Murder is the first book in author Kris Bock's cozy new Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery series featuring a young woman with a touchy ability. When Petra Cloch relocates to Bonneville, New Mexico, to take a job as the curator of the rock and mineral section of the Banditt Museum, she expected it to be a fun but out-of-the-way spot to put her interest in geological specimens to use and make a living. But on her very first day, she discovers her predecessor may have been murdered right there in her new office and not from the reported car accident following an unexpected heart attack. 

Petra is a nice young woman with a burdensome secret; she can feel someone's past emotions when touching their belongings. While this particular psychic ability is not unheard of, this is the first book that really considers how this would actually affect its bearer's practical daily life, both positively and negatively. I swiftly became sympathetic to Petra's uneasy adaptations and her sad and lonely past. 

The plot is well-paced, and Petra's reaction to her first handling of potential evidence of murder reveals her startling ability very effectively. Her new coworkers were quite a quirky group of individuals, and I was progressively more hopeful she would find an ally and friend among the bunch. I enjoyed her menagerie of cats, ferrets, and rats, and my mind immediately jumped to where in the world she would find a landlord who would tolerate so many pets without bankrupting her. Her reason for keeping her ability to herself was reasonable, and I understood her reason for personally investigating Reggie Heap's death on her own. The author includes fun bits about the mineral samples and the museum as well. The author's writing is easy to read, and I was so engaged with the story that I read it from start to finish one evening. 

I recommend A STONE COLD MURDER to cozy mystery readers, especially those interested in psychic elements, museum settings, rocks, and minerals. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.