When ghosts whisper and heirlooms vanish, an artist must paint the truth before the past claims another victim.
After years away, artist Ashlyn Tenley returns home to Mandeville, Louisiana, to settle into the Victorian lake house left behind by her late sister Calista—only to discover the town remembers more than it admits.
There are missing cockatoos on the path to Louisiana but, that is just it. The path changes. Ashlyn's inheritance comes with peeling paint, lake views, and a Victorian house that watches her every move. Her calico cat, Deri, sees what she can't—shadows that shouldn't exist and a presence that smells of honeysuckle and secrets.
But before Ashlyn can unpack her paintbrushes, a cherished silver locket disappears from her friend Charmaine's jewelry box, followed by blackmail letters demanding silence.
With Deri's uncanny instincts and cryptic warnings from the peculiar Mr. Harrow—a town lifer who speaks only in riddles—Ashlyn navigates a web of suspects. Char's ex-husband needed money for his failing restaurant. The antique dealer who appraised the locket recently filed for bankruptcy. Both had motive and access.
Whoever stole the locket knows its darkest secret—and they'll destroy anyone who gets close to the truth.
Goodreads: The Vanished Locket: A Mandevillian Paranormal Cozy Mystery by Taryn Shae | Goodreads
My Review - 3.5-4 of 5 stars -
This story was a bit confusing as it went, which made it a little hard for me to rate. I felt more like 3.5 stars would have been my choice. I loved how the cat was involved in the story all the way along. Ashlyn's ability to see, hear, and smell the paranormal around her added to the narrative. She was smart and kind as she helped find a cockatoo on a very stormy night. I would have preferred some kind of resolution, maybe a longer story to follow her as she tracked down the clues Mr. Harrow gave her. Overall, an interesting concept.
This is my unsolicited review.
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