Manfred was not a mind-reader, at least not consistently or casually, but he’d been trained to be observant. [p. 192]
Readers who are already Charlaine Harris fans seem to give this novel negative reviews. I haven't read the author's other series, so have come to this fresh, and I enjoyed it a lot: cozy(ish) crime; small town with fascinating characters, all of whom have (mostly supernatural) secrets; complex interpersonal relationships; a setting that I picture as similar to Wes Anderson's Asteroid City; white supremacists getting their comeupance; an excellent cat.
Manfred Bernardo, who runs several online / phone psychic businesses, moves to quiet Midnight, Texas. His landlord is Bobo Winthrop, who runs the pawnshop at the crossroads; Bobo's girlfriend Aubrey is missing, presumed to have left him. Manfred is welcomed into the community, such as it is: a mysterious nocturnal fellow who lives in the basement of the pawnshop; his deadly-but-beautiful lover; the gay couple who run the Antique Gallery and Nail Salon; the Black woman who cooks at, and owns, the Home Cookin diner; the teenage kids of the guy who runs the garage and mini-mart; the Reverend, who only speaks when he has something to say; and Fiji, who lives across the highway from Manfred with her cat Mr Snuggley and her collection of witchcraft paraphernalia. Harris is to be commended for the subtlety with which she reveals her characters' secrets -- some of them, anyway. Tragically I will have to read the other novels in the trilogy to discover more!
Could easily have filled a prompt or two for Shop Your Shelves Bingo, Summer 2023: purchased 03 NOV 2017.
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