Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

​      Cherie Priest has decided to lighten up. After all this time. And as a result there is this book, a first in series, strategically cashing in on the ever popular thriller genre, specifically the chickler subgenre, invented just now by me to represent the intersection of chicklit’s ditzy breeziness with mystery and suspense aspects of the thriller.
     For me, the author is prominently associated with the literary scares, from her previous quite excellent gothic delights like Family Plot and Troll, so this is quite a departure. But since she’s such a pro and no stranger to genre hopping, she does it with aplomb. Which is to say Grave Reservations is lite done right. Yes, it has all the quaintness and silliness of the chickler (to me something closely associated with Janet Evanovich), but it’s genuinely cute, surprisingly unannoying and notably charming. Plus the actual thriller angle of it all genuinely works.
     The basic plot involves a self proclaimed useless psychic named Leda Foley, the sole owner, operator and employee of the Foley’s Far Fetched Flights of Fancy, a travel agency whose name genuinely pleases my alliteration fond brain grooves. Leda is the kinda sorta psychic, something she doesn’t much use or knows how, until on a whim she had a proper premonition and saves a life of a local police detective by rescheduling his flight. This understandably piques his interest and he decides to hire her on consultant basis to assist him with an unresolved murder case from a while ago.  Which, wouldn’t you know it, just might have something to do with the murder of Leda’s fiancé that occurred around the same time.
     So now, between klairvoyant karayoke for free booze and trying to maintain a business (Leda’s desperately optimistic stab at financial solvency following a long string of dead end jobs), there’s also a crime/crimes to solve.
   Throw in a dedicated bestie, a local bar positively crammed with appropriately quirky characters, a fun (and nonromantic, how awesome is that? how stupid cheesy romance to muddy the plot, way to define the trite genre stereotype, Cherie Priest) banter based working friendship with the cop and a bunch of suspense and you got a really enjoyable brew to pass the time. It reads as quickly as something this breezy ought to and was fun enough that this reader (who is neither into lightheartedness in thrillers or chicklit or series) might check out Leda’s further adventures whenever the time comes. Way to make cute work, kudos to the author. Though let’s hope it doesn’t distract her too much from all those excellent ventures into the horrific realm. Fun read. Recommended.Thanks Netgalley.