annieb123
Written on Nov 28, 2019
The Fool Card is the first book in the The Tarot Mysteries by Bevan Atkinson. Originally released in 2008, this reformat is 244 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is an entertaining and well written series debut. Protagonist Xana is intelligent strong and likeable. The book is written in 1st person PoV, so hearing her internal monologue was a big part of the appeal for me. Her foil/partner is Thorne, an intelligent behemoth who literally crashes into her solitary life. Together, they sort out the mystery of how Thorne's recently deceased employer died.
This is a murder mystery with Greek-tragedy level family intrigue, betrayal, murder, abuse, money, and fraud. The plot gallops along, the tension arc is well controlled, and the technical aspects of the writing are seamless and enjoyable. This is an author who can really write. The secondary characters are well and sensitively drawn. The denouement was satisfyingly twisty. The language is G-rated, there's no sexual content, and it's an enjoyable and humorous ride from start to finish. I was captivated from the first page.
I appreciated that the author didn't throw the main protagonists together in an unfortunate and unbelievable insta-love romance. In fact the author didn't abuse my suspension of disbelief one time in this book.
Possibly worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. It's always fun to find a new to me author and series to read. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of modern American mysteries. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.