Nine Lives: A Lily Dale Mystery by Wendy Corsi Staub

In Nine Lives, Bella Jordan and her son seek refuge in Lily Dale, New York after a storm delays their drive to Chicago. Bella's husband has just died and she needs a change of scenery. As it turns out, Lily Dale isn't just an ordinary small town. It's filled with psychics and mediums. Soon after she arrives, Bella is asked to help out at the local hotel, who's hostess has just died. Murdered, in fact. Even though she's new in town, Bella is determined to find the killer.

This is definitely a cute cozy mystery. The mystery was fun to follow and all of the characters were likeable. A few things felt a little contrived, but all and all I enjoyed it.

I'm not a huge believer in psychics and that sort of thing, but I found that I liked reading about this community and its inhabitants Some weird things definitely happen, but it's only not clear whether or not these happenings are supernatural. Perhaps the author is leaving that up to the reader to decide or maybe answers will be forthcoming in the next installment of the series.

Chance the Cat and her movements were among those unexplained things. She certainly had a knack for getting around. She turned up in the oddest places without a seemingly rational explanation. Max, Bella's son, knowledge about certain events was also left open-ended.

There was lots of talk about psychic readings, but I don't seem to remember one actually taking place within the storyline. Or maybe I just missed it. Anyway, that might have been fun to read about.

Recommended for cozy lovers. I think those who believe in mediums and psychics will enjoy it more than those who don't. Also, if you like cats, that would help, too. I enjoyed reading the book, but I don't know if I liked it enough to seek out the next book in the series. We'll see, I guess.

For more information about this book, please visit the Crooked Lane Books website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Wendy Corsi Staub's website.

Thanks to Sarah from Kaye Publicity for this review copy.

Nine Lives: A Lily Dale Mystery by Wendy Corsi Staub, Crooked Lane Books (The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC), ©2015. ISBN 9781629532486(Advance Reader's Edition), 279p.