THE HOUSE OF THE SETTING SUN - Nancy Cole Silverman


It's almost never good news when the telephone rings in the middle of the night. And when you are Misty Dawn, once the 'Hollywood Psychic to the Stars,' you can be pretty sure that a midnight phone call will be a call for help.

Former client, and actress, Dorine Witherspoon, is in town on tour with a musical, but the leading lady, Cassie Marx, has disappeared. Now the understudy is going to have to go - for opening night!

Misty heads to the theatre at first light, along with her spirit (ghost) Wilson, and discovers that Cesar Romero - an LAPD detective - is already there and meeting with the cast and crew. And if the circumstances around Cassie's disappearance wasn't strange enough, Misty sees Wilson in a new light as the theatre spirits want nothing to do with him. There's a lot working against Misty, but finding Cassie will save more than a show.

I've come to really like author Nancy Cole Silverman's work - based mostly on her Carol Childs Mystery series. This is the third book in the Misty Dawn Mystery series (the second one I've read), and just as with the Carol Childs series, Misty Dawn is improving as it grows. What Silverman does so well is find ways to challenge our main characters as people (or spirits), and not just create obstacles for the mystery. It's these challenges that help the reader's perception of the character to grow.

This mystery is an interesting balance between being frightening and fun. There is some danger ahead, but just before it gets too deep, it lightens up just a little bit.

Personally, I'm not sure how much I enjoy another paranormal cozy mystery series. There were times reading this that I flashed on a couple of other cozy paranormal mysteries series' that had been published by the (now defunct?) publisher that first started publishing this series. There was also a series that I enjoyed quite a bit in which the main character was an actor, so this book, with the paranormal and the stage, kind of meshed in with those other books.

Still, I like what's happening to Misty as a character, and to Wilson, and I hope we'll see more of their adventures.

Looking for a good book? The House of the Setting Sun by Nancy Cole Silverman is a paranormal cozy mystery (the 3rd in a series) where the author doesn't settle for standard-issue cozy characters who stay a little flat, but quirky and instead they are challenged and grow, making the series more interesting to read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

* * * * * *

The House of the Setting Sun

author: Nancy Cole Silverman

series: Misty Dawn Mystery #3

publisher: SCLLC

ISBN13: 9798670313759

paperback, 303 pages

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