Review - The Mystic and the Missing Girl

 Vikki Vansickle has worked as a bookseller, children's book author, and publishing professional with Penguin Random House Canada. Currently, she lives and writes in Toronto and hosts a book segment on a national morning show.

"Small town secrets, a reluctant psychic, and a cold case that could expose them all."

Author: Vikki Vansickle

Copyright: Sept 2026 (Minotaur Books) 336 pgs

Series: 1st in Drew Benson Psychic Mysteries

Sensuality: Some swearing sprinkled throughout, mild seduction

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Mystical touches

Main Character: Drew Benson, psychic and owner of "Good Vibrations"

Setting: Modern day, lakeside hometown of Stanfield (In Canada I'm guessing)

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review/NetGalley

Book Blurb: "Drew Benson can read tarot cards and get impressions from objects—she just never expected to use her gifts to investigate an infamous cold case.

Drew Benson has a secret. She gets visions, something she hasn’t tapped into since she was a teenager, when her late aunt, a TV psychic known as Hannah Mystic, became the scapegoat in the unsolved disappearance of a local teenager. Twenty years later, Drew is happy to ignore her gift, focusing instead on keeping the metaphysical shop she inherited from Hannah afloat, wrangling her sole, astrology-obsessed employee, and dodging local rake Foster Banks in her picturesque lakeside hometown.

But when Drew's arch-nemesis from high school, now a big city reporter, decides to investigate the cold case from all those years ago, it’s Drew’s ability that could finally make a break in the decades old mystery. With bills piling up, a disapproving mother laying on the guilt, and a local vandal who wants Drew and her witchy store gone, Drew has a lot to lose. But what she stands to gain—finding out what happened to the missing teen, clearing her aunt’s name, and a second chance at belonging—could change everything."

My Thoughts:

Drew Benson was a touch of a wild child in small town viewpoints. Returning to the small town after the death of her  famous psychic aunt it was inevitable to cross paths with many from her checkered past. 

Hannah Mystic has crossed over but seemed close as the twenty year anniversary of the case she couldn't solve brings a reporter doing an article about the missing girl and the psychic involved. 

Gigi is Drew's "ride or die" best friend since childhood and is the sort of friend we all wish we had. Drew is happy to be in the same town with Gigi, but not her old disastrous and wealthy boyfriend Foster Banks. Drew struggles with seeing him again.  Then there is the reporter digging up the past, Nick Campbell, a former classmate who spurs Drew to go through her aunt's old notebooks about the case, drawing her into the investigation.  I can't leave out the shop-cat, Willow, as she would never forgive me.

The setting is unobtrusive for the most part, like a watercolor background providing some soft color but not very memorable of itself. The basic plot of a TV psychic providing clues of "lake, saint, gardenia" for the missing girl's location and twenty years later the town is still bitter and blames said psychic for the girl never being found as the reporter digs up the past is a great setup. It provides tension in the town (which is the memorable setting) towards Drew and her shop along with a difficult cold case mystery. 

The pacing is well constructed to keep reader interest and I had a hard time not reading all night and day. 

The reveal had a final twist that also was logical and probable. Hannah's psychic clues finally all fell into place. The scene was slightly tense, mild for me but also more likely.

The wrap-up was particularly well done and I loved it. Overall I would say this debut is stellar on all points, there isn't anything I would change and no parts I would do differently. Well done and dare I say... fun.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

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Review - Scared Stiff

 Annelise Ryan is a former nurse and the USA Today bestselling author of the Mattie Winston Mysteries and the new Monster Hunter Mysteries.  I have previously reviewed one of the Monster Hunter mysteries, A Death in Door County, (click here). This will be my first foray into the Mattie Winston mysteries, below you'll find my thoughts on this book.

Author: Annelise Ryan

Copyright: December 2011 (Berkley) 320 pgs

Series: 2nd in Mattie Winston Mysteries

Sensuality: Swear-words sprinkled throughout

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense, Amateur Sleuth

Main Character: Mattie Winston, former nurse now Deputy Coroner

Setting: Modern day - small town of Sorenson, Wisconsin

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb:  "When Deputy Coroner Mattie Winston and her boss/best friend, Izzy, are called to the home of waitress and part-time model Shannon Tolliver, they find the ghoulish Halloween decorations a bit too authentic. Among the fake blood and skeletons is the corpse of Shannon herself. Since the whole town knows Shannon recently had a very public spat with her estranged husband, Erik, he's suspect #1. But Mattie happens to know Erik truly loved his wife, and is simply incapable of the brutal act—even if he owns the exact same caliber handgun as the murder weapon. . .

Determined to unearth the truth, Mattie puts her scalpel-sharp medical skills to work, and digs a little deeper. What she uncovers is stranger than anyone could have imagined. . ."

My Thoughts:  

Mattie is recently split from her cheating Doctor husband and  reinventing herself. In general, I liked her and could relate to her.  The potential romantic interest is Detective Hurley who has some rough edges and I had little interest in.  

Then there is Bjorn, the Lyft/Uber-type driver with bladder issues she resorts to when her car is out of commission. This provides some interesting situations.  Another secondary character who appears in a few scenes is "William-not-Bill," an obsessive-compulsive, germophobic accountant blind date who she tries to match-up with somebody else.  Bjorn and "William-not-Bill" provide some of the humorous scenes, but humor is very subjective and it wasn't hitting me as funny as other readers found it.

The killer confrontation is quite dramatic and kudos on it. The exciting scene really ratchetted up the suspense and was a surprise.

Things I would have changed include how it seemed Mattie was the object of much attention from men as if many were lusting after her, then she is (quit literally) lusting after Detective Hurley, which both were a detractor for me. References to "burning between the thighs," and the "pup tent in his crotch" quickly wore thin, so be warned.  Her brother-in-law and his extreme-chauvinistic comments that she lets slide where a hard pill to swallow for me and perhaps the biggest complaint I have with the story. These factors may not bother others, so you be the judge.

Subjective humor, enjoyable mystery, some good plot twists, and somewhat-romance, all wrapped up as a bit of a light-hearted read.  This is good for when you need an escape without it being too serious and don't mind swearing and chauvinistic comments.

Rating:  Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. 

If you have read this book or any in the series, please share your thoughts in the comments!  

Here is a short video of Annalise Ryan, very interesting:

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