Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern

TRICKS OF FORTUNE by Lina Chern (Play the Fool) is the second murder mystery to feature tarot card reader Katie True. This time, her good friend, Gina, is a prime suspect in the murder of a local cop, Officer Pete. Chern is an Edgar Award-winning author, and I find her stories to be filled with suspense and humor. I had a sixth sense while reading and was gratified to see the author’s note which refers to the real-life case involving Illinois resident Lt. Joe Gliniewicz. Chern adds her own twists and character secrets. She also flashes back to the time when Katie’s eccentric Aunt Rosie, stressing the need to move forward and accept change, first explained how to read the cards. Those chapters are guaranteed to make readers smile and laugh. TRICKS OF FORTUNE works as a stand-alone mystery, but readers will enjoy reading Play the Fool first. As Katie says, “Our brains are wired to look for patterns. You get a bunch of random images, your brain is automatically going to make a story out of it. It's why the cards work. It's not magic, but it's real.” For more on Chern's  perspective on the cards and writing mysteries, see her interview with Chicago Review of Books.