The Telltale Turtle (The Pet Psychic Mysteries) [Paperback]

Jim Lavene (Author), Joyce Lavene (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Pet Psychic Mysteries | Publication Date: October 8, 2008

Mary Catherine has a rare gift - she can talk to animals. A flamboyantly dressed four-time widow, Mary Catherine pulls top ratings for her pet psychic radio show and helps run an animal shelter. Then one day Mary Catherine hears pitiful thoughts of anguish coming from a house. Rushing inside to help, she finds an injured turtle crying bloody murder - and the dead body of his owner, a society matriarch with a fortune, lying nearby.

By tuning into Tommy the turtle's thoughts and memories, Mary Catherine becomes a vital, if ridiculed, resource for the detectives. But now a psycho caller is threatening the lives of Mary Catherine and Baylor, her haughty and overprotective tabby cat, while dangling clues in front of her like bait. Despite the annoying charms of PI Charlie Dowd - aka, potential husband number five - can Mary Catherine use her talent to find a killer more cold-blooded than the star witness?

Includes recipes for pet treats!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The husband-and-wife writing team of Joyce and Jim Lavene (authors of the Sharyn Howard and Stock Car Racing mysteries) have created a promising new cozy series. Pet psychic, radio host, four-time widow, and dedicated rescuer of distressed animals, Mary Catherine rushes in to help a turtle stranded in a house, only to stumble over a body. With the rescued turtle as the only witness, MC works with the initially skeptical police to discover the real murderer. In true, small-town style, everyone she encounters is an acquaintance and a suspect. An eccentric and fascinating cast of human and animal characters populate MC’s life in this delightful story, which combines charming ambience with a fast pace and several hair-raising near-death incidents. The Lavenes effectively mix the southern, small-town setting of Rita Mae Brown’s Sneaky Pie series with talking cats in the manner of Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s Joe Grey. Essential for pet-mystery readers. --Jessica Moyer

About the Author

Bestselling authors and award-winning photojournalists, Joyce and Jim Lavene, are a husband and wife team who started writing novels in 1999 and have had more than 40 books published to date. In addition to their books, the Lavenes have published hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, including a syndicated garden column for their local North Carolina papers. Somewhere along the way, they decided to write mysteries and since then, they have been hooked on the genre. 

They currently write four mystery series and work for a small newspaper in Stanly County, North Carolina. When they aren't promoting their books, coming up with new ideas for books, or taking photos of sweet potatoes that look like guinea pigs and congressmen who look like sweet potatoes, they spend time with their family (3 children, 5 grandchildren), their dog (Bear) and their cat (Quincy) who “help” them write.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK (October 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738712264
• ISBN-13: 978-0738712260
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #789,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Loved It!, December 2, 2008

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Telltale Turtle (The Pet Psychic Mysteries) (Paperback)

I was thrilled to be asked to read this new work by two of my favorite authors, Joyce and Jim Lavene and I was in for a wonderful treat.

The main character of this charming mystery is Mary Catherine Roberts, a pet psychic. Yes, you read that correct, a middle-aged woman who actually communicates with animals. What a character. She is just about as likeable and colorful as a woman could be. I loved her.

A widow many times over, whose husbands all died in very strange ways, she has now settled in to her aunt's home, which she has turned the downstairs into an animal clinic. She does a daily show on the local radio answering questions for pet owners.

The problems began when her friend Taxi driver, Danny is driving her home one afternoon, and Mary hears an animal in distress and simply must find and rescue it. Unfortunately when they find Tommy, the turtle that was crying out to her, they also find a dead body. To top off the already outrageous situation, the dead woman is non other than the aunt of the radio station manager, Colin Jamison. The chips are about to fly as Mary tries to explain to Detective Angellus how she ended up in an apartment with a dead body. After all, how do you explain hearing a turtle calling for help?

I have to say this was one of the most enjoyable reads I have had the pleasure to review in a very long time. All of the characters that played in the story were extremely interesting, enjoyable and sometimes downright mysterious. And I am including the animals here as well. Everyone of them added just the right amount of sugar and spice to keep the story flowing.

As the story progress Colin's seemed to be the main suspect in the murder of his aunt, but after hearing from Tommy, Mary Catherine wasn't so sure of that fact. She somehow fell headlong into the investigation, unnerving poor Detective Angellus, and got herself into more trouble than she bargained for. As a matter of fact, she even finds a little romance along the way.

The interaction between her and different animals of what they might have possibly seen or head concerning the different happenings surrounding the murder was excellent. It was fresh and vibrant in a mystery read. Bravo.

I absolutely give this work my highest recommendation. I was actually sorry when it was over. I wanted to yell, "More, More!" In my humble opinion if you want a top-notch mystery, with characters both human and animal, that will keep you guessing who done it right to the end, this book is for you. I truly never guessed who the killer was, that is how well the author's hid their true murderous personality. Was it Colin Jamison? This is one superb read. If I could I would most definitely give it a standing ovation. Bravo Jim and Joyce. This truly is a winner.
I loved this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book worth reading, January 23, 2009

By 

Sassy girl "Sassy" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Telltale Turtle (The Pet Psychic Mysteries) (Paperback)

Now and then a authors come up with a new twist for a mystery. This one is a great one. A pet psychic. Mary Catherine helps people and their pets with her radio talk show. Then trouble begins when she finds a dead body. A hurt turtle isn't talking about the mystery just yet. Maybe after he recovers from his cut, he will be able to help Mary Catherine. Meanwhile, there is plenty of help from Buck,Charlie and a few animals such as dogs, raccoons,and squirrels.
Hope Jim and Joyce are working on a new pet psychic book. I will definitely be on the lookout for it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read, October 14, 2008

By 

I. Moore (Vero Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Telltale Turtle (The Pet Psychic Mysteries) (Paperback)

This was a cute mystery with the turtle being a "witness". Until recently I wouldn't have given much credence to a turtle being able to communicate, but then I had the chance to see a pet turtle with its owner and I'm a believer now. I would recommend this book.