Stolen Hearts

October 1, 2011

Haunted by his past, young psychic Camden needs his friend David Randall's PI skills just as much as David needs Camden to help solve his cold case. David is juggling two murder cases--one recent and one several generations old--which seem to be connected by musical notation. Their North Carolina region is important to American folk music history, and a music specialist from the Smithsonian is there to film a PBS special--that is, until he's murdered. Eerily, Camden begins to channel one of the long-dead characters from David's cold case. Ghosts from the past must be appeased so the pair can solve a complicated case and move forward with their lives. VERDICT Tesh (A Little Learning) brings a gentle touch to her new series featuring a psychic, his PI friend, and a houseful of intriguing cast members. These young men have suffered great losses in their lives, but together they are poised to solve mysteries. Definitely partner this title with Mark de Castrique's The Sandburg Connection for regional interest, music history, and world-weary characters.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011
Set in picturesque Parkland, N.C., this droll first in a new psychic series from Tesh (A Case of Imagination) introduces good-natured PI David Randall. When Melanie Gentry hires Randall to prove that her great-grandmother, Laura, was the sole composer of Patchwork Melodies, "the definitive collection" of Appalachian folksongs, she wants not only to show that reputed collaborator John Ashford stole them from Laura but also to profit from a documentary PBS is about to film on early American folk music. Randall soon finds himself following a grim trail of leads: the holder of an arcane musical notebook is murdered; a director at the Smithsonian is found dead, his collection of valuable music destroyed. What is Melanie not telling him? Can Randall's best friend, Camden, who has enormous psychic powers that work in unpredictable ways, help? The finale is a gratifying blend of the surprising and the spirited.