Mystery Monday: Ada Bell’s The Scry’s the Limit

Having beta-read a later book in this series and enjoyed it very much, I was delighted to get a review copy of The Scry's the Limit and learn more of Aly's story.

 

Title: The Scry's the Limit. Shady Grove mysteries #2.

Author: Ada Bell

Publication info: Empress Books, 2021. Read on Apple Books, 133 pages.

Source: Review copy gifted by author

Publisher's Blurb:

Now that she’s accepted her psychic gifts, Aly’s determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her sister-in-law. 

Unfortunately, between work, starting classes, and her brother’s unwillingness to seek answers, Aly’s having more trouble getting answers than she expected. Just when she thinks Kevin may be warming up to the idea of helping her, they find Aly’s academic advisor and favorite professor dead.

Professor Zimm was one of the school’s most beloved teachers. Who would want to kill her? The professor who could make tenure in her absence? The privileged student who hates having to retake the class? The rich girl who’s determined to get an A at all costs? There’s no shortage of suspects, but Aly’s running out of time to find the killer before they find her.

My Review:
First the transparency bit: I am in an on-line cozy-mystery-writers' group and have exchanged beta reads with Ada Bell. She gave me a digital copy of the book and asked only for an honest review, which I have provided.

I'm not (at least in theory) a huge fan of paranormal mysteries (or, for that matter, fantasies that involve someone in the "real" world getting all magical on us). I like fantasy and magic, but tend to keep it well separated from reality. That said, I was very much disarmed by the fact that Aly herself is a scientist and a skeptic, but can't very well deny her own experience!

I love Aly, whose combination of science nerd and psychic skills delights me with its incongruity. She is young and naive in so many ways, which is totally appropriate to her age (21), but she is thoughtful and limits how much she leaps to conclusions. Other characters, also, have story lines that make sense and they develop from the stereotypes Aly first sees into real humans as she gets to know them.

In addition to casting a dubious eye on the paranormal, I’m not a huge fan of sweet young heroines with their romantic troubles (I really am a cynical old lady), but Ada Bell does a great job of balancing Aly’s personal life and her sleuthing in a way that made me care very much how it all worked out, and did not overwhelm with romantic angst. 

The mystery is well constructed, though I admit to seeing through some clues before Aly did. Still, I didn't quite get it all right, and the twists kept me going.

The only other book in this series I have read (in an early form) is, I think, #7, and reading this one I (#2) actually had more sense that I was missing what came before than I did in that one. I will have to start from the beginning on this charming set of quick, fun reads.

My Recommendation:
If you like paranormal mysteries, you'll love this series. If you don't, you might give it a try--you could be pleasantly surprised, as I was, at how normal the author makes the para. 

FTC Disclosure: I was given a digital review copy of The Scry's the Limit, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  

 

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2024
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