Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

 I'm delighted to review another installment in the ever-enjoyable Shady Grove mysteries.     Title: A Run for the Mystic: Shaky Grove Mysteries Book 8 Author : Ada Bell Publication info : Empress Books, 2024. 212 pages. Publisher's Blurb: Aly's racing to find a killer... When Aly’s boyfriend Cal gets her spur-of-the-moment tickets to watch his cousin ride at the local track, it’s off to the races! She’s forced to rein in the excitement after one of the jockeys is murdered. Once the dust settles, the local police turn their attention to Cal’s cousin, and Aly gets saddled with the task of finding the real killer. Cal doesn’t believe his favorite relative would hurt anyone, but Jacob entered the race under suspicious circumstances. Cal begs Aly to use her physic powers to clear Jacob’s name. Unfortunately, one obstacle after another slows her down: Heightened security at the track makes it difficult to get close enough to the evidence to induce a vision. No one w...

When I reviewed The Scry's the Limit by this author (#2 in the series), I said I'd be doubling back to start the series at the beginning. So here's #1! In the interests of full disclosure, I am in an author's group with Ada Bell and we have beta-read for each other. That doesn't change my opinion of the book. Title: Mystic Pieces: A Shady Grove Mystery Author: Ada Bell Publication Info: 2021, Empress Books. 256 pages. Source: I bought the book Publisher's Blurb: Future scientists don't have visions. Aly's got enough on her plate, with finishing her degree and taking care of her nephew and starting her new job at the antique store while drooling over the owner's gorgeous son. No visions. Alas, the universe doesn't care what Aly believes. When she turns 21, she starts to feel psychic impressions left on objects. A disorienting power for someone surrounded by antiques. Then cranky customer Earl is killed, and Aly's new boss Olive is t...

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 ...