Set in River City, Calif., this fun follow-up to Siverling's debut, The Sterling Inheritance
(2004), finds the peerless mother-and-son PI team of Victoria and Jason Wilder investigating the murder of self-proclaimed psychic Elijah Messenger. Plagued by a premonition that someone is about to kill him, Wilder seeks help from Jason, who turns him down. The next day Wilder is stabbed to death in a cult ritual gone awry. Jason gets a chance to make up for his misplaced skepticism when he and his mom are hired by River City's mayor, Vincent Addison, to locate his daughter, Anna. An acolyte of Elijah's, Anna fled the scene of the crime and is a prime suspect. Propelled by Jason's glib, 20-something voice, the mystery moves at top speed along some great twists and turns as Jason and Victoria seek to uncover Elijah's true identity and the motivations of his faithful followers. (Dec.)
