cover image ASHES OF ARIES: An Elizabeth Chase Mystery

ASHES OF ARIES: An Elizabeth Chase Mystery

Martha C. Lawrence, . . St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95 (241pp) ISBN 978-0-312-20299-6

In her fifth astrological adventure (after 2000's Pisces Rising), psychic PI Elizabeth Chase faces an unusual and riveting mystery that will give pause to even the most ardent skeptics. When San Diego telecommunications mogul Frank Fielding's four-year-old son, Matthew, disappears, the Fieldings ask detective Bruce Loebman to call in Elizabeth for help. But before the unconventional sleuth, whom Loebman reluctantly consults, has a chance to focus on the case, a wildfire, fueled by the Santa Ana winds, ravages the exclusive community where the Fieldings live, destroying property and thousands of acres of land. When another fire breaks out, she discovers that it's the work of an arsonist who may also be Matthew's kidnapper. Dismissed by doubting Thomases, Elizabeth steps up her own investigation to find the little boy before it's too late. Her two Ph.D.s from Stanford and her prior psychic successes aren't necessary to make her a plausible, likable heroine, but they don't hurt. Her work with her shaman-mentor, the Luiseno Indian Sequoia, only adds to her credibility, as he teaches her to harness power from the natural world around her that the author describes so well. Lawrence effectively combines the earthly and the inexplicable in this fascinating page-turner, and its dramatic ending will delight committed fans as well as attract new ones. (Sept. 17)

FYI:Lawrence's work has been nominated for Edgar, Agatha and Anthony awards.