Wednesday, January 5, 2011

1. The Grift by Debra Ginsberg

I really enjoyed other books by Ms. Ginsberg, so even though this subject was different from what I usually read, I decided to give it a chance. I am so glad I did! I really enjoyed The Grift and give it an A-.

From Amazon:
What happens when a pseudo psychic suddenly gets the real gift?Marina Marks has been on the grift as a psychic since she was a child, forced into the business by a junkie mother who was always desperate for her next fix—and willing to use her solemn dark-haired daughter to peddle an extra buck. As an adult, Marina has earned a handsome living preying on the dreams and fears of her clients. She doesn’t believe there is such a thing as psychic ability, but she does believe in intuition. Her gift is the ability to gain the trust of her clients and subtly raise her fees as they become more attached to her and her readings.But when Marina moves her “intuitive counseling” business out of muggy, cloying Florida to the milder environs of southern California, her past follows her. As she takes on new clients—a trophy wife desperate to bear a child, a gay man involved with a closeted psychiatrist, and a philandering businessman who’s smitten with her—a former client resurfaces in an eerie way. Suddenly, Marina is in love for the first time, but it is a romance whose roots lie deep in her past and threaten her efforts to reinvent herself.As Marina’s life gets more and more entangled with those of her clients, she makes a startling discovery: she suddenly has the actual ability to see the future. After predicting a murder exactly as it happens, she becomes the sole suspect. Now she’s the desperate one—desperate to clear her name and to discover the meaning behind her visions.

While I normally shy away from paranormal books, I loved the aspect of a psychic who knows she is a fraud but then becomes a real psychic. There was a good mystery included in the story and a lot of red herrings. I was able to figure out who the bad guy was, but not before I made some incorrect guesses. I really hope Ms. Ginsberg continues to write books.

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