Spirited Away (A Bay Island Psychic Mystery)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Beyond the Page Publishing (May 16, 2019)
Paperback: 218 pages

Synopsis

In the new Bay Island Psychic Mystery, psychic Cass Donovan is thrown into the middle of a macabre murder she never saw coming . . .

With the summer tourist season on Bay Island in full swing, shop owner Cass Donovan barely has a minute to breathe, and things at Mystical Musings become even more hectic when a fight breaks out at one of her psychic readings. Shaken by the fracas and discouraged that her sixth sense seems to be on the blink, Cass is even more dispirited to learn that one of the men involved in the altercation was later found dead—and that a close friend of hers is the main suspect.

Desperate to help her friend prove his innocence and consumed by haunting visions, Cass follows the clues from one possible culprit to the next, including some very mysterious tourists and not a few questionable locals. And when the police turn to Cass to help them find out who committed the ghoulish deed, she knows she’ll have to tread carefully, because her next grim premonition may be her last .

Guest Post

Bay Island

The Bay Island Psychic Mystery series takes place on a small island nestled between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York. Although Bay Island is a fictional setting, it shares many characteristics with Long Island. The small farms Cass passes, the actual town of Bay Island, the beaches, and the lighthouses can be found throughout many small towns all over Long Island. Even the old, abandoned Madison Estate, a haunted mansion that makes an appearance in Death at First Sight but becomes the main focus of book two, Occult and Battery, is reminiscent of several old abandoned houses scattered across Long Island.

Like Long Island, Bay Island depends heavily on the tourist trade and the weekend visitors who fill the Long Island Rail Road cars and the Long Island Expressway every weekend all summer long. Unfortunately, come winter, tourists and weekend residents don’t visit as frequently, making the winter months more difficult for local business owners.

Because of its dependence on tourism, Bay Island is more impacted by the seasons than many areas, and each book in the series takes place during a different season. Each season brings its own, unique circumstances, which have a tremendous impact on the characters and the plot.

Book one, Death at First Sight, takes place during the fall, while tourists still visit and strangers in town are not uncommon. Traditions that are common to Long Island are mentioned throughout the story, such as driving out east on the north shore and visiting local farm stands for roasted corn and apple cider, apple picking, and pumpkin picking. The crunch of dead leaves beneath Cass’s feet becomes a major obstacle to overcome.

Book two, Occult and Battery, takes place during the winter. In an effort to increase her income when the tourist trade dies off, Cass sets up a psychic weekend, complete with séance, in the old, abandoned Madison Estate. Then a blizzard blows in, stopping ferry service to Bay Island, knocking out the electricity, and trapping Cass and her guests in the supposedly haunted mansion with a killer. The storm plays a major role in the plot, leaving behind deep snow, icy roads, and cutting Bay Island off from the rest of the world until ferry service can be restored. Even Cass’s dog, Beast, is affected by the snow, as Cass has to put off his much needed training until spring.

The third book in the series takes place in the spring, when tourists start to return to Bay Island and business finally starts to pick up. Shop owners begin to prepare for the mad rush of summer, and a new art gallery opens on the boardwalk. But the beaches are not yet crowded, as they will be during the summer months, so when strange things start happening while Cass is walking down the beach to Mystical Musings, no one is around to help. And when she and Beast stumble across a body in the dunes, Cass is on her own.

In the newest Bay Island Psychic Mystery, Spirited Away, summer has arrived on Bay Island, bringing throngs of tourists and a heat wave just as Cass’s air conditioning unit goes on the fritz. With everyone on edge because of the heat, Cass’s group reading goes drastically wrong, and one of her good friends ends up accused of murder.

The Bay Island Mystery series relies heavily on the seasons and the unique situations brought about by being set on an island that is close to civilization, relies heavily on the tourist trade, and yet is only accessible by ferry.

About the Author

Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest, and the Puzzle Solvers Mysteries, which take place in a small town on eastern Long Island.

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, where she still lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and five dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, jigsaw puzzles, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

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