Spirits and Smoke

Deadly drinks, vicious gangsters, missing money . . . Reluctant sleuth Maddie Pastore is back with a bang, in the second Mystic''s Accomplice historical mystery set in 1920s Chicago.

December, 1924. Young widow Maddie Pastore feels fortunate to be employed by the well-meaning but fraudulent medium Carlotta Romany. Investigating Carlotta''s clients isn''t work she''s proud of, but she''s proud of how well she does it.

Maddie''s talents, however, draw them unwelcome attention: sharp-eyed Officer O''Rourke from the Chicago Police. He doesn''t believe in spiritualism - but in a city packed with mobsters, con artists and criminals, he''ll take any help he can get.

It''s not long before Maddie has a case to bring him. Why did teetotal banker Herman Quillen die of alcohol poisoning? And who is the gold-toothed man claiming to be his brother, and demanding the spirits reveal where Herman hid his money?

All Maddie wants is to uncover the truth - but to her horror, she''s soon mixed up in a tangled web of secrets and deception that leads to the heart of Chicago''s violent gangs . . . and she''ll need all her wits about her if she, and her loved ones, are going to make it out again alive.

Spirits and Smoke, the sequel to The Mystic''s Accomplice, is an ideal pick for readers who enjoy Jazz Age mysteries with feisty female sleuths, sparkling historical detail and Prohibition high-jinks.