Monday, 10 June 2024

Book ~ "Never Saw it Coming" (2010) Linwood Barclay

From Goodreads ~ Keisha Ceylon is a psychic. At least, that's what she passes herself off as. The truth is, Keisha's real powers have more to do with separating troubled families from their money than actually seeing into the netherworld. Keisha watches the news for stories of missing family members. She gives it a few days, then moves in, tells these families she's had a vision, that she may have some clue to where these missing people are. And by the way, she charges for this service, and likes to see the money up front.

Keisha's latest mark is a man whose wife disappeared a week ago. She's seen him on TV, pleading for his wife to come home, or, if she's been abducted, pleading with whoever took her to let her go. Keisha knows a payoff when she sees one. So she pays a visit to our troubled husband and tells him her vision.

The trouble is, her vision just happens to be close enough to the truth that it leaves this man rattled. And it may very well leave Keisha dead.


Eleanor wakes up in her car. She realizes she is strapped into the passenger seat, has stab wounds to her stomach and her car is sitting precariously on a semi-frozen lake ... and then the car goes under.

In the meantime, Wendell and Melissa, Eleanor's husband and daughter, are pleading for her safe return and working with the police to ensure that happens. When Keisha comes across situations of missing family members, she approaches them and offers her help as a psychic. It's just a scam for her to take advantage of families ... she gives them just enough high level information (that could apply to anyone) in return for payment. Keisha seems an opportunity and introduces herself to Wendell. Ironically the information she gives him is too close to being true and she has to deal with his reaction.

I've read many books by this author and I thought this one was okay. It is written in third person perspective depending on where the action is. There were some quirky twists that were interesting. I thought the person who admitted to stabbing Eleanor was a bit much and overreacted given the situation. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

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