Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush’s unsettling novel calls to mind both And Then There Were None and Stephen King’s It.

In Wicked Game the bones of a young woman have been found and some old high school friends, certain the bones are those of a girl they knew who vanished years ago, come together to try to solve the mystery. To make things even more stressful, one of the friends might be clairvoyant and the girl’s probable killer may or may not be human. Then people who knew the lost girl start dying, inexplicably, one by one.

Jackson and Bush take their time telling their story—the novel is over 400 pages long—which allows readers to get well- acquainted with the characters. These include the somewhat obsessive sad-sack cop who was on the case long ago, and has been given the now-cold case again, and Becca Sutcliff, who used to have visions as a teenager and now, with the discovery of the remains, is beginning to have them again. The authors know how to keep their readers turning the pages just to find who or what is causing the mayhem. And they provide an ending that’s worth the wait. 

Seattle author Jayne Ann Krentz has a well-deserved reputation for excellence among romance and mystery readers. Her latest release, In Too Deep, does not disappoint.

In Too Deep kicks off the Looking Glass Trilogy and is also a part of Krentz’s long-running Arcane Society novels. The story features Fallon Jones, a “modern day Sherlock Holmes” with a psychic twist who has come to the tiny village of Scargill Cove to escape his problems. Isabella Valdez has also fled to the small town on the Northern California coast—and she’s seeking Fallon’s help.

Both Fallon and Isabella have unique psychic gifts. When they join forces to solve a mystery tied to a dangerous 1800s psychic inventor whose creations threaten the modern-day residents of the Cove, they discover that their gifts are even more powerful together. Other Scargill Cove inhabitants have talents of their own—and reasons for protecting the village’s hidden history. But when someone uses murder to gain access to evil power, it’s up to Fallon and Isabella to stop them.

Finding and destroying a killer, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. Cold psychic energy is swirling through the streets of Scargill Cove and death threatens the residents. Only Fallon and Isabella can untangle the threads and save the tiny population.

Other questions are on their minds as well. How does the threat to their neighbors in Scargill Cove tie in with the person chasing Isabella? What did she see that has her former employer willing to go to any lengths to ensure Isabella’s silence—even if that means her death? And how are the assassins connected to the mysterious killer robot dolls and the destructive magic lantern light that nearly killed Fallon months earlier?

In a plot that twists and turns with ever-intriguing layers, Krentz deftly weaves romance and creates characters whom readers will root for and love. In an interview with USA Today, Krentz is quoted as saying that romance “is potentially dangerous, but . . . nothing of significance gets done in the world without it.” The quote is particularly apt when applied to In Too Deep, for without the romance between Fallon and Isabella, the fascinating mysteries would remain unsolved. Fortunately for readers, there’s plenty of romance to save the day.

Lois Faye Dyer writes from Port Orchard, Washington.