A charming touch of tarot

A few months after solving a murder, four friends reunite for Christmas, but they're not all having a happy holiday. Alyssa, a widow with a teenage daughter and a growing attraction to the cop next door, has developed the ability to see ghosts. Her best friend, Nina, is adjusting to newfound telepathic powers while grappling with the fallout after her soon-to-be ex-husband, the mayor, was revealed to be a murderer. Meanwhile, Lanie has become distant, and the three women are still uncertain about trusting Corinne, the psychic they met on Alyssa's fortieth birthday. When Nina reveals that she's been blackmailed for years and the threats are intensifying, the women band together to uncover the culprit. Fans of cozy mysteries with a supernatural twist and slow-burn romance will find much to enjoy in Holtz's Gin and Tarot Club series, which began with An Enchanting Case of Spirits (2024) and which centers snarky ghosts, witty dialogue, and the power of friendship.

Life is more interesting when you can talk to ghosts. Alyssa Mann, a widowed mom who can see and talk to ghosts, is working with her friends to harness her powers. Along with her daughter, Ava, and her besties, Nina and Lanie, she's spending Christmas Eve relieved that Nina's evil husband, Richard, was sent to prison for murder when Alyssa's next-door neighbor, police Officer Nick West, helped them put him away. But then Nick arrives, upset because Richard is trying to overturn his plea deal. A fearful Nina tells Alyssa she had a baby in high school and was forced to give it up, a secret that Richard holds over her. A few days later, a spirit Alyssa first saw on Christmas Eve--a girl who seems to have drowned--appears again. When the same girl turns up dead in a nearby town, the members of the Gin and Tarot Club decide that it may be time to use their skills, including Nina's startling newfound ability to find out people's secrets by touching them, to tackle the mystery. Meanwhile, Nina is determined to track down her son and his father. The trail leads them from Providence to Florida to New Orleans. Despite his initial skepticism, Nick believes in Alyssa's abilities and uses her ghostly tips in his investigations. On top of that, Nick's late fiancée appears to see whether Alyssa is right for Nick. Once the drowned girl is identified and it's clear the Gin and Tarot members are courting trouble, Nick and Alyssa need answers quickly. Spirits, secret societies, drug dealers, and romance combine in a startling mix. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.