Trouble in the Tarot

Praise for

Corpse in the Crystal Ball

“An entertaining paranormal police procedural in which the cops use Sunny’s talent on their homicide investigation…. [A] wonderful fast-paced crystal ball whodunit.”

—
The Mystery Gazette

“Corpses, crystal balls, and a curiously magical cat keep the action moving in this second Fortune Teller Mystery…The tone of the novel is lively and humorous and the addition of Granny Gert is a definite plus. Strong plotting carries the novel through to a nail-biting conclusion.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“Will delight cozy fans who like a blend of excitement, romance, and a big dash of humor in their reading…I predict that if you like a bit of new age in your mysteries, you’re going to adore Sunny Meadows!”

—
Feathered Quill Book Reviews

Tempest in the Tea Leaves

Nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel

“My tea leaves and my tarot cards agree…Townsend is riding a bullet train straight to the top. I predict this vivacious, talented author will soon join the ranks of the superstars.
Tempest in the Tea Leaves
is a stellar launch for the Fortune Teller Mysteries, and every one of them is destined to become a classic. The author herself—well, she already is. And soon the whole world will know it!”

—Maggie Shayne,
New York Times
bestselling author

“Smart, funny, and gutsy fortune teller Sunny Meadows is a delightful new star on the psychic horizon.”

—Cynthia Riggs, author of
the Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries

“Kari Lee Townsend has a hit…A little romance, a big white cat, and a Victorian house make for a fun read. The true meaning of what Sunny sees always reveals itself—and in this case, a killer.”

—Joyce Lavene, coauthor of
the Missing Pieces Mysteries

“You don’t need a crystal ball to predict a bright future for Townsend’s Fortune Teller mystery series!”

—Dorothy Howell, author of
Tote Bags and Toe Tags

“[A] delightful new cozy mystery series…Highly recommended.”

—
The Mystery Bookshelf

“Fun and fortune telling await readers in this first-rate debut mystery featuring a young and feisty psychic…Great pacing, characters, and a surprisingly good conclusion make this new series absolute fun!”

—
RT Book Reviews

“A fine whodunit laced with generous helpings of humor,
Tempest in the Tea Leaves
marks an entertaining beginning to Townsend’s series. And it wouldn’t be wrong to predict continued success.”

—
Richmond Times-Dispatch

“You have to be psychic to guess the identity of the killer in this hit debut novel…Kari Lee Townsend has pulled out all the stops for this fabulous new series! I look forward to plenty more novels by this gifted writer.
Tempest in the Tea Leaves
is a murder mystery to die for!”

—
Fresh Fiction

Berkley Prime Crime titles by Kari Lee Townsend

TEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES

CORPSE IN THE CRYSTAL BALL

TROUBLE IN THE TAROT

Trouble
in the
Tarot

Kari Lee Townsend

BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

USA / Canada / UK / Ireland / Australia / New Zealand / India / South Africa / China

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.

TROUBLE IN THE TAROT

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

Copyright © 2013 by Kari Townsend.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

BERKLEY
^®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ISBN: 978-1-101-61949-0

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / March 2013

Cover illustration by Lisa French.

Cover design by Lesley Worrell.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

This book is dedicated to my husband, Brian. The first book I ever published I dedicated to him, but this series is near and dear to my heart, and he is even more so. He deserves to have another book dedicated to him, because he is my rock. My soul mate. My everything. I met him when I was eighteen and married him when I was twenty-one. We have been married for twenty-three years and have four amazing children: Brandon, Josh, Matt, and Emily. I am so lucky to be able to work from home and do what I was born to do: write books. He has always supported me in anything I’ve ever wanted—stay home and raise our children, write books, live my dream even when it barely helped pay the bills. He understands what makes me happy, he still makes me laugh, and I truly can’t imagine going through life without him by my side.

This one’s for you, baby. I love you with all my heart.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Once again, I have to thank my fabulous editor, Faith Black. I just love working with her. She’s an amazing person, and she has a great eye. She, as well as the rest of the Berkley Prime Crime staff, have done a great job of making me look fabulous.

As always, I am forever indebted to my fantastic agent and partner in crime, Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency, for standing by me and fighting for my best interest. She keeps me grounded yet makes me feel like a rock star. Love her to pieces and will never have another agent…just saying.

Of course I have to thank my original BC Babes: Barbara Witek, Danielle LaBue, and Liz Lipperman. You talented and fun ladies make it all worthwhile.

Then there are my beta readers: the fabulous Michelle McDonald, Matt Bourdon, and Joanne Russo, who always have my back. Thank you as always for making my stories shine. And my chiropractor Dr. Jeffrey Byrne along with his
office manager Jane for helping me keep my butt planted in my chair and reading all of my books. Your office rocks!