Play the Fool

Starred review from January 1, 2023

DEBUT Katie True hails from a solidly middle-class family. She was expected to graduate college, secure a respectable career, then marry and start procreating. Instead, she dropped out of university, became a professional psychic, and began working a series of dead-end jobs. Her latest gig is selling Eastern European tchotchkes at a failing mall outside of Chicago. The only positive is Marley, her new best friend who works at the "alternative lifestyle boutique" and possesses all the self-confidence and bravado that Katie lacks. When Katie discovers that Marley has been brutally murdered, she sets off to find Marley's killer. With no body and no evidence, she begins a frenetic investigation with the assistance of the laconic yet fetching Officer Jamie and her quirky genius brother Owen. When they learn that they aren't the only ones on the case, it doesn't take a psychic to realize that the situation could turn deadly. VERDICT The charming and eccentric Katie will captivate readers with her wry sense of humor and self-deprecating asides. With a delicious blend of suspense and madcap humor, Chern's standout debut is guaranteed to delight fans of Lisa Lutz, Alan Bradley, and readers who enjoy witty, fast-paced mysteries.--Amy Nolan

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 23, 2023
Katie True, the 29-year-old narrator of Chern’s enjoyable debut, is stuck in a dead-end job at a “Russian knickknack place” in a mall outside Chicago. Her only friend, Marley, works in a goth boutique across the way. Secure and self-sufficient, Marley is everything that Katie is not. With Marley’s encouragement, Katie, whose only skill is reading tarot cards, takes her first steps toward discovering her place in life, in defiance of her caring but judgmental family. Then a bleeding man stumbles into Katie’s shop and asks her to read his cards. A panicked Katie sneaks a glance at his phone while he’s distracted and spots a photo of Marley with a gunshot wound to the head. Katie’s quest to discover the truth about her friend’s death leads her afoul of organized criminals as well as a disturbingly attractive, by-the-books police detective. Mystery-first readers may find the plot a bit scant, but Katie is a heroine anyone will root for. This good-natured romp works best when it focuses on Katie’s efforts to negotiate the gentle art of adulthood. Agent: Joanna Mackenzie, Nelson Literary.