Shelby Nichols is an average woman until an accident leaves her with the ability to read minds. This takes her into a dangerous world where knowing someone's thoughts can not only hurt her feelings, but get her killed.
A trip to the mall gives Shelby the shock of her life when she finds an extra five million dollars in the bank account Uncle Joey set up for her. She thought he was out of her life for good, but with this fast money, she's not so sure. Now she must decide if she will tell her husband the truth that she can still read people's minds. Including his. How will he feel when he finds out she lied to him?
When the Mexican Police tell her that Uncle Joey's been kidnapped and look to her for the ransom, she knows she's in big trouble. As if that isn't enough the police detective she worked with needs her help to solve a case, and she unwittingly becomes a witness to murder. In her fight to stay alive, she finds that everyone wants a piece of the money, and just how far they will go to get it, can be a matter of life and death. She just hopes it's not hers.
Professional Reviews
'Fa$t Money' a nice second Shelby Nichols' book by Sharon Haddock
Shelby Nichols is the "Medium" in print with the ability to read minds instead of communicate with ghosts.
Like Alison Dubois from TV fame, Nichols seems to have a penchant for getting into situations that put her in mortal danger. She's also pretty stubborn about persisting until she finds out what's going on.
Unlike Dubois, Nichols has a consistent Mafia "friend" who is pulling the strings and creating problems for her. His world is dark and his methods illegal. Thus his nickname, the Knife Joey Manetto.
"Uncle" Joey wants Nichols to help him by reading the minds of those in his world and isn't above coercing her assistance. That was made clear in the first book.
In "Fa$t Money," Nichols stands up for herself just enough to impress the mobster and some of his friends. She's fairly feisty and unabashed even in the face of real danger.
She doesn't, however, confide in her husband soon enough and often enough to avoid getting kidnapped and shot at a couple or three times.
She's pretty much a soccer mom trying to handle real-life situations, like unexpectedly finding $5 million in the bank account and running straight into a gunman staging a prisoner escape at the courthouse.
She's also clueless as to how ruthless and brutal mob-type people can be. She sails along without serious injury or disfigurement as she lives life on the edge of a cliff.
So amazingly, the tone of the book stays light and breezy throughout.
It makes for a good, pleasant read if you don't think about it too deeply.
After all, how many times can one be in mortal danger before the stress starts to really get to you?
The "Fa$t Money" plotline is simple even with three (or is it four?) different guys trying to get to Nichols.
There's also a fairly realistic subplot as the husband tries to adjust to having his wife read all of his thoughts, both loving and uncharitable, through a number of trying circumstances.
It's laudable that the author can keep her heroine alive and pretty much unharmed while still keeping the tension going.
And Salt Lake author Colleen Helme keeps the dialogue pretty honest throughout.
It would be even better if there were more story inbetween the snatchings and a little less life-and-death drama.
Maybe in the third book (we all know it's coming and that's a good thing), Helme will hit her stride.
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