Prospect for Murder is the first Natalie Seachrist Visionary Hawaiian Cozy Mystery. Set in the sensory rich environs of Hawai`i, the series features Island multiculturalism, pan-Pacific history the intriguing visions of the protagonist. In exploring the unexpected death of one of Natalie's great-grandnieces, she is aided by her beguiling feline companion Miss Una, and her friend and soon to be boyfriend, retired police detective Ke`oni Hewitt.
Travel writer Natalie Seachrist has had visions since childhood. But seeing the body of her grandniece draped over a vintage Mustang shatters her world. With the help of PI Keoni Hewitt and her feline companion Miss Una, she begins sleuthing at the Honolulu apartment complex where Ariel died. there she discovers the owners’ Shànghăi origins…and considerable discord. Will she resolve the riddle of Ariel’s unexplained death before the murderer kills again to hide their secret?
Excerpt
PROSPECT FOR MURDER
Written & Narrated by
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson
PROLOGUE
"Those who have compared our life to a dream were right...We sleeping wake, and waking sleep.
Michel de Montaigne [1533-1592]
Sepia brown images flicker in slow motion, then shift abruptly to full color in real time as I look through the fence of Honolulu’s old Makiki Cemetery. Some of the aging headstones lean in to one another, as though in conversation. What secrets they would share if they could!
I look up at the luxury, high-rise condominium looming like a night watchman above. My eyes pan across the low-rent apartments and million-dollar houses stretching into Honolulu's foothills and then toward the University of Hawai`i. A breeze rustles the long dry grass at my feet. Black as death, a mynah bird shifts in its perch in the penetrating fragrance of a eucalyptus tree. I blink and brush a veil of dust from my eyes.
The vista shifts. I am suspended above the roof of a four-storey apartment complex. Below, a young woman is sprawled face-down, awkwardly hugging the hood of a vintage car. The heat of the first day of summer shimmers across the polished copper of her long, tangled hair.
I observe the scene with the dispassionate interest of a newswoman. A uniformed police officer takes notes while interviewing a small elderly Asian woman. The demanding wail of an approaching ambulance slices the midday air. Everything freezes mid-frame, again subsiding into sepia tones that harmonize with the trail of blood pooled and drying below the girl's out-flung right hand.
I stare as a silver bracelet flashes the sun’s rays up at me. My breath catches on the sickening sweetness of a blended scent of plumeria flowers and blood. I exhale and try to resume breathing normally. My heart throbs in rhythm with a metallic ringing in my ears. Slowly my hand reaches for the telephone. My twin brother Nathan is calling to tell me what I already know—that my grandniece will not be graduating from college, will not be participating in this weekend's pā`ina, or anything else on this plane of existence.
Professional Reviews
GoodReads.com Review by DJ Sakata
Being a resident of Hawaii, I could not pass up a murder mystery based in Honolulu. It was thrilling while at the same time oddly relaxing to read a story with so many local references to places, food, culture, and traits. I was quickly drawn into the narrative and enjoyed being in Natalie's head as she processed information and formulated her plans. The writing was insightful, observant, emotive, and intelligent. Each scene, task, and event was highly detailed and meticulously described - she really was a close approximation or the Hawaiian version of Jessica Fletcher, as her friend had teased. I savored the sense of familiarity as well as the intriguing storyline.
Review by MidWestBookReview.com
Synopsis: Writer Natalie Seachrist has had visions since childhood. But the vision of a girl's body draped over a vintage Mustang shatters her personal world when she learns the body belongs to her grandniece. With the help of retired police detective Keoni Hewitt and her feline companion Miss Una, Natalie begins her own investigation at an apartment in the foothills of Honolulu. Will Natalie be able to learn the truth about Ariel's death before the police close the investigation without an arrest? Or has Natalie put herself in the way of a killer who's willing to kill again to hide their secret?
Critique: An deftly crafted and impressively engaging read from cover to cover, "Prospect for Murder" clearly demonstrates novelist Jeanne Burrows-Johnson as a master of the mystery/suspense genre. While very highly recommended for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs and community library Mystery Fiction collections. It should be noted that "Prospect for Murder" is also available as a complete and unabridged CD audio book (9781932926460, $34.95).
Review from sanfranciscobookreview.com by J. Aislynn d'Merricksson
Burrows-Johnson's cozy mystery Prospect for Murder is set in the Hawai'ian Islands, proving that even Paradise has its dark side. We begin with the odd occurrence of our protagonist having a psychic vision. Both she and her brother have unique gifts, different yet complementary. Sadly, Natalie's vision is one the gruesome death of someone with personal ties to Natalie herself. The victim is her niece, who’s fallen from the fourth story of an apartment building where she had gone to look at a possible rental.
The death is first considered accidental, possibly suicidal. Natalie doesn't buy this, and, using the skills of a researcher and the gifts of a psychic, she sets out to prove murder, or, at the least, a true motive for the death. She finds suspects in the landlady who was going to rent the apartment, Natalie's mysterious roommate, who had not shown to view the place, and the maintenance man for the complex (her niece fell on his priceless, customized car). During all of this, she is also doing historical research for a friend named Keoni.
I am picky about reading cozy mysteries. It's a bias about the word "cozy," which makes it seem to me that the story would be trivial. This has never actually been the case, and I am really glad that I gave this story a chance. I live in California and have a hope to one day visit Hawai'i. I enjoyed reading about Natalie's research work as much as the murder plot.
The story is well written, though there were a few places where pacing slowed down a bit. Natalie reminds me somewhat of Fletcher from Murder She Wrote, with a bit of The X-Files added thanks to the psychic thread. However, she also reminded me a great deal of my forensic anthropology professor, and that's the person Natalie "looked like" to me as I read. I'd love to read more of Natalie's adventures in the future!
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