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Starlight Detective Agency #2
Death in the 12th House: Where Neptune Rules
"Astrologically inclined cozy fans will find a lot to like."― Publishers Weekly Someone is bumping off rock's wrinkled royalty. The latest victim? Freddie Finger, 63-year-old lead singer for Rocket Fire. Seeking answers, Freddie's daughter, movie actress Vivian Younger, retains astrologer detective David Lowell to help catch her father's killer. Freddie wasn't well liked, and Lowell has plenty of suspects. Among them are Freddie's ex-wives, who seem more intent on killing each other than anyone else. And his disgruntled band members, angry because Freddie's solo career was threatening the band's future. Then there is his greedy manager, busy promoting the death of a rock star. Or could his killer have been the musician whose career Freddie sabotaged many years ago? With the help of his red-haired assistant Sarah, master hacker and psychic Mort, and his driver and bodyguard Andy, Lowell sifts through the birth charts of the characters and follows the clues to a surprising ending.
250 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2012
About the author
Mitchell Scott Lewis
4 books14 followersA practicing astrologer and teacher for more than twenty years. He is also an accomplished jazz pianist and singer‑songwriter.
http://www.mitchastro.com/#
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 16, 2018
This one is kind of hard for me to know if I like. I know nothing about star mapping and using those kinds of things to understand people so I can't comment on accuracy or likeness to any real craft out there.
I still enjoyed the vibe of the story and I am happy I continued the series.
Okay read!
I still enjoyed the vibe of the story and I am happy I continued the series.
Okay read!
September 13, 2017
Bir astrolog dedektifin çözdüğü cinayet dosyası. Eğlenceliydi. Kitapta karakter analizi, sinastri, horary.. vs. teknikler kullanılıyor. Audio book olarak dinledim. Astrolojiyle ilgilenenler için keyifli bir kitap.
June 16, 2019
Interesting
October 1, 2019
Hmmm...i love me an astrological fiction book, so i was excited enough to buy this as it was written bu a long-term professional astrologer. when i'm reading astrological fiction i like to work it in my head, like mental arithmetic, and within chapter four i was halted to a stop.
(non-astrologers might want to skip this). He pulls up the chart for his secretary (birth data provided - bonus) says she's cancer rising and that for the next few weeks transiting jupiter will conjunct her venus in taurus - which rules her 3rd and 8th houses -and to expect good changes in her social life. So in my head i'm like well venus in taurus will be in say the 11th house, but regardless, venus rules taurus (ie the house it sits in, likely 11th) and libra, so how can venus rule the 3rd and 8th houses? - i'm guessing libra will be 4th house and aquarius or pisces likely on the 8th?
This stutter was hard for me to pass, but on i went, frequently pausing to run over that chart in my head. (i read in bed and almost was tempted to get up and open up the laptop to look at the chart.)
so i've just this minute quickly looked at the chart and the ic is 3 libra, so how can venus rule the third house? aquarius is on 8th house cusp,- but even if it was done in another house system, it's not gonna be venus ruled. also her venus is opposite a retrograde saturn, itself conjunct a retrograde pluto in the 4th house, whilst in wide aspect to her venus, still a big player and opposes her mars and squaring her asc/desc - i think i'd be inclined to go over how that affected her rather than guessing her social life is gonna get better. (But as they have a past relationship perhaps this has already been covered so not a big deal i guess).
.. anyhoo, the rest of the astrology didn't spark any flags, it rang true enough, but although a few charts were referred to and even had the birth data, it wasn't easy to use them to help solve anything.I can't imagine a non-astrologer would learn much. i bought two by MSL, so am hoping the other one is better.
i love the premise of the book and am mad for astrological fiction, but it was just ok for me, i've read more engaging astrological fiction - but have also read worse.
(non-astrologers might want to skip this). He pulls up the chart for his secretary (birth data provided - bonus) says she's cancer rising and that for the next few weeks transiting jupiter will conjunct her venus in taurus - which rules her 3rd and 8th houses -and to expect good changes in her social life. So in my head i'm like well venus in taurus will be in say the 11th house, but regardless, venus rules taurus (ie the house it sits in, likely 11th) and libra, so how can venus rule the 3rd and 8th houses? - i'm guessing libra will be 4th house and aquarius or pisces likely on the 8th?
This stutter was hard for me to pass, but on i went, frequently pausing to run over that chart in my head. (i read in bed and almost was tempted to get up and open up the laptop to look at the chart.)
so i've just this minute quickly looked at the chart and the ic is 3 libra, so how can venus rule the third house? aquarius is on 8th house cusp,- but even if it was done in another house system, it's not gonna be venus ruled. also her venus is opposite a retrograde saturn, itself conjunct a retrograde pluto in the 4th house, whilst in wide aspect to her venus, still a big player and opposes her mars and squaring her asc/desc - i think i'd be inclined to go over how that affected her rather than guessing her social life is gonna get better. (But as they have a past relationship perhaps this has already been covered so not a big deal i guess).
.. anyhoo, the rest of the astrology didn't spark any flags, it rang true enough, but although a few charts were referred to and even had the birth data, it wasn't easy to use them to help solve anything.I can't imagine a non-astrologer would learn much. i bought two by MSL, so am hoping the other one is better.
i love the premise of the book and am mad for astrological fiction, but it was just ok for me, i've read more engaging astrological fiction - but have also read worse.
February 1, 2014
There was nothing inherently wrong with this book, it just turned out to be not really a good fit for me. I went into it with the wrong expectations, for one thing; for some reason when I read the blurb, I expected it to be a humorous mystery, but it didn't have the element of comedy I was expecting. And unfortunately, I couldn't buy into the astrology element--not through any fault of the author's. It just didn't work for me as something to hinge the solving of a murder mystery upon, and for me, with absolutely no knowledge of astrology, the explanations didn't really make sense. It's competently written and well-narrated, and the plot itself is good. Fans of astrology will likely love it! The notion of as astrologer-detective is fresh and interesting and adds a different twist that many mystery readers would probably like.
It's interesting to think that had the main character been using *magic* instead of astrology, I could have accepted it more readily. So that part is entirely my fault. :)
It's interesting to think that had the main character been using *magic* instead of astrology, I could have accepted it more readily. So that part is entirely my fault. :)
November 8, 2018
This 2nd book in the series was great too.
I'm sorry to admit I was really hoping for a new reader. John Lescault (AKA Patrick Cullen) has a great voice, and no doubt does excellent with non-fiction, but the use of volume and fast clipped speech for every nuance of emotion beyond calm speech sounds too unnatural. I'm probably too critical and shouldn't get distracted by it, but I do.
Goodreads often lists audio books separate from print, but they don't have the audio format (9781481592079), so I'm using this record for the print version.
I'm sorry to admit I was really hoping for a new reader. John Lescault (AKA Patrick Cullen) has a great voice, and no doubt does excellent with non-fiction, but the use of volume and fast clipped speech for every nuance of emotion beyond calm speech sounds too unnatural. I'm probably too critical and shouldn't get distracted by it, but I do.
Goodreads often lists audio books separate from print, but they don't have the audio format (9781481592079), so I'm using this record for the print version.
January 20, 2019
Interesting mystery about the murders of a trio of aging rock stars. Lots of interesting trivia and not too many rants on changing New York City or the music business. It's also slightly less wish-fulfillment of the author than book 1. Although in this book, he's still a noble gazillionaire astrologer who gets to date much younger movie stars and solve crimes too. I enjoyed it.
June 30, 2020
Alternate title for this book: "Clumsily Written Mystery With Lots of Conveniences"
This is the second book in the series that I read, and like the first, it's a breezy read, if not all that good. Mitchell Scott Lewis is definitely an astronomer before an author, and these books are not great by any sense of the word, but it passed time and didn't offend me.
This is the second book in the series that I read, and like the first, it's a breezy read, if not all that good. Mitchell Scott Lewis is definitely an astronomer before an author, and these books are not great by any sense of the word, but it passed time and didn't offend me.
March 19, 2022
Excellent Reading
A very will written romantic mystery in the series. The characters are fun, will developed and interesting. The story line is complicated with lots of twist and turns leading the the unexpected conclusion. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for something a little different. Enjoy reading 2020
A very will written romantic mystery in the series. The characters are fun, will developed and interesting. The story line is complicated with lots of twist and turns leading the the unexpected conclusion. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for something a little different. Enjoy reading 2020
March 8, 2017
Even better than the first. I could see this growing into a great series. The astrological hook allows for character exploration. Not yet a favorite like Jacqueline Winspear' Maisie Dobson, but good potential.
June 24, 2017
It was a nice detour from my other mystery novels I have read...
July 9, 2020
Interesting listening. Murder solved via astrology.fascinating.
February 25, 2022
You probably need to like/believe in astrology too appreciate this book. :)
December 2, 2012
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Verushka
Beware of spoilers!
I want to preface this review by saying I haven’t yet read the first book in this series, so forgive me if I miss something that has been mentioned in that one.
David Lowell is a wealthy astrologer, who just happens to run his own detective agency, the very lyrically named: Starlight Detective Agency. What intrigued me about this book was that David uses astrology to solve his cases. Having had my own chart done recently and understanding nothing of that reading, I was looking forward to reading something from an accomplished astrologer like Lewis, and I wasn’t disappointed. In that respect, the book is engaging, and for a layperson, easy to understand in terms of the astrology aspects.
In this title, David is called in to investigate the death of Freddie Finger, an aging rocker – I kept thinking of Keith Richards when I was reading about Freddie. His is the third murder of an aging rock star and his daughter, Vivian, a famous actress, hires David to look into his murder. As a result, David spends his time looking into Freddie’s wives, band-mates and manager to try and find out what happened to him. It is very much a ripped from the headlines story and the resolution was unexpected to say the least. All in all, the mystery/case aspect of this title was well done.
Another powerful aspect of this book is Lewis’ love for NYC, which is apparent in his vivid descriptions of the city David lives and works in. Having read and seen a lot of photos of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy, the vivid descriptions of the city are a joy to read.
But back to David. Lewis’ style of writing is very laid back, and for certain aspects of the book, it works very well, but, as the book progresses, the tone never shifts. That becomes a weak part of what is a mystery series – the bulk of David’s investigative technique involves interviewing people, asking them (or finding out through research) their birth details in order to create their charts, which help him direct his investigation. It’s interesting, but for a detective novel, it is devoid of tension, of a sense of David’s urgency to find Freddie’s killer. Instead, he walks the neighborhood, or takes a drive to think.
David is also a character who doesn’t struggle against anything (though I stand to be corrected considering the implications of the end – it reads like a reference to something that causes him angst from the first book) – he is wealthy, he travels in a limo, the cops trust him and his methods and he is renowned and successful. Granted, not every PI has to be poor, down on his luck and struggling for something in his life, but coupled with the laid back nature of the writing it contributed to the one-tone of the book.
There is an attempt at a romance, but it reads as a perfunctory part of the book, and is woefully under-developed. There are no stand outs in the secondary cast of characters either. I think this is a premise with such potential for more exciting stories, something I hope to see in future titles.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/de...
Beware of spoilers!
I want to preface this review by saying I haven’t yet read the first book in this series, so forgive me if I miss something that has been mentioned in that one.
David Lowell is a wealthy astrologer, who just happens to run his own detective agency, the very lyrically named: Starlight Detective Agency. What intrigued me about this book was that David uses astrology to solve his cases. Having had my own chart done recently and understanding nothing of that reading, I was looking forward to reading something from an accomplished astrologer like Lewis, and I wasn’t disappointed. In that respect, the book is engaging, and for a layperson, easy to understand in terms of the astrology aspects.
In this title, David is called in to investigate the death of Freddie Finger, an aging rocker – I kept thinking of Keith Richards when I was reading about Freddie. His is the third murder of an aging rock star and his daughter, Vivian, a famous actress, hires David to look into his murder. As a result, David spends his time looking into Freddie’s wives, band-mates and manager to try and find out what happened to him. It is very much a ripped from the headlines story and the resolution was unexpected to say the least. All in all, the mystery/case aspect of this title was well done.
Another powerful aspect of this book is Lewis’ love for NYC, which is apparent in his vivid descriptions of the city David lives and works in. Having read and seen a lot of photos of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy, the vivid descriptions of the city are a joy to read.
But back to David. Lewis’ style of writing is very laid back, and for certain aspects of the book, it works very well, but, as the book progresses, the tone never shifts. That becomes a weak part of what is a mystery series – the bulk of David’s investigative technique involves interviewing people, asking them (or finding out through research) their birth details in order to create their charts, which help him direct his investigation. It’s interesting, but for a detective novel, it is devoid of tension, of a sense of David’s urgency to find Freddie’s killer. Instead, he walks the neighborhood, or takes a drive to think.
David is also a character who doesn’t struggle against anything (though I stand to be corrected considering the implications of the end – it reads like a reference to something that causes him angst from the first book) – he is wealthy, he travels in a limo, the cops trust him and his methods and he is renowned and successful. Granted, not every PI has to be poor, down on his luck and struggling for something in his life, but coupled with the laid back nature of the writing it contributed to the one-tone of the book.
There is an attempt at a romance, but it reads as a perfunctory part of the book, and is woefully under-developed. There are no stand outs in the secondary cast of characters either. I think this is a premise with such potential for more exciting stories, something I hope to see in future titles.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/de...
October 18, 2015
Astrologer David Lowell has a new client: the daughter of a recently murdered rock star. She is convinced that the police won't be able to find the culprit and, from her home in LA, demands that the Lt. Roland, the local homicide detective, set up a meeting with the famed astrologer-detective. Their meeting is eventful and Lowell agrees to take the case, especially since two other former rockers have also died in unusual circumstances. During the course of his investigation we meet his daughter, Melinda, a young attorney; his computer guru, Mort, who is also a psychic; Sarah, who keeps the office humming, and has a huge love of shoes; as well as an interesting cast of bad-guy characters. As always there is a good deal of information about the stars and their interactions, but we also see how Lowell interprets the information using his intuition and excellent people-reading skills. Of course the bad guys come to a bad end, with the help of the local constabulary, and the truth comes to light in a very surprising twist.
December 30, 2012
David Lowell is a rich New York City detective who is also an expert on Astrology and uses this ancient 'scientific art?' to help solve crimes. Three aging rock superstars have recently been murdered, and there seems to be a connection. A daughter of one of the dead musicians seeks Lowell's help.
This is the kind of mystery where many of the characters are set up to appear that they might be the killer, and it's up to the reader to figure out who actually 'dunnit'. It's a little to 'Agatha Christie' for me, but what sets this novel apart is that the author is also a 'real' professional astrologer with more than twenty years experience, and uses his ability within the financial and medical communities.
You can read the entire novel in a couple of hours, and there is quite a lot of information about Astrology and the business of Rock 'n' Roll.
This is the kind of mystery where many of the characters are set up to appear that they might be the killer, and it's up to the reader to figure out who actually 'dunnit'. It's a little to 'Agatha Christie' for me, but what sets this novel apart is that the author is also a 'real' professional astrologer with more than twenty years experience, and uses his ability within the financial and medical communities.
You can read the entire novel in a couple of hours, and there is quite a lot of information about Astrology and the business of Rock 'n' Roll.
November 16, 2012
Since I disliked the first in this series, I'm not sure why I picked this one up. Lewis gives us the same hero-astrologer David Lowell but his writing has improved quite a bit (one more star!), although again if you agree with Lowell on astrology you'll find it more interesting. Several old rock stars are mysteriously killed and the police fear a crazed serial killer is at work. But the birth charts of the victims indicate a financial motive. David is asked to work on the case by the latest victim's movie star daughter, and uses his skills to find the murderer.
July 5, 2013
This mystery has a twist: the PI is an astrologer. Astrology is BS, yet this story is enlivened by a protagonist who asks for birth date and time at every interrogation, and consults star charts in his investigation. The story revolves around the unsolved murders of three aging New York City rockers. Author Mitchell Scott Lewis does a creditable job providing his characters with traits and motivations. Though some of the story is a bit formulaic, the plot was clever and the ending pleased. The writing style was sharp, with touches of humor, resulting in a quick, enjoyable read.
November 9, 2012
Death in the 12th House: Where Neptune Rules is Book #2 in Mitchell Scott Lewis’ Starlight Detective Agency Mystery series. I had never heard of this series but it sounded like a different approach to mysteries, so I decided to check it out. I chose this one at the same time I chose Rockoholic, so I must have been in a rock-and-roll kind of mood that day. Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=4914.
February 11, 2013
Sequel to Murder in the 11th House. Astrologer-private detective David Lowell solves murders by reading and comparing astrology charts for victims & suspects. Aging rock musician Freddie Finger has been murdered and his daughter hires David to find out who and why, especially since 2 other aging rock musicians have recently died suspiciously. Interesting viewpoint but excessive detail (for me) of astrology charts and how different charts interact.
September 1, 2023
A very interesting and enjoyable new angle on a type of detective, this one uses astrology to aid him in solving his cases. I hope there is going to be a third in this series, since in this one we did learn a bit more about the life of the main character, David Lowell, such as what led him to become a private investigator. He and his supporting cast are all interesting characters.
November 10, 2012
Äänikirjana kuuntelin. Saa lainata helmet-kirjastosta älypuhelimeen ja kuunnella. Kertoi horoskooppeja työnsä tueksi tekevästä yksityisetsivästä. Ei kovin "kummonen", mutta rentouttava kirja. Sijoittuu Rock-ympyröihin USA:ssa, keksitty bändi jonka ikääntynyt laulaja kuolee.
March 29, 2013
Not as great as his first book in the series. There were too many characters which made the story confusing. And, the rock and roller theme was a little boring. But, the ending was good. Hoping the next in the series is better.
October 19, 2014
It was entertaining,though the descriptions of what was happening in the horoscopes of the various characters was hard for someone with limited knowledge of astrology to understand, I didn't mind. If I read enough of them I would definitely be more enlightened! I will look for more of Lewis' books.
May 5, 2015
I enjoyed reading all three of the novels Mr. Lewis has written so far. I love the way Astrology is woven into the stories, and I like his characters, who are unique - the way that real people are unique. I really hope he writes more books.
February 9, 2013
not as good as the first
May 31, 2013
Good lightweight detective fiction with an interesting angle.
November 27, 2014
interesting... but not fantastic.
August 17, 2013
Really enjoyed this one.
September 11, 2014
Not really my favorite kind of reading, but as usual I find the astrology in it fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews