Death Rides A Pony

The Fortune Telling Mysteries #2

by Carol Miller

The second entry in the fun-filled The Fortune Telling Mysteries series sees the Bailey sisters offering light-hearted fortune telling for charity that soon turns deadly.

Sisters Hope and Summer Bailey run Bailey's Boutique, a mystic shop in Asheville, North Carolina. The annual charity festival is approaching, and the sisters are roped in to offering fortune telling to raise money.

Before proceedings can begin, Summer receives a bad Tarot card reading. She fears she'll be left destitute from her upcoming divorce battle as the realtor charged with selling her and her soon-to-be ex-husband's home, Davis Scott, keeps making unwelcome appearances.

Davis's most troublesome appearance comes when he's found dead at the festival. Davis had a bad reputation amongst the Asheville community, but who would go to the lengths of killing him . . . and during a charity event, no less! The Tarot cards predicted a death, but do they hold clues to who the murderer is?

Genres: Mystery

224 pages, Hardcover

Published December 6, 2022

About the author

Carol Miller is the author of the forthcoming Fortune Telling Mysteries and the Moonshine Mysteries. MURDER AND MOONSHINE was named an Amazon Best Book of the Month and a Library Journal Starred Debut of the Month. Carol is an attorney and lives in Virginia.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sisters Hope (tarot) and Summer (herbs) run a small shop together, but are pressured to have a fortune-telling tent at a local charity festival. When the real estate agent who is stalling a house sale for Summer and her estranged husband is murdered, many of their friends become suspects, although the deputy who has a crush on Summer doesn't suspect the sisters. One of their customers, warm-hearted though scatter-brained, has been dating the agent, and other friends lost money through his malfeasance. To make things more complex, the handsome son of the local doctor has returned from California to help his father, and he has a skeptical but amorous eye on Hope. I enjoyed the first in the series a lot more than this one.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took away a star because that ending was terrible!!!! It’s like the author ran out of words/steam and gave up🤬🤬🤬🤬 As a sequel. The book wasn’t bad, it was nice catching up with Summer and Hope, though the tension created between them and their respective live interests got pretty tedious after a while. This time, the sisters are trying to solve the murder of Davis, the realtor tasked with selling Summer’s marital home as she works through her divorce from Gary. There’s a lot of anger, and overweight emotions for no reason that I think take away from the book, and a distinct lack of communication between characters that doesn’t bode well for developing any long lasting relationships.
I have to say I enjoyed the first book much better.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a Tarot based mystery series there isn't much tarot to the story.
Characters are just meh. The authors attempt to make the "heroines" sassy just makes them appear rude especially to police officers. Attempts at romantic encounters fizzle. Not much to see here folks. move along.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Severn House for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Death Rides A Pony’ by Carol Miller.

This is Book 2 in Miller’s Fortune Telling Mysteries and I was initially drawn by this premise as well as the cover art of a Tarot card. While I haven’t read the first book, ‘The Fool Dies Last’, I had no difficulties reading this as a standalone.

Hope and Summer Bailey are the proprietors of Bailey's Boutique, a mystic shop in Asheville, North Carolina. Every year the town holds a charity festival and the sisters are talked into setting up a fortune telling tent in order to raise money.

Just before the festival opens, Summer receives a bad Tarot reading. She fears that it means that her upcoming divorce will leave her destitute. Then a body is found on the carousel at the festival.

The victim (no spoilers) had a bad reputation amongst the Ashville community, but who would go as far as murder? The sisters investigate.

This proved a fun cosy mystery with a quirky cast of characters, including Percy the Pug, who belongs to Rosemarie Potter, a flamboyant client of Hope’s. I was intrigued by story behind the brownstone’s apparently sentinel attic.

Having enjoyed this I likely will seek out the first book in the series as well as look out for future titles.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could rate it zero stars, I would. I'm kind of embarrassed I read this book. On the first page I could tell it wasn't good but I liked the idea of the sisters who read Tarot and grow herbs so I persevered. I finished it only so I could give it an honest review. Near the beginning there's a slur used, repeatedly. The one about Romany people that starts with a g. It's a big joke? I'm not sure how we get to 2022 (when it was published) and we don't know that word is oppressive. This book is all about upholding the patriarchy. The two main characters display your classic internalised misogyny. They're deeply insecure and slut-shamey of other young women. I know not every woman is a feminist but I certainly don't pick up a book by a woman centred on two women MCs expecting it to be packed with misogyny. I'm a librarian and bought this book for my library, what a waste of my limited budget. I'm not even going to put it out on the shelves it's so garbage.

[Camilla Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed this mystery. Sure hope I can find the next book in the series. Mind you, I just happened to see the first book in her previous series at the library when I was browsing for another book. It looked good, so I got it; and it was quite good. Then I found the library system had the second book in the series at another branch, so I requested it; but none of the libraries in the system (of which there are 17 I believe) have the third book. When I found she had another series at other library branches, I got the first two. Since the third book just came out this past summer, I'm hoping one of the branches gets a copy.

Hope and Summer might not be wealthy from their line of work, but they are smart and engaging to us readers!

[LittleRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Hope does a reading for her sister Summer, the cards are not good. But being interrupted they are unable to finish the reading. Turns out the cards were right when a murder occurs at the local fundraiser festival. With Summer as a potential suspect, can the sisters figure out who killed the man before things turn on Summer?

I adore this series. The boutique and brownstone are the perfect setting for this series and the sisters story. The use of herbs, teas, and the paranormal is the perfect way to tell this story and they are always tied into the story so well. If you’re a cozy fan with a love of the paranormal, this series is for you!! Grab a copy and enjoy the read!

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy the first book in this series but read the second because I liked Summer and Hope so much. But once again, I skipped through the book, bypassing page after page of tedious recap. Also was surprised by the inconsistency of the characters--Hope and Summer are portrayed as warm and caring, yet when their friend disappears from the scene of a murder in the dark of night, they don't give a thought to what might have happened to her or whether she might be in need of help.

I don't anticipate reading any more in this series because of these major drawbacks. I'm sorry, because, as I said, I really like the characters (and their haunted attic).

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the characters, the setting but i love The Attic. An intriguing characters, I would like one in my home as it would be really handy.
If you want to know more about the Attic please read this lovely and entertaining cozy series with a pinch of paranormal.
This is another solid mystery, i was glad to catch up with the characters and read about the changes in their life.
The mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little series. If one has prophetic as some characters claim they should know and be able to predict or know the how , where, when, and why. She should consult an expert. That is where the series falls flat.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book needs another chapter, and honestly I don't like half the secondary characters or how Hope and Summer talk about some people. I don't think I'll continue this series as it's not for me.

[Ruth Gabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second book in the series. Although it doesn't address some of the issues I mentioned in my review of the first book, this one is certainly better. The plot is more interesting and keeps the reader engaged to the last page.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost rated this only 3 stars because of the abrupt ending. This second book in the series was good, fast paced, and a bit chilling. Sadly the book ended without much resolution.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This American mystery involves fortune telling at a fair, but it's not a paranormal tale, unless you count a presentiment of ill-fortune. When a visitor is found dead, Summer and Hope, the Bailey sisters, are in the thick of events. They try to sort out problems for friends, but the police are on top of this case. The tale occurs over a few days and mainly at the fairground location.

I enjoyed the read, and would read more in the series. I had not read the first book and might have liked this better if I knew the characters from the start, as there's a large cast list.

I read an e-ARC from Fresh Fiction and Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.