Early in the evening, Abby reads the cards of a hit man and realizes she and Kendal are in the midst of a Greek Mafia wedding and gets out of the reception as gracefully and quickly as she knows how. However, Andros Kapordelis, the bride’s father, is not satisfied with Abby’s exit. He summons her to not only refund his money two-fold, but to find his long-lost wife Dora.

Abby demurs that she is not the psychic for Andros, but he insists and begins giving Abby little incentives to say yes, such as antifreeze her dog may have ingested. Finally, Abby realizes she is putting everyone she loves in danger and acquiesces, hoping she will be able to eventually outsmart Andros and shake his goons.

In the meantime, women in the area are being raped and violently beaten and part-time cop, full-time lottery winner Milos (also Dutch’s former partner) turns to Abby for her help. Though Milos is not a complete believer, the winning lottery numbers Abby gave him last year sure help. Abby insists that Milos and the police have the wrong man in custody, but because she can’t give more specifics Milos is reluctant to believe her.

When Abby’s visiting sister Cat (who has escaped to Detroit after giving her friends and husband untrained Tarot card readings) is attacked, Abby’s guides tell her if she wants to find the rapist, she must first find Dora, yet protect her location from Andros.

With all this on her plate, Abby doesn’t need to worry about Dutch’s new partner, tall, willowy Joe, who seems determined to get her hooks into her new rookie.

Better Read than Dead is full of plots, subplots, mystery and murder, yet it is all handled so deftly it does not become bogged down or overcrowded. Abby ably sidesteps Andros’s attempts on her life and others around her. Though when she escapes when her house is on fire and manages to flee to Toledo and then Texas undetected it is a bit of a stretch that Abby has that much moxy and street sense.

Abby is very self-reliant and has no close friends though tough Cat is a phone call away, Milos usually comes to her aid, and handyman Dave is more than happy to provide a sounding board when necessary. The two plots wind around each other with glancing blows until the very end when Abby is able to tie all loose ends together.

Rooting for Abby is easy and though she doesn’t get her man in this outing, as determined as she is, it is sure to happen before long.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry