THE HOUSE THAT VANITY BUILT – Nancy Cole Silverman

Somehow I missed that Nancy Cole Silverman had started a new series, which is really too bad because I had grown to really enjoy her Carol Childs Mysteries series. The House that Vanity Built is the second book in Silverman’s new Misty Dawn Mystery series.

Misty Dawn is a psychic. She once worked in Hollywood as a psychic to the stars and she knows full well how fickle the fates may be to those with dreams of fame and fortune. Misty is approached by a woman who has lost her engagement ring and she’s afraid to tell her fiancé and is looking for Misty’s help in finding the ring. The fiancé in question is the son of a wealthy cosmetics magnate and when he dies in a car accident shortly after the woman’s visit, Misty suspects there is more to the story. Misty and her ethereal associate, Wilson, sneak in to the Conroy Estate (ah, vanity) to investigate.

I find it interesting that Silverman has chosen to go down the paranormal mystery path. It’s a pretty full market (the publisher here already has at least one nicely established paranormal mystery series that I’ve enjoyed) – which is not to say the market can’t sustain more, but it definitely needs to find something to help it stand out from the crowd.

I’ve come to really like Silverman’s storytelling (her book Reason to Doubt still has a power on me and it’s been a year since I read it) and I enjoyed the general reading of this book. But the connection between Misty and her spirit guide, Wilson, didn’t quite resonate with me. This might be attributed to the fact that I didn’t read the first book in the series, but that’s certainly a possibility with any reader.

Hopefully I can go back and read the first book to learn more about this partnership, and I will look forward to reading future books in the series as I do like the concept.

Looking for a good book? The House That Vanity Built by Nancy Cole Silverman is the second book in the Misty Dawn Mystery series. It has a great concept but we possibly need a little more clarification (for new readers) on the relationships.