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On the HahaFiction shelf
The Accidental Medium
by Tracy Whitwell
The Accidental Medium · Book 1 · 2022
Tanz needs work after her television career fades. A job in a London new-age shop brings a discovery she wasn’t looking for: the voices she hears belong to the dead. Her family has a history of mediumship, and her new abilities eventually draw her into a murder investigation.
From the publisher’s blurb
“an unwilling crime-solver”Read the full description at Pan Macmillan, publisher description
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What makes it funny?
Tanz brings an outspoken, wine-loving actress’s voice to her unexpected psychic career. There are still bills to pay and a social life to manage while the dead demand attention. Her off-color commentary gives the encounters a less solemn tone than the spirits might expect.
The comedy at work
Whitwell keeps the supernatural business close to Tanz’s everyday life. Friends, work and a new love interest occupy much of the story, so learning to speak for the dead becomes another complicated adjustment for a woman already trying to rebuild her career.
Try this if…
Readers who enjoy a strong conversational voice and a character’s changing life alongside their ghosts have more to explore here than a single murder puzzle. The British Fantasy Society review singles out the dialogue and cozy feel, with some darker moments.
Good to know
The murder mystery develops late, and the British Fantasy Society review found this opening volume felt like the beginning of a longer story. Tanz is grieving a friend killed in a car crash. Her narration can be abrasive: Publishers Weekly objected to some off-color jokes, including a derogatory joke about gender presentation, and was unconvinced by the detective work.
A few distinguishing details
- An out-of-work actress discovering her family’s mediumship
- Everyday London life interrupted by the dead
More funny cozy mystery
Sources & further reading
- British Fantasy Society review
Review
- Publisher
Publisher
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
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