MURDER OF A HERMIT

Supernatural sisters must unravel the death of an apparent incarnation of their Hermit tarot card.

It’s as if the tarot cards have come to life when Megan Steele tells her friends Hope and Summer Bailey that she’s just seen a living embodiment of the Hermit near Bailey’s Boutique, their Asheville mystic shop. The sisters joke that the pain pills their pal’s been taking for an injured leg are making her see things, but Megan insists that the Hermit, a seeker of wisdom, is corporeal, complete with lantern and cloak. And really, Hope and Summer shouldn’t be too surprised at supernatural manifestations popping up in their everyday, since magic runs in the family. Hearing Megan’s fear puts the sisters on edge. When a man enters the shop, it’s only Dylan Henshaw, who’s seeking not wisdom but Hope’s attention. Still, the mood is tense as neighbor Miranda Larson joins the chat to report that she’s seen the Hermit too, and he’s been trying to break into the sisters’ cellar. Hope and Summer try to shore up any safety concerns with the help of the police, especially Nate Phillips, who has a keen interest in Summer’s well-being, but exploring further reveals only that the Hermit, whoever he is, has already been inside their house. The sisters soon find his drowned body with a very personal book in his possession, a book that could reveal the truth about Hope and Summer’s magical connections. The sisters have to make sure they aren’t accused of the Hermit’s death while also decoding who might be behind it—and just how their book is involved.

Newcomers to the Fortune Telling series may find it hard to surmount the obstacles to the payoff.