Title: Flower Power Fatality (The Psychedelic Spy Mystery #1)
Author: Sally Carpenter
Published on: 6 June 2018
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Flower Power Fatality is the first book in The Psychedelic Spy Mystery series by Sally Carpenter.
It’s 1967, the year of music, miniskirts and a murder! Noelle McNabb is leading a very boring life in Yuletide, Indiana. She dreams of being a Hollywood star someday. But right now, she works at the Christmas theme park’s drama-division as a witch. OH yeah, you heard that right. Green-faced, pointy nose and an eerie laugh, Noelle plays a witch in a Christmas play.
After one such boring day at work, Noelle is cozying up at home when someone knocks at the door. A man completely drenched in rain (it was pouring outside) and blood stumbles in. Noelle calls the emergency services and the man is taken to the hospital. Noelle’s cat Ceebee is a sneaky little fella – he nicks the injured man’s wallet full of cash and Noelle goes to the hospital the next day to return it. But when she reaches the hospital she learns the man is dead. Nobody is ready to divulge any details about the dead man. Not even the funeral home his remains are taken to.
A mysterious caller asks Noelle to give what is not hers. Now what on earth does that mean? Soon, Dash Hanover pays Noelle a visit and claims he is from SIAMESE – Special Intelligence Apparatus for Midwest Enemy Surveillance and Espionage. Noelle finds herself in the middle of a spy ring and double agents.
If you like ‘spy’ movies such as Johnny English, then you must read this series. Flower Power Fatality is an entertaining and engrossing mystery with a dash of spoof.
The first thing I want to talk about is the name of the spy ring – SIAMESE. Like, Wow, right? As the story proceeds, we see Noelle joining hands with a SIAMESE agent named Destiny King. Together, the ladies go clubbing and dancing (ssh! Noelle’s ‘orthodox’ parents have no idea about their daughter’s ‘nightly’ adventures) stealing and grave digging.
The story gets even better halfway through – the dead man was supposed to deliver a series of microdots. The clues lead the two ladies to a night club and before their double agent can give them further information, he’s shot and killed.
Noelle learns a secret about her family – I am really curious to see how this is going to affect her relationship with a certain someone in the next book. (Revealing their name would make this review a spoiler.)
As the story ends, Noelle proves that not only is she a good actress, she’s a better amateur sleuth too. Hippies, sneaky cat and the year of miniskirts, this book is a complete hoot!
The mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat and the humorous bits are sure to make you giggle. The spy-movie-like feel is definitely the plus point of this story. So excuse me while I dive into the next book of this series – Hippie Haven Homicide. I cannot wait to see how the Hippies are related to the aforementioned ‘Homicide’. 😀
The Book Decoder 
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