Madam Tulip: fortune-teller AND actress…

Title: Madam Tulip and the bones of chance

Author: David Ahern

Release: April 12, 2018

Rating: 5*/5

N.B.: I received a free E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

A surprise role in a movie takes actress Derry O’Donnell to a romantic castle in the Scottish Highlands. But romance soon turns to fear and suspicion. Someone means to kill, and Derry, moonlighting as celebrity fortune-teller Madam Tulip, is snared in a net of greed, conspiracy and betrayal.

A millionaire banker, a film producer with a mysterious past, a gun-loving wife, a PA with her eyes on Hollywood, a handsome and charming estate manager—each has a secret to share and a request for Madam Tulip. As Derry and her friend Bruce race to prevent a murder, she learns to her dismay that the one future Tulip can’t predict is her own.

Madame Tulip is the third in a series of thrilling and hilarious Tulip adventures in which Derry O’Donnell, celebrity fortune-teller and reluctant amateur detective, plays the most exciting and perilous roles of her acting life, drinks borage tea, and fails to understand her parents.

Review:

 David Ahern has done it again! From the very first paragraph, I had a smile on my face. I can’t tell you how happy and excited I was to dive back into Madam Tulip’s world. 

“Many people doubt psychic powers exist, but the doubters do not include actors. Everyone in showbusiness knows that as soon as one actor learns of a casting, actors of all ages, ethnicities, creeds and genders are instantly aware of every detail. Einstein claimed that faster-than-light communication is impossible. Einstein was not an actor.”(Opening ‘Madam Tulip and the Bones of Chance’)

It seems that David Ahern has retained all the positive elements from the two previous novels and has worked on those minor critical points (at least those I mentioned in my previous reviews). One of my major critiques was the fact that the villain’s and their motives were always so predictable. This time I really didn’t see it coming and the motive also wasn’t immediately clear. I had to wait until it was explicitly told before I was able to fully grasp it. 

It’s also nice to see Derry finally do what she was trained for, acting. Even if it falls through in the end, it was nice to see her in her ‘natural setting’. There is one thing that bugs me though…how come Bruce doesn’t get more auditions? I know the acting world is quite volatile, but being trained as a navy seal he must have quite an impressive resumé regarding his special skills section. I’m sure there are not a lot of actors with his specific skill-set, who would be able to do his own stunts. He’d definitely get jobs.

I’m so happy a love interest for Derry finally showed up! Now I sincerely hope we’ll hear about him again in the next Madam Tulip…Please???…

All the elements that made me already a fan of the previous novels, are all present again in this latest installment. His writing is enticing, there is great momentum and never a dull moment, and their is a flawless link with the previous novel (this time through the character of Torquill). 

David Ahern has a knack for writing mysterie novels with the right amount of humour without impairing the dramatic scenes. Due to this talent, he has quickly risen to one of my favourite authors and I hope to read more of his work in the future!

Kerensa J. Draumr

On a side note: this title makes much more sense to me than the second novel. I didn’t get it and kept wondering if it wasn’t supposed to mention the Ace which seems to refer to death in cartomancie.