A Premonition of Murder (Dream Club Mystery 3) by Mary Kennedy

by Mary Kennedy

published by Berkley

Mary Kennedy, you've outdone yourself. I loved this, the 3rd Dream Club Mystery, also the 3rd I've read. I find dreams so fascinating in the directions they go. The Dream Club is a perfect example. Beginning with a wealthy, elderly lady hosting a tea-party outside her mansion, she immediately stuns them with the news she dreamed she's going to die, that was the feeling she had from the dream. The Dream Club then tries to help her sort out the dream she had. Fascinating ideas. But are they a portent or a nightmare? The Dream Club is a very mixed group, so she will certainly get a variety of suggestions, though most concur her dream of death was not necessarily what the dream is about. So many different possibilities, especially when her house is a mansion, a beautiful old Savannah home, very large and housing some of her assistants. Are the people who are living there truly caring for her? or is there a darker side to some of them. How many can be trusted?

This dream seems to be complicated as the Club begins to consider the people in the house besides Abigail Marchand, since she is somewhat of a recluse and relies on these others. Of course, with the housekeeper having worked there for over 30 years, she will be receiving an inheritance of $30,000,000. Others appear to be non-threatening, but are they? Who are some of these people who have been showing up recently? Abigail falls to her death, but actually was pushed down the stairs. Finally some questions surface in the group along with Detective Sam Styles, a member of the Dream Club, as they really get to work on what the dreams of all of them have been leading them to, Abigail's housemates and yard-workers. Who is the family member Sophie, from another country? Is she really a relative? What was the real cause of death of Abigail's sister, Desiree? Who is the student recording the artwork in the house? Lucy, the housekeeper, has a son living in the mansion, what is known about him?

Lucy murdered, by whom? Sophie is supposedly Abigail's last living relative, is that true? Abigail has requested that Tracy and Ali record all items in the house after her death. A lot going on with this book. I found the views of the Dream Club very interesting, lives being lost strangely interesting as facts became clearer. I enjoyed reading the Dream Symbol Guide in the back of the book, I wonder what the dreams of floating mean?

Dream a Little Scream - a Dream Club Mystery by Mary Kennedy

Published by Penguin Random House
Release date August 4, 2015

Talk about a nightmare...Who killed the cook?

How can something so good go so horribly wrong? Savannah, Georgia is hosting a famous chef/baker, author of very popular cookbooks. The Dream Club are all looking forward to meeting Sonia Scott...or are they? Ali and Taylor are not too sure about some of the new members. New members Etta Mae Beasley and Edward Giles have just joined the Dream Club and don't appear to be too impressed with Sonia, in fact, Etta Mae appears to have a bone to pick and doesn't mind telling everyone. Thanks to a friend, the members of the Dream Club are going to a live taping of Sonia's local interview.

Sonia makes a sudden decision to stay and do a book signing at the 'Oldies but Goodies' candy shop when a delay gives her some time to fill. The Dream Club of course are all in attendance and all is going exceptionally well as Sonia delights her audience with humorous patter. But suddenly she begins to gasp for air and collapses! Shock and confusion reigns as her assistant Olivia and Taylor rush around looking for the Epi-pen that Sonia always carries in case of just such an emergency, but they are unsuccessful, though Sonia never is without one in her purse and as back-up Olivia always carries a second one in her purse, neither are found. Olivia has frantically dumped both purses out and scrambled through everything but it is too late to save Sonia. Everyone is horrified.

The Dream Club holds an emergency meeting as everyone else leaves after the ambulance is gone. What could possibly have gone wrong? Every precaution was taken to avoid the sesame seeds that Olivia had warned Sonia was extremely allergic to. To follow that, with the shop already just managing financially, stories begin to fly that Sonia was poisoned at the Oldies but Goodies candy shop! Customers desert like rats from a sinking ship leaving Ali and Taylor struggling not just with trying to figure out how Sonia could have ingested anything that would cause her throat to swell so quickly and thoroughly, but how to regain customers who stop coming.

This is the second book of the Dream Club series by Mary Kennedy, well-researched and well-written fun. Another fascinating look at the odd mix of characters in both the club and in the lovely town of Savannah. Their dreams and interpretations are bizarre at times, dreams are hilarious at times and very often the clues suddenly take on a life of their own. A Dream Symbol Guide is included at the end of the book.