What do you think?
Rate this book
Psychic Socialite Series #1
Fortune's Fool
When her husband dies and leaves her penniless, a 1930s Memphis socialite becomes a fortuneteller, only to discover she has the true sight.It's 1933, and a quarter of all Americans are out of work, John Dillinger grabs headlines knocking off banks, and FDR is in the White House, promising a new deal for the country.Nell Marchand has never worked a day in her life. When her philandering skunk of a husband suddenly drops dead, leaving her without one red cent to her name, she lands smack dab in the middle of the hard times she has only heard about in newsreels. Nell tries to find a job to support herself and the household that depends on her, really she does. Her typing is a disaster, she cuts off every call in her one day as a telephone operator, and laundress leaves her back aching. There has to be an easier way.A reluctant visit to prosperous Joseph Calendar, her flighty mother-in-law’s medium, persuades Nell that there are fortunes to be made in, well, telling fortunes. As society fortuneteller Madame Nelora, she is soon the toast of Memphis. But when a desperate father begs Nell to find his daughter, she has a true vision of the missing girl. Terrified that she’s losing her mind, Nell turns to Calendar. She may suspect he’s a charlatan, but he is the only man who can help her embrace her gift and the responsibility it entails. To find the girl–and unravel a secret from her own past–Nell must outwit a corrupt banker and his gangster pals who will do anything to keep her hidden.Kindle bestseller FORTUNE'S FOOL was a finalist for the RWA Golden Heart® Award.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2011
3 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Jane Sevier
5 books29 followersI'm a spinner of tales and have been lucky enough to earn my living that way. As a feature writer, I covered fields as varied as artificial intelligence, the arts, the environment, and international affairs and traveled on assignment to exotic locales as diverse as Ecuador, Sri Lanka, and Texarkana, Texas. Several of my feature stories won national and regional awards.
My debut mystery, FORTUNE'S FOOL, was 2010 Golden Heart® finalist and garnered several other awards. It's about a 1930s Memphis socialite whose husband dies and leaves her penniless. To support herself and the members of her household who depend on her, she becomes a society fortune teller, only to discover that she has the true sight. FOOL is now available as an ebook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and as a paperback from booksellers everywhere.
I may have been born in a U.S. Army hospital on the outskirts of Orleans, France, but I was made in Tennessee and count myself an 8th generation Tennessean. My father taught at a U.S. Defense Department school in France, and my physician mother worked as a civilian doctor for the army. After a stint in Germany, my family came home to Tennessee when I was three. I grew up there with a brother and sister and lots of dogs, cats, horses, geese, ducks, and the occasional goat and peacock. No pigs, though. Daddy hated them.
Although I'm the spawn of generations of small-town dwellers and grew up in small towns myself, at heart I'm a city girl. I've lived in Nashville, Dallas, Paris (France), Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas. Now, I've come back to Nashville and home to my Tennessee roots.
My debut mystery, FORTUNE'S FOOL, was 2010 Golden Heart® finalist and garnered several other awards. It's about a 1930s Memphis socialite whose husband dies and leaves her penniless. To support herself and the members of her household who depend on her, she becomes a society fortune teller, only to discover that she has the true sight. FOOL is now available as an ebook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and as a paperback from booksellers everywhere.
I may have been born in a U.S. Army hospital on the outskirts of Orleans, France, but I was made in Tennessee and count myself an 8th generation Tennessean. My father taught at a U.S. Defense Department school in France, and my physician mother worked as a civilian doctor for the army. After a stint in Germany, my family came home to Tennessee when I was three. I grew up there with a brother and sister and lots of dogs, cats, horses, geese, ducks, and the occasional goat and peacock. No pigs, though. Daddy hated them.
Although I'm the spawn of generations of small-town dwellers and grew up in small towns myself, at heart I'm a city girl. I've lived in Nashville, Dallas, Paris (France), Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas. Now, I've come back to Nashville and home to my Tennessee roots.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 17, 2012
Fortune's Fool is a cozy mystery that reads as if it could easily be adapted to a play. The characters move around, interacting similar to a dinner theater scenario with a whodunit aura. The depth is shallow, but is a fun read for a rainy night. If you're looking for a light read to curl up with along with a cup of hot cocoa, this would be a great choice. It does start off a little slow and the repetitive dialogue of the main character, Nell, is distracting, but it picks up speed mid-way. A touch too fluff for my particular taste, especially, in the the psychic elements, as well as, the complexity of southern culture. Everything is touched on and accounted for, but it skims too much along the surface giving it an 'episode' feel rather than a series starter. There is a slight twist, but for the most part fairly predictable with little consequence to anyone, happy endings ensue, and a fizzle towards the end of prohibition. If I had to describe Fortune's Fool with a single word it'd be, quaint.
September 27, 2012
What a hoot! I was drawn to this book by the GREAT cover which intrigued me and I wasn't disappointed.
Nell Marchand finds out the hard way she's broke - at her husband's wake. She tries office work and laundry but just can't find her groove. She hits upon a career as a society psychic using her grandmom's Tarot cards.
Word gets out and she's soon asked to find a missing girl. Faced with such responsibility, Nell blows hot and cold about her new career. Mentor medium Joseph Calendar provides a safe port in the storm, but he's got his own agenda.
I was enchanted by this up and coming author. I would definitely read another book by her.
Nell Marchand finds out the hard way she's broke - at her husband's wake. She tries office work and laundry but just can't find her groove. She hits upon a career as a society psychic using her grandmom's Tarot cards.
Word gets out and she's soon asked to find a missing girl. Faced with such responsibility, Nell blows hot and cold about her new career. Mentor medium Joseph Calendar provides a safe port in the storm, but he's got his own agenda.
I was enchanted by this up and coming author. I would definitely read another book by her.
October 18, 2011
I just loved this book -- a touch of mystery, a little bit of supernatural, a slow-building romance, and a lot of immersion in a luscious time and place. I got to really enjoy and understand a spectrum of layered characters.
It’s one of those books that, when you finish it, you think “Wow, I feel like I just got back from an enjoyable, interesting trip.”
What added to the spice of the book was that I’d begun reading it just a day after I’d had a conversation with a woman about what happens when a Christian discovers she has mystic powers. So the timing was perfect! (Eerie, almost…)
It’s one of those books that, when you finish it, you think “Wow, I feel like I just got back from an enjoyable, interesting trip.”
What added to the spice of the book was that I’d begun reading it just a day after I’d had a conversation with a woman about what happens when a Christian discovers she has mystic powers. So the timing was perfect! (Eerie, almost…)
January 9, 2012
This is a wonderful story, full of surprising little nuggets of humor and sophistication. Jane Sevier's characters grab you and take you on a journey you don't expect. About the time you start to think heroine Nell Marchand is a little bit flighty, she proves you and everybody else wrong. About the time you think this is just a story about a society woman who comes up with a scheme to make money, a brilliant whodunit takes over the story. I really enjoyed "Fortune's Fool" and I must say, the ending made me pray there's a sequel coming pretty darn soon!
May 14, 2012
What a delightfully witty and romantic novel. The main character Nell is priceless with her bold and naive moves into 1930s Memphis gangster territory, local politics, and the business of being a psychic, and the man she has her eye on is perfect for her, a true gentleman with his charm and dry humor. And then there are the hilarious gangsters. So funny! I could not stop laughing at them. More, please!
December 10, 2011
I read Jane Sevier’s Fortune’s Fool in one sitting. Believable characters and a well-drawn setting hooked me, but Nell Marchand herself steals the show. Nell is not what one expects of a young jobless widow in the 1930s—she is strong and self-confident and willing to do whatever it takes get back on her feet. I’m already looking forward to Nell’s next adventure.
October 13, 2011
Wonderful characterization and a good galloping plot join charms like food description good enough to taste and a wonderful knowledge of setting make Fortune's Fool a delight. The Psychic Socialite Series is off to a bang up start with a heroine who is flawed but courageous and a satisfying ending that leaves just enough mystery to look forward to the next adventure!
March 4, 2012
A charming, well-written story with a lovely flavor of 1930s Memphis. After the death of her husband, Nell Marchand discovers she's broke. With the help of her friend and housekeeper, she becomes a fortuneteller and finds she has real talent. It's that talent that causes the trouble. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I recommend it.
March 6, 2012
I really enjoyed this book and the characters. As a fellow NaNoWriMo, I have to say that I am very impressed!!
February 5, 2012
This was a fun little mystery, perhaps a little TOO simple, but with very enjoyable characters. It says it's first in a series. I will definitely be looking for the next.
October 14, 2012
A parade of fascinating characters glides through this period piece set in 1930’s Memphis by Ms. Sevier. Nell Marchand, a recent widow with no money, is saddled with a mansion, her life-long domestic, Hattie, and the mother of Nell’s scoundrel husband. The mother-in-law, Bess Marchand introduces Nell to her spiritualist medium, Dr. Joseph Calendar. Nell sees Calendar as the charlatan that he is, but he becomes an important force in her life.
Desperate for money and after failing at practical ways of earning a living, Nell stumbles upon her grandmother’s Tarot cards. Grandmother had a gift. Nell decides to try to make a living as a Gypsy fortuneteller and reinvents herself as Madame Nelora. Nell knows that she doesn’t have “the gift” but believes she can help comfort people and do them no harm. Everything is fine until the visions start.
Ms. Sevier lulls her reading into a light tale that’s a lot of fun until the first murder occurs. Then the darkness settles in with evil all around.
The characters are a varied lot, ranging from the poor dirt farmer, Luther Evans, searching for his missing teenage daughter, Ginny, to the wealthy banker, Franklin Bryant. Mildred Epps, the fancy floozy, contrasts with Aunt Mary, the hoodoo doctor and provider of mojo sacks. Mobsters Little Nick and Blackjack Kelly scheme while Boss Crump, with righteous indignation, tries to clean up his city.
It is a fun, light story, but beware, it does have a very dark side.
Fortune’s Fool was a 2010 finalist for the coveted Romance Writer’s of America Golden Heart Award.
You can read my interview of "Fortune's Fool" author Jane Sevier athttp://www.michaeltuckerauthor.com/aq...
Desperate for money and after failing at practical ways of earning a living, Nell stumbles upon her grandmother’s Tarot cards. Grandmother had a gift. Nell decides to try to make a living as a Gypsy fortuneteller and reinvents herself as Madame Nelora. Nell knows that she doesn’t have “the gift” but believes she can help comfort people and do them no harm. Everything is fine until the visions start.
Ms. Sevier lulls her reading into a light tale that’s a lot of fun until the first murder occurs. Then the darkness settles in with evil all around.
The characters are a varied lot, ranging from the poor dirt farmer, Luther Evans, searching for his missing teenage daughter, Ginny, to the wealthy banker, Franklin Bryant. Mildred Epps, the fancy floozy, contrasts with Aunt Mary, the hoodoo doctor and provider of mojo sacks. Mobsters Little Nick and Blackjack Kelly scheme while Boss Crump, with righteous indignation, tries to clean up his city.
It is a fun, light story, but beware, it does have a very dark side.
Fortune’s Fool was a 2010 finalist for the coveted Romance Writer’s of America Golden Heart Award.
You can read my interview of "Fortune's Fool" author Jane Sevier athttp://www.michaeltuckerauthor.com/aq...
March 30, 2014
I honestly did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I was hooked from the first page. The characters, the story line, the writing style, everything came together to produce a creative, engaging read. The author did a marvelous job painting a clear picture of her characters and Memphis in the 1930's. I swear I could see each person and location in my minds' eye. The mystery was interesting and there were a couple of surprises along the way that I found enjoyable. I will be reading the next book in the series and hoping the author is working on more. Highly recommended for lovers of depression era mysteries and psychic stories.
June 4, 2012
(Read it first at Wattpad)
A book you should definitely read! Supernatural mystery.
After her husband's death, Nell finds that her small household is destitute. Without money she decides to try and play the medium so that she will earn some. But she finds out that she really can be one as she focuses on a missing girl. Trying to find her she will find many foes and lots of friends....
A book you should definitely read! Supernatural mystery.
After her husband's death, Nell finds that her small household is destitute. Without money she decides to try and play the medium so that she will earn some. But she finds out that she really can be one as she focuses on a missing girl. Trying to find her she will find many foes and lots of friends....
September 10, 2012
Good job; great cover. I grew up in Memphis and reading about Boss Crump and Pigly Wiggly was great fun. Fun is the right word. You can't read Jane's wonderful story with smileing. She makes it really easy to visualize the characters, events and places as you read. Who needs a movie when the story comes alive all on its own? Not I.
October 7, 2012
Very entertaining story set in Memphis, TN in the 1930s. Well-written, thoughtful, and engaging with the flavor of the day nicely woven into this look at a young woman who is blessed with the gift of card-reading--whether she wants it or not. Also, a blossoming romance.
August 14, 2012
Loved it! Waiting for the next one.
April 19, 2016
Loved this book!
I was drawn into this book and just kept turning the pages to find out what happened next. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
I was drawn into this book and just kept turning the pages to find out what happened next. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews