Murder on the Astral Plane

Kate Jasper #10

by Jaqueline Girdner

Kate Jasper is feeling “karmically impaired” in Murder on the Astral Plane. In her view, she carries an astral virus to any group she joins, always leaving someone just plain dead. Kate’s best friend, Barbara Chu, says Kate’s simply thinking negatively. Barbara practices a little metaphysical shock therapy by tricking Kate into participating in an unannounced psychic soiree. And sure as shooting stars, by the end of a blindfolded intuition exercise, Silk Sokoloff, author and columnist of “Erotica, Et Cetera,” has been fatally garrotted by a wire cat toy. Kate figures one of the clairvoyants, intuitives, or telepaths in the group should be able to figure out whodunit. But their collective psychic vision is not anywhere near twenty-twenty. Now Kate needs her own crystal ball if she wants to die of old age rather than New Age.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction

309 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

aka Claire Daniels

Jaki Girdner lives, works, practices tai chi, and eats her vegetables in Marin County, California, along with her favourite computer peripheral, Famous Spouse Gregory Booi.

Series:
* Kate Jasper

Reviews

[Cappy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Take my review with a grain of salt, since I never quite finished the book, but I just found it very difficult to keep reading. To me, it felt like a lot of the book was filler. Any leads the characters had to figuring out the mystery all seemed like duds and never revealed anything. Because of this, the book doesn’t really compel you to keep reading.

Maybe this mystery is way too cozy for my liking, but it just wasn’t for me. The characters are pretty well written however, and if it weren’t for the mystery aspect (and there was a bit more plot), then I probably would have liked this book better.

[Nupur Tustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a refreshing read! It's hard to articulate what was so different about this mystery. In most mysteries, it's the plot that compels you to read. Each new revelation leads to new questions. In Murder on the Astral Plane, however, it's not so much the plot as the protagonist's predicament that carries you along.

Being involved in a murder is not a situation Kate wants to be in. What makes it worse is that she had a premonition the woman would die. Walking away from the situation isn't an option. Whether she likes it or not, Kate is involved. She was among the group of psychics when the murder occurred.

What I most enjoyed about this book was the vivid characterization and Girdner's consummate skill with first-person storytelling. Kate has a very compelling and distinctive voice and a sense of humor and subtle wit that makes each page a pleasure to read. Girdner's exuberance about her story and her characters comes through very clearly, and her enthusiasm is infectious.

[JoAnn Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psychics abound in this latest installment of Kate Jasper. Still engaged but not married, she and her bestie Barbara head to a psychic gathering only to find that the woman she had been dreaming about was murdered under their (covered) eyes. The suspects in the round all had motive - at least until another psychic dies in her home! Things get weirder when someone threatens Kate but is not related to murders! To top it off, her fiancé is sick but helping her investigate when he finds the front door has been painted with an ominous message. Turns out to be her ex-husband's new-Ish girlfriend who thinks Kate is her competition! Kate's abilities extend to sitting down with a killer and saved by the cops!

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly enjoy this series, though occasionally I'd like to shake the long-winded rambles - not sure whether to shake the author or the character!

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vaguely cute

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Dale Safford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light mystery that was easy to read with the interesting plot taking place in a psychic setting.

Kate Jasper is an amateur detective who feels cursed, because it seems that every time she is in a small group, someone turns up dead. And now it has happened again. When she consults a psychic for help, a surprise small group getting a reading ends up with one of the participants being killed. By setting up the reading group again in her head, and then investigating each of the members with the help of the psychic and a seemingly psychic cat, she hopes to nail the murderer.

[Shannon]

Yawn. I honestly just grabbed it because it was on the top of a pile, and I needed SOMETHING to read. It was in the middle of series I was not familiar with and I did not care much at all for the characters, the style of writing or the plot. It was something to read to make my mind go somewhere other than where it was, and nothing I would recommend other than to make your mind go numb.

[bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

-This book could be put down but was still a good fun read. No glaring problems but I was more tired than usual. Aspects of the police investigation were hard to believe, but at least the narrator shared the feeling that something odd was going on.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read, but not particularly new or interesting-- it's really excellent brain candy.

[Peggi Warner-Lalonde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read.