Flashes of Insight

by Lynda Allen

Mood swings and insomnia are one thing, hot flash-induced psychic visions are quite another. When Olivia Wilde realizes the visions she’s been experiencing in the midst of hot flashes are actually premonitions, she has to learn to understand and trust what she sees in order to help a friend, preserve a piece of history, and save a life.

Deftly weaving together elements of history, mystery, menopause, humor, some Jersey girl attitude, a bit of salty language, and a healthy dose of female friendship, Flashes of Insight marks the start of a new “Jersey Cozy”* series sure to deliver laughter, intelligence, and lots of heart.

When Liv’s friend Jane's antique store in Fredericksburg, Virginia is robbed, Liv finds herself in the midst of a quest to find a secret cache of letters written by President James Monroe and his wife Elizabeth, which historians thought Monroe destroyed long ago. With the encouragement of her "Monthly" dinner party girlfriends, Liv begins to learn how to harness her newfound abilities, along with her smarts, to help uncover who is behind the break-in. It's a quest that nearly costs two lives, including Liv’s, and teaches her the often-hidden price of small-town life and generational family secrets.

*Cozy Mystery reader beware! The author and protagonist both hail from New Jersey, so there is some profanity not usually found in traditional cozy mysteries. You have been forewarned!

Genres: Mystery

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 29, 2024

About the author

Lynda Allen is the author of the Liv Wilde Mysteries in which menopause is a superpower! Since she had to put up with hot flashes every day, she figured she might as well make them useful.

Lynda proudly infuses her writing with her Jersey Girl sensibilities and aims to create stories imbued with heart and humor. She lives in Fredericksburg, VA, where her mysteries are set, with her husband, their cat, and the many incredible eagle friends who pay them frequent visits.

When she’s not writing about hot flash-induced psychic visions, she also writes poetry and is an artist.

Reviews

[Sue Ann Oltman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first chapter had me very interested. As the book went on there were too many details. Lots about menopause, grief and street names/landmarks in Fredericksburg that weren’t necessary to move the story along. It became distracting for me.

[Lacrima Mundi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully humorous story about the challenges of perimenopause, about friendships, and historic - and not-so-historic - mysteries. Hilariously funny, highly captivating, and thoroughly entertaining. I had a brilliant time reading it and could hardly put it down (as you can tell by my reading log).

This story is a mixture of RomCom meets Mystery meets Women's Fiction (Is PeriMenoLit a thing yet? If not, why not?).

Only reason why it is 'only' 4 and not 5 stars for the rating is the noticeable amount of typos still in it, that got overlooked by, according to the acknowledgements several, editors and proofreaders.

[NrsKelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perimenopausal woman who starts getting premonitions and becomes a bit of a detective. Sounded awesome….
For me I felt this one just didn’t fly like I thought it would. I felt the first part of the book was overly long and mainly dealt with menopause and grief. By the time Liv started using her skills and solving the crime….the book was almost complete.
I do believe if the author writes the next one the way she wrote the end of this one I would definitely read it
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tricia LaRochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman goes through menopause and develops psychic ability? When I heard that pitch, I was all in! What could be more interesting and fun to read about than that?

At first, Oliva Wilde doesn’t know what to make of the visions that seem to overwhelm her at the start of a hot flash. Not all, but some. Is she going crazy? After losing her beloved husband, Nate, Olivia still struggles with the loss of him. Not a great time to become an empty nester, her two daughters out in the world starting their lives. Lucky for her, she has a tight group of women to lean on whenever she needs.

But when her dear friend’s antique shop is burglarized, it’s Olivia who must come to the rescue. What was the thief after? And will they be back? And can Oliva’s visions lend a hand?

This mystery was a lot of fun to read. The historical references and female bonding added depth to the setting and the characters. This was my first book by Lynda Allen, and I look forward to reading more.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down! Now I can’t wait for Book 2 of the series!

[Lori Herbst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique premise with very likable characters. Not terribly fast-paced, but so character driven that it works well!