Murder, Mystics, and Menopause

by Theresa Crater

She’s confronting hot flashes and hecklers. But can this sharp-witted professor solve a high-stakes homicide?


Dr. Laurie Olson craves a break. So when her thirtieth high school reunion offers a brief escape back to her hometown of Seattle, the amicably divorced woman jumps at the chance to revisit her free-spirited self. But she’s shocked when a trio of disasters suddenly leaves her able to talk to animals… and under arrest for murdering the wife of the guy who stole her heart.


Out on bail with an embarrassing ankle monitor, Laurie joins forces with her longtime besties to hunt down possible suspects and clear her name. And if dealing with a spunky canine’s nose-guided clues and a pal’s ghostly visions weren’t keeping her busy, the long-buried relationship with her old boyfriend soon starts sending up fresh sparks.


Are her newfound supernatural sleuthing abilities enough to help collar a killer?


Murder, Mystics, and Menopause is the lighthearted first book in the Emerald City Paranormal Women’s Fiction series. If you like relatable characters, surprise endings, and page-turning tension, then you’ll love Theresa Crater’s clever puzzle.


Buy Murder, Mystics, and Menopause to add paws to midlife today!

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2024

About the author

Best-selling author Theresa Crater brings ancient temples, lost civilizations, and secret societies back to life in her visionary fiction. Travel the world with Anne & Michael as they uncover arcane secrets and combat sinister occult forces in the Power Places series. In the Mystic Assassin series, Rainey returns from a near-death experience with a divine mission. Stand-alones include School of Hard Knocks, The Star Family and God in a Box. Her short stories explore ancient myth brought into the present day. The Star Family won best fiction in the Indie Spirit Book Awards in 2015. Return of the Grail King won the gold medal in visionary fiction from COVR in 2019 and Into the City of Light took the silver in 2021. Theresa teaches meditation and creative writing, and is married to Egyptologist, writer, and tour guide Stephen Mehler, who co-founded Khemitology with indigenous wisdom keeper Ab’del Hakim Awyan.

Reviews

[Ann Gonneau · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic book.

I loved this book. Couldn’t put it down. Read it in one sitting. Got my interest immediately . Fantastic writing. Can’t wait for book two.

[Debbie Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seemed the entire time I was reading this book, I was reminded of a Hallmark movie….the kind that follows the typical story line….girl leaves city job, goes to her hometown, and falls back in love with her high school boyfriend. While I a, used to seeing this in the movies, I always find myself wondering why these women with successful careers are happy with their high school boyfriend who never left the hometown and possibly never went further than their high school interests. Now there is nothing wrong with staying in their hometown and further exploring o
what they liked in high school but if your claim to fame is the touchdown pass you scored in the playoff game senior year is it then….

The story is cute as it focuses on three friends who have come home for their thirtieth high school reunion. Of course, there is the talk of the quarterback and the head cheerleader along with all the wannabes…..those people are always the talk of reunions, aren’t they? Who has made it big? Who is a surprise success?

Of course, the three friends are women of a certain age with Laurie, main character, suffering from hot flashes and sweats. The friends’ lives haven’t necessarily turned out as they might have expected but when. It comes down to it, they are happy…and they discover they each have psychic abilities of some sort.

So, the story has murder, a ghost, psychic talents and more. A fun little read that doesn’t take much of your time.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

When going home to a school reunion with 2 best friends, one rarely expects to be accused and arrested for murder! And yet our heroine, who has just discovered a mysterious new talent, finds herself in just such a situation! Luckily, her two best friends along with her new little doggie are determined to help her find the actual murderer, thus earning her freedom. As bad as this situation seems, its not her only problem. This dramatic story will entertain you and make you laugh occasionally. I'm sure you will enjoy this magical story as much as I have.

[Tess Ailshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book not caring at all about the characters. Laurie seemed to be one of those who'll float wherever the current takes her, and Dana and Skye appear to be caricatures of two-dimensional characters. I literally felt the only good and believable part of the story was the ability to see ghosts. Communicating with animals is great, but in full sentences, grammatically elevated? Not hardly. The island religion is a bit of "hey, see what I researched" stuck in the appropriate place. A few word misuse instances didn't help.

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

intense and exciting

This was a really cool story filled with friendship, love and possibilities. Laurie just wanted to catch up with friends at her reunion. She had no idea her life would become exciting with a near death experience, talking dogs, and a suspect all from going home. At least she is getting away from her toxic job environment.

[Corliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one

This story of 3 friends that stayed close long after high school is heartwarming and quite an adventure. Read for yourself how a 30 year reunion turns into a murder mystery and rescue of 1 by the other 2 friends! Then there's the reuniting of an old flame during all the chaos!

[Matthew Futter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The personal stakes are hard to invest in when the characters have this many resources at their disposal. Charming writing in many places, but too unrelatable to keep on reading the series. Mostly a fun read throughout; just too "easy" for the characters, despite their many challenges herein.

[Cecile Fleetwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed reading Murder, Mystics, & Menopause!

It offers a lovely blend of cozy mystery, mysticism, & relatable characters. I can't wait to read more about these interesting women!

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, quick cozy with a young woman who can speak to animals and sees the ghost of the woman who's murder she is trying to solve. A nice break from heavier reading if you can suspend your belief systems.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

after i got a chance to set down and read i found it was a very good book, maybe gonna look into a few more of her stuff

[Gerald Brockman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I wasn't sure if the direction but was pleasantly surprised! I look forward to more.

[Jane Balke Andersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It just was not for me.