High Priestess

Tarot Card Mystery #2

by David Skibbins

He is the twin brother of the beautiful woman who broke Warren’s heart and, of course, knows his secret history. Now that this man—who, along with his sister, presides over the “Church of Satan”—has found him, Warren is made an offer he can’t Either help find the killer who is hunting down members of the satanic cult, or have his real identity as a ’60s radical bomber exposed.

Now, the cards warn of peril as the High Priestess is cast followed by the Fool. That fool is Warren himself, in a race against time to hunt down a criminal—and erase his own crimes of the past before the last hand is dealt….  High Priestess, the second in the wildly original and entertaining Tarot Card mystery series, further reveals the secrets of Warren’s past and what he’ll do to keep them hidden.  

Genres: Mystery, Tarot, Fiction, Fantasy

292 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 18, 2006

About the author

David Skibbins won the St. Martin’s Minotaur/Malice Domestic Competition for Best First Traditional Mystery Novel with Eight of Swords. He is a certified life coach and lives on the Pacific Coast in California with his brilliant wife and his goofy Portuguese water dog.

Reviews

[Ashley Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was written by a man. So rarely do I think about the gender of the author during reading but it’s like super masculine tone. I don’t like that his choice of girlfriends is a handicapped girl with a heart of gold or a sexy dominatrix fantasy. Also the murderer is exactly who you think it is. But I did like all the seventies protest history bites and it was a bit of edge of your seat action. Also satanist were portrayed really accurately, even down to that one person who never wears deodorant. I’ll reserve my judgement until after the next book in the series.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old love from Warren's 60's gets him to investigate the multiple deaths at her brother's Satanic Church. Has he been set up to take the fall? He uses his staff in Berkeley to uncover the likely suspects and to turn the tables on the killer.

[Lorlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second in the tarot card series with our very flawed hero still running from his 60's past while coping with his bipolar disorder.

[LJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

HIGH PRIESTESS (Amateur Sleuth-Berkeley, CA-Cont) – Poor
Skibbins, David – 2nd in series
Thomas Dunne Books, 2006-Hardcover
*** During the 1970s, Warren Ritter was known by his birth name but became a member of the Weather Underground and has been living under cover, now reading tarot cards on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. He wasn’t expecting someone to sit down at his table, call him by his birth name and offer him a lot of money. Edward and Veronique, his sister and Warren’s former lover, run a fellowship of Satanism. Someone is killing off the members and has threatened the pair. They want Warren to find out whom.
*** Although I enjoyed Skibbins first book “Eight of Swords,” this one left a lot to be desired. Warren is an interesting and complex character, working within his manic-depression, but he is the only one. Although I sympathized with Warren’s girlfriend, there was nothing about her which came across in this book as appealing, expect her ability to hack into systems and obtain information for Warren. She was much better drawn in the previous book. There were a lot of characters involved, but there was little development of any of them. Although I am David’s age and share his political views, I felt it was a bit heavy-handed. I don’t read mysteries for political validation. As a resident of the area, I do appreciate Skibbin’s ability to depict the towns along the East side of the Bay. And, I must say, the cover art on the books is wonderful. My biggest problem was the plot. I spotted the killer almost immediately; the “let-me-confess-everything-to-you-before-I-kill-you” scene was silly, as was the hugely coincidental and well-timed event that happened to the killer. The ending, however, did make me feel that Warren and his girlfriend are perfectly suited for each other. I don't think I'll be visiting Telegraph Ave. or Warren again soon.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly good mystery with a plot that hearkens back to the late 1960's. Warren is a man who's been on the run ever since a group of radicals with whom he was affiliated blew up a house and people died. The plot of this mystery unwinds Warren's past and fills in what he didn't know at the time. It captures reasonably well what it must be like for someone who is still trying to hide, and works with his emotional side, based on what he thinks he's done. What made it only a "like" for me was that I was able to figure it out almost from the first chapter. It was simply a matter of proving my suspicions correct. Still, an enjoyable beach outing. I'd consider reading others in this Tarot series. Oh, and visit the author's website for a free Tarot reading. That was interesting. . . .

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good read. I loved the Berkeley area setting. Most of the settings were very familiar to me (some were fictional). The story was fairly well done although the mystery murderer was not too hard to figure out. Some of the radical asides were fun but may be a little too far left for many readers. His descriptions of Berkeley, Kensington and El Cerrito were right on even though they might anger some residents. The story moves right along. i liked the revenge ending.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable second outing for Warren Ritter. I really enjoy the characterisations in this series as they are very warm and quirky.

Warren's first person narration is amusing. Felt it was a solid, if somewhat conventional, murder mystery.

I shall be reading more of this series.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Further adventures of Warren Ritter, the tarot card reader and 60s radical fugitive. In this book he learns a lot more about himself and his past than he had thought possible.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. The prose is a little full of itself, by the observations of a 60s underground hippie are great fun!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these guys - both the author and his character. Intelligent and fun.