Visions

June 9, 2014
In bestseller Armstrong’s engrossing sequel to 2013’s Omens, plucky Olivia Taylor-Jones, who has recently discovered that her biological parents are serial killers, moves to Cainsville, a small town near Chicago, where she begins work as an investigative assistant to Gabriel Walsh, her mother’s former lawyer. Olivia, who can read omens and has multiple visions of red poppies and black dogs, is shocked when she discovers a body in her car dressed to resemble her. As Olivia tries to identify the corpse, which disappears before anyone else sees it, as well as figure out the reason for the murder and the meaning of her strange visions, she uncovers some dark secrets about the citizens of the seemingly idyllic town. The three men in her life add to the intrigue: James Morgan, her ex-fiancé; Ricky Gallagher, whose father heads a powerful biker club; and Gabriel, who has a troubled past. The chilling ending leaves just enough unresolved to hook readers for the next installment. Agent: Helen Heller, Helen Heller Agency (Canada).

September 15, 2014
It's hard to tell fae from foe in this sprawling second entry in the Cainsville series, set in an eerie, insular town. After finding out that her birth parents are serial killers, former socialite Olivia Taylor-Jones is adjusting surprisingly well to life in Cainsville, taking a chance on a sexy biker, Ricky Gallagher, while assisting hard-bitten attorney Gabriel Walsh at his firm. When Liv finds a dead body in her car, and then it mysteriously vanishes, she mistakes it for an omen, a side effect of her fairy heritage that gives her visions of black dogs and other symbols of The Hunt from Celtic mythology whenever death is near. But when the body identified as Ciara Conway reappears in another location, Liv is not the only one who sees it. Whoever is repurposing the body to scare Liv is one hell of an embalmer, and it's a stretch to imagine a killer lugging dead weight through a small town without being caught. Liv has to separate fact from fairy lore to find the connection between Ciara's murder and the townspeople who know more than they're letting on. With such secretive characters, the worldbuilding seems to happen in reverse-Liv has yet to break into the town's inner circle to understand how their magic works. Meanwhile, Gabriel hides his feelings for Liv by camping out on her couch when danger lurks, and a strange friendship develops. Liv's ex-fiance, James, is trying to win her back for all the wrong reasons and is going after Gabriel to do it. But Liv doesn't believe everything she hears, and when she's not plagued by disturbing visions, she's letting the wind blow through her hair from the back of Ricky's motorcycle while she figures it all out. She may be a pawn in a supernatural game with an unclear set of rules, but Liv proves she has moves of her own. A thrilling mystery and multiple love interests leave plenty to explore in the next book.

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July 1, 2014
Olivia Taylor-Jones, the clairvoyant daughter of notorious serial killers, returns in the second book of the Cainsville series (after Omens, 2013). Olivia has returned to her hometown, Cainsville, Illinois, and is desperately trying to maintain a low profile as she seeks answers to her past. But someone seems out to get herthe body of a missing woman, dressed to look like Olivia, appears in her car and then vanishes, leaving Olivia to wonder just what this omen portends. She's plagued by nightmares where she inhabits someone else's bodyor is it that they are inhabiting her? Her previous protector, Gabriel, has troubles of his own, leaving Olivia searching for a new partner. And find one she does, in hunky biker Ricky. When Olivia finds her nightmares might be more than just dreams, she begins to realize just how thin the line is between her normal life and her supernatural history. Series fans will enjoy this twisty plot.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2014

In the first Cainsville novel, Olivia Taylor-Jones was on her way to redeeming her birth parents, accused of being serial killers. But she stumbles on some trouble in this second installment when a dead woman shows up in her car, dressed just like her.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014

Olivia is trying to make a new life for herself in the unusual town of Cainsville, but the mystery of her biological parents and their alleged crimes is still a priority for her. She agrees to work with manipulative lawyer Gabriel Walsh, who helps her out when a dead body dressed like Olivia appears in her car. The corpse seems to have been meant as a warning for Olivia. As most things in her life, everything leads back to Cainsville. VERDICT Picking up immediately after the events of Omens, Olivia is trying to learn more about her ability to read omens and the nature of the town she calls home. A well-plotted mystery gives this urban fantasy its structure, but the continued development of both the supernatural facets of Cainsville and the complicated relationship between Olivia and Gabriel will draw in new fans for Armstrong, who also writes the "Women of the Otherworld" series. [See Prepub Alert, 3/1/14.]

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.