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Every now and then, a novel comes along and takes me by pleasant surprise. Memoirs of a Fortune Teller by Gary Turcotte is one of those novels.
Mary Ann receives her gift of second sight after her mother dies and hands it down to her. Eventually, she joins a traveling circus and tells fortunes to strangers, being careful not to upset them too much if she can help it—because her fortunes aren’t always fortunate, and people don’t really want to know their future.
When Lenny and Lisa come to her for a reading, she discovers that Lenny is a serial killer, and Lisa will eventually be one of his victims. Too afraid of Lenny to warn Lisa, she carries the secret from town to town, hoping to keep Lenny from coming after her. Meanwhile, others come to her for a reading that turns out to be strangely interconnected with her life.
After Mary Ann successfully predicts a policeman’s future, he comes to her for help in catching Lenny. He can’t hold Lenny based on Mary Ann’s visions, but he hopes to learn what Lenny plans next, which will make it easier to get enough evidence to arrest him.
I applaud Mr. Turcotte’s skill in bringing all of the visions together and connecting them to what happens in Mary Ann’s life. Though it could have been a confusing mess Mr. Turcotte lays it all out in an easy-to-understand scenario without making it too simplistic. I doubt that many authors could pull that off, but Mr. Turcotte did with Memoirs of a Fortune Teller.
As I read, I was continually awed and fascinated by this short thriller. In fact, I was so enthralled that I read it from cover to cover without stopping. You’ll be so caught up in Mary Ann’s life as a fortune teller that you’ll wish the novel was longer. And, though the
ending is typical human nature, it’ll still catch you off guard.
Memoirs of a Fortune Teller is simply one of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read, and I’m already eager to pick up Vigilante Witch Hunter, the next book in the series.
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