Jen is a barrista in an independent coffee shop in Seattle and has a few problems: Her father has some mental issues and decided to live on the streets and won't say a word. Plus she fears to either become nuts as well or to be developing a brain tumor since her left hand keeps scribbling little messages to her. Usually they are silly little predictions, but no matter what it was, it always came true. Now they turn into more concrete warnings, like when Jen is being alarmed by her hand that her boyfriend is sleeping with her (hated) half-sister, which turns out to be true. When the half-sister turns up dead shortly after, Jen finds herself to be suspect number 1.The crime story isn't bad but a bit foreseeable. The way the protagonist gets messages through her hand is an interesting twist and the way the messages appear was always a good motor to give the story a new kick. I really liked the characters, especially the heroine. The whole atmosphere and the setting of this novel is lovely, maybe a bit too lovely and cute for my taste. The tone is light and funny and makes a good and comfortable read.
I enjoy a bit of a love story in a crime novel, but here it felt like it would have been better to either skip it or invest more time to build some sparks and get the reader really wish for them to become a couple. The way it was done here felt a bit half-hearted to me.
There is a great humor throughout the story. Even though the story is a bit less surprising than I wished, it is still good and solid entertainment. I devoured the novel in one day and will surely look out for the sequels.
(I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley.)