The Sister’s Twin listed many elements I enjoy in the premise which led me to requesting it from NetGalley.

In addition to a murder (or multiples?) and who dunnit scenario, we have a somewhat grumpy investigator and older women as main characters.

The women live in a group home for former actors and entertainers and are mentally sharp as tacks. However, they’re the only ones believing a tarot card reader saying that one of them is in danger.

It does seem far fetched … until people are killed.

This is the fourth Ray Flowers private investigator book. It doesn’t read like a series though because the focus is more on the residents and the tarot cards. Plus the killer of course.

This received praise from several reviewers but I didn’t connect with the book as much as hoped for. There isn’t a specific reason except it didn’t flow smoothly for me.

I would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my electronic copy.

An elderly lady sees murder of her twin sister in some tarot cards during a reading; a friend of the potential victim gets no sense from the police, after all she's a batty old dear who simply wants attention isn't she? She goes to a former cop who has a similar, but perhaps more tactly put, response. He is persuaded to investigate and does indeed find other murders where calling cards were left and just happened to be of the same set of Tarot style cards. There are asides with the three perpetrators - the evil old man living for revenge, the young woman he's groomed to kill for him and an even younger girl being terrorised by him.. The detecting side of the story is good, the characters work well together and are a delight; I felt that the "bad guys/gals", although the old man was suitably evil, less understandable. I needed more background especially for the young woman. This remained at the end so I felt vaguely cheated. Although apparently 4th in a series this is easily read as a stand-alone; I shall find and read the earlier stories as the writing and characters appeal. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

4 ⭐

What an enjoyable book this turned out to be!

<b>PROS</B>
-- Beautiful cover
-- A relatively quick read (@5 hours total read time)
-- Well written
-- Entertaining plot (I really enjoyed the tarot cards angle)
-- Works well as a standalone
-- An extensive cast of intriguing and likable characters
-- Enjoyable and unique setting
-- Satisfying ending

<b>CONS</b>
-- a couple plot points I felt needed more fleshing out
-- a little more background info regarding the murders and the perpetrators.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I haven’t read the others in this series (though I now intend to!) but it really can work as a stand-alone.

I liked the concept of the murder not having happened before Ray becomes involved with the case and I found that really kept me intrigued!

Great, likeable characters with the added supernatural element made this a really enjoyable read.

Thank youto Netgalley and Joffe Books for the ARC!

THE SISTER’S TWIN by Jane Adams is the 4th in the Ray Flowers private investigator series.

Synopsis: Lily Spencer is worried her sister Rose will be murdered. But the police won’t take her seriously. So she calls former detective, now PI, Ray Flowers for help. At first, he’s skeptical, too, but then events start to make him think Rose, and several others, are in danger.

I really enjoyed this *almost* cozy mystery quite a bit! I’m a sucker for books that have spunky old ladies as the main characters, and I just adored Lily, Rose, and Elspeth! 🥰

I haven’t read the first books in this series, and that didn’t seem to limit my understanding of this one. There were allusions to other cases (presumably the earlier books), but the story was definitely able to stand alone.

I’m so glad I stumbled on this one! I think I’ll go back and start at the beginning of the series (the 1st one is titled THE APOTHECARY’S DAUGHTER...and since I actually AM an apothecary, it’s probably required reading! 😉).

Keep in mind that this is a tad creepier than a cozy mystery, and one important TW is child abuse (of the controlling and manipulative variety).

Wow, this book really kept you interested. I didn’t want to put it down and read it in 2 sittings!!

Was so engrossing, the characters were portrayed really well and realistically!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving this title!!

Flowers Investigates...
The fourth entry in the Ray Flowers series finds Ray investigating the murder of Rose, a woman who is still alive and is the twin of Lily Spencer. Engaging, compelling mystery with a twist and a unique angle which made for wholly enjoyable reading. Although part of a series, this could happily be read as a standalone.

The angle of solving a murder before it happens drew me in immediately. A plot and characters that are well worth the time kept me reading.

A strange, if intriguing crime mystery from Jane Adams that involves the murders of vulnerable elderly people and a tarot card left at the scene of a crime. At Highbury House, a care home, elderly Lily Spencer is a deeply worried woman, her sister Rose has been predicted to be murdered by psychic Elspeth, and Elspeth is never wrong. This pushes Lily to go to ex-police officer Ray Flowers who specialises in security and is a private investigator. Needless to say, Ray is a sceptic when it comes to psychic predictions, but is intrigued enough to investigate further. However, as the murders come to light, and Rose is targeted, he connects with DI Dave Beckett to search for the truth and unearth a killer. This was an uneven read for me, there were bits that I liked and other parts which were not as interesting to me, although I think perhaps others might like this more than me. Many thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC.

Lily Spencer pays a visit to Leicester security advisor and ex detective, hero and whistle blower Ray Flowers, concerned that the murder of her twin sister Rose has been predicted by Elspeth Moore, a clairvoyant fellow resident at their care home, Highbury House. She asks him to investigate, since the local police, unsurprisingly, have no interest in a murder that hasn’t actually happened yet. At the same time an elderly lady, Cora Hudson, has in fact been murdered in her bed with a single stab to her heart in a nursing home in Mallingham and a tarot card left on her body. DI Dave Beckett visits Alice Weston, the artist who designed the enormously successful Book of Angels tarot pack, and discovers the card is a very accurate portrayal of the victim when she was alive. Does that mean the killer knew the victim well? The Flowers-Mahoney partnership normally deals in security systems rather than investigations but Ray is curious and visits the Spencer sisters and Elspeth to find out more. The reader is also introduced to the killer although we have no clue who he actually is. An elderly man, he has already committed the murder of Marilyn Simpson some years ago but finds he isn't up to the job any more and is now killing by proxy, using two sisters he is grooming as his protégés. The elder one has just murdered for him. And what’s more, they are working from a list. Who will be next? That question is answered a few weeks later when a second body, that of seventy eight year old Bethany Himes, is found at Rosemeade nursing home, again with a single stab to the heart and a card has been left at the scene. Ray speaks to his friend DI Dave Beckett who is in charge of the two cases but it seems the police are struggling for leads. Then in the early hours Ray gets a call from Lily to say Rose has been attacked. DI Beckett and DI Ray Fox whose area it is are already there when he arrives but fortunately the attacker was scared off by a ferocious bodyguard. Their investigations appear to be linked. As more victims are selected from the list, can Beckett and Ray, together with a few great friends and helpers, halt a bizarre killer with an agenda all of their own?
There are some brilliant characters in this, all beautifully drawn, including my favourite, the cricket bat wielding Elspeth. The plot is clever and well crafted, twisty and completely engrossing, and makes a fabulously entertaining read with a unique slant. I do hope there will be more in this series soon. 5*

The 'solving a murder before it happens' angle was unique enough to make this an interesting read, despite knowing nothing about the series.

‘The Sister’s Twin’ is the fourth book to feature the character of Ray Flowers, who was once a police officer but is now a private detective. I have been a fan of Jane’s work for a little while now so when I heard that she was due to release ‘The Sister’s Twin’ I knew that I had to read it as soon as I could. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Sister’s Twin’ but more about that in a bit.
I have to be honest and say that it took me a little while to get into this story. I was tired when I started to read and finding it hard to concentrate. However once I got into the story then that was it and I found it increasingly difficult to put the book to one side for any length of time. The storylines intrigued me and I had to keep reading to see if Ray managed to solve the case before any further lives were lost. The pages turned over at a fairly fast rate as I worked my way through the story. At one point the pages turned that quickly that it was almost as if they were turning themselves. All too quickly I reached the end of the book and I had to say farewell to Ray and the gang. I found ‘The Sister’s Twin’ to be an interesting read, which certainly kept me guessing.
‘The Sister’s Twin’ is really well written. Jane certainly knows how to grab your attention and draws you into what proves to be a compelling read. Reading ‘The Sister’s Twin’ felt like being on an at times scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you know what to do with. I felt as though I was part of the story and that’s thanks to Jane’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I really enjoyed reading ‘The Sister’s Twin’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Jane’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

Someone is killing vulnerable old people, but who is the person planning the murders and why? Lily and Rose are essential to the plot, but Elspeth Moore is by far the most entertaining character! Give Elspeth a tarot deck and a cricket bat, and she's got things under control. Well, almost. Ray Flowers is reluctant to get involved...until he is forced to believe. I enjoyed this one.
Read in March; review scheduled for

NetGalley/Joffe Books

Mystery. April 1, 2021. Print length: 201 pages.

I received an ARC for this book to read and leave an honest review. Thank you to the author Jane Adams and Joffe Books for sending me this free copy. Here are my thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. It was well paced, well thought-out characters and a joy to read.

I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series but that wasn’t a problem as this book can be read as a standalone book, and previous knowledge of the other stories are not needed as it gives you information on any important parts of Ray Flowers (one of the main characters) past, and you are able to make sense where needed.

I really loved the personalities in this book, particularly those of the ladies at Highbury House. I was able to picture them well and really bring them to life in my head. Rose, Lily and Elspeth were my favourite characters. I knew when ever a chapter appeared with them in, I wouldn’t be putting the book down before finishing it.

Overall, A great crime, mystery thriller. A joy to read, with added humour too. If you enjoyed reading Richard Osmans The Thursday Murder Club, then this book is a definite must. 5 stars from me!

I just couldn't get into this story. I was bored and just gave up on it.
I know some will like this but it just not for me.

This is book 4 in the Ray Flowers series and I haven't read the first 3 so I can confirm it works fine as stand alone. However, I am now planning to read the first 3 as I loved this one.

Alice redesigned the Tarot cards as a gift for a friend putting them together as The Book of Angels along with a little book of interpretations and launched it for sale. Its success could never have been foreseen and it was soon well known among the psychic community.

Ray Flowers is continuing with his security business and was therefore surprised when he was visited by a lady, Lily, wanting him to investigate a murder, one that has not yet been committed. Elspeth has foreseen this murder and the victim is her twin sister, Rose.

The police are obviously looking on this as a dotty old lady having a 'moment' but then the body of an old lady is found holding an 'Angel' card.

This is a very intriguing story with some very unique characters. I do love stories that involve elderly characters as they bring a bit of humour and eccentricity to the story. Add in the strangeness of the Tarot cards and I am hooked.

An evil old man, a sensitive, insecure young girl and a young woman groomed to kill and you have the makings of a gripping story that will keep the pages turning well into the night. The inclusion of unique characters just adds to the suspense. I especially like Nathan and look forward to learning more about him.

Thank you to the author and Joffe Books for the advance copy.

A good one to read a more apt title could have been the murderers apprentice. Taking revenge from what seemed to be minor grievances from the past leads to murder of several older people. An intriguing storyline, must read.

This is the fourth book in a series and focused on Lily’s feeling of her twin’s impending death. The suspense builds at a great pace and the book stayed true to the others in the series.

This is the 4th book in the series and whilst it easily can be read as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend reading the first 2 books to understand the background of the characters in this one.

I have to honestly say that I liked this book this best out of the series. The new characters are quirky, interesting and delightful (you’ll know who I mean when you read the story), the murderer is interesting and the story was gripping. It was great revisiting some old characters that we haven’t spent much time with since Book 2. This was a good mystery thriller and addition to the series.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this story. I’m voluntarily reviewing and providing an unbiased opinion of an eARC.

Ray Flowers an ex-cop now has a business of installation and maintenance of security systems not generally a PI. Once in awhile he helped local police re-examine old or unusual cases. But when Lily Spencer, and elderly lady, comes to him to help stop the murder of her twin sister Rose. She knows her twin will be a victim as her friend read it “in the cards” and she is never wrong. Then there is the killer bent on revenge but can’t do it himself so he trains others. He only kills elderly women and with one swift knife to the heart then leaving a calling card. Ray isn’t sure where to go with this and really could someone predict murder? He will soon find out but how can he help? This story is good it was a bit slow to start I had to make myself keep going even though I liked it I didn’t find it a gripping. Edge of you seat book I liked it. There is such a good vibe to this book even if there is the murder element the people working together to solve it are great. I do recommend this book, it’s not your everyday story so give it a try. Thank you NetGalley, Jane Adams and Joffre Books for allowing me to read this eARC.