Highlight: Beyond Belief (Emily Castles Mysteries #2) by Helen Smith

When famed psychic Perspicacious Peg predicts a murder will occur at England’s Belief and Beyond conference, her science-minded colleagues recruit twenty-six-year-old budding sleuth Emily Castles to attend the event as a “future crimes investigator.” The suspected victim: celebrated magician Edmund Zenon, who plans to perform a daring stunt at the conference—and is offering fifty thousand pounds to any attendee who can prove that the paranormal exists.

In the seaside town of Torquay, Emily meets a colorful cast of characters: dramatic fortune-teller Madame Nova; kindly Bobby Blue Suit and his three psychic dachshunds; Sarah and Tim Taylor, devastated parents mourning their late son; and religious cult members Hilary, Trina, and the Colonel. Tensions rise as believers in science, the supernatural, and the spiritual clash with one another. But once a body count begins, Emily must excuse herself from the séances and positivity circles, and use old-fashioned detective work to find the killer.

Helen Smith is a member of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, the Crime Writers Association and English PEN. She traveled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both--from cleaning motels to working as a magician's assistant--before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel. Her work has been reviewed in The Times, the Guardian, The Independent, Time Out and the Times Literary Supplement. Her books have reached number one in the bestseller lists in the Kindle store on both sides of the Atlantic.

Helen Smith traveled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both, before returning to live in London where she wrote her first book, ALISON WONDERLAND, which was one of Amazon Publishing's bestselling books of 2011.

Helen Smith's books have reached number one on Amazon's bestseller lists in the US, UK, Canada and Germany. Her books have appeared on "best books of the year" lists in the Guardian, The Independent, For Books' Sake, The Cult Den and The New Podler Review of Books. She's a Literary Death Match champion and hit the top spot as America's favorite mystery author on Amazon.com in July 2013. 

Helen Smith is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, The Crime Writers Association and English PEN.

"Smith is gin-and-tonic funny." booklist