I am going back and forth on my rating for this one. While it kept my attention, the mystery part fell a little flat. I would love to read more from this author because I definitely see potential.

Katie True is failing at adulting. She goes from one job to the next job. She ends up selling Russian tchotchkes in a shop across the shop where Marley works. Marley becomes her best friend. Marley encourages Marley to do tarot readings as it is Katie’s true talent. When a disheveled man with blood on his shirt runs into the shop to get th cards read for him. Katie finds a photo of Marley dead with a gunshot to her head. Who killed Marley? Why? She realizes that the tarot cards can’t answer these questions. Since Marley was her best friend, she wants to and does investigate trying to find out who killed Marley and why. Katie ends up in conflict with criminal s and a police detective who does his work “by the book.” Will Katie find the answers she has?

The author has written a mystery with lots of humor. This book might be the first of a series? I’m only guessing but I also would like it to happen. The mystery had my attention as I read it and enjoyed the characters in the novel. This good natured story is the best . I do hope it becomes a series.

Really fun mystery with a girlfailure protagonist that I actually totally endured. The mystery is figure-out-able without being too corny. The romance is satisfyingly predictable. Surprised how much fun I had with something that's not exactly cerebral.

This was a solid debut. I quite enjoyed the mystery and loved the disability rep sprinkled throughout. Some of the minor characters were not very memorable, but over all I enjoyed the main characters. I'd be interested in seeing what else this author produces in the future. Overall, this was a good read.

Oh so outlandish but kinda fun. Quick, snappy, dialog to match the characters, a slightly improbable plot and lots of action made this an enjoyable and quick read. Nothing terribly cerebral, nor believable but it moved, shook and filled a few hours.

Rounding up - Lina Chern shows great potential and I look forward to her next book. Thanks to Bantam Books and NetGalley for a copy.

I mostly read thrillers and mysteries, which I love, but some themes within the genre can get repetitive. Play the Fool is a refreshing take on the mystery genre. I really enjoyed the main character's world-view and how she sorted everyone into the tarot archetypes. As a tarot reader myself I found it intriguing and I liked reading her reasoning for placing people into the different suits or if they were a major arcana or minor arcana card. The story overall was interesting and a page turner. I'll definitely be recommending it to friends!

A decent addition to its genre! The characters were interesting, and I love a woman who’s a burnout making bad choices re: solving mysteries. I think I would like a sequel to this building off of what was established in the end of this book more than I enjoyed this book itself.

A murder mystery about palm reading and tarot cards would not normally be for me. But, this one is more. Part murder mystery, part cozy mystery and full of characters that you probably won't like, but you will root for. When Marley takes a job in a mall store, she becomes fast friends with Katie who works in a store that sells items from Russia. BTW, Marley also knows the family trade of fortune telling. When she accidentially sees a picture of Marley dead, she panics. She must know what happened to her friend and who is the culprit. Along the way we meet Marley's parents, brother and sister and a few local cops. Does Marley have the intelligence and skill to figure it out and come out alive? You'll know when you read it. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC I received in exchange for my opinion. The book was published 3/28/23 (yes, I'm a little behind) and I recommend it!

This was a super engaging read! I love a strong female protagonist. The idea of using magic and spells to solve crimes was really fun, and I enjoyed it.

Play the Fool is not my normal read at all, but I did enjoy this mystery! The main character, Katie, is resigned to her life in a dead end job with no ambitions at all. This is very atypical to characters I usually read so it was a bit startling at times. I love the aspect of the cards and the readings she would occasionally give and thought the author did a great job with Katie's envisioning of the readings as she gave them. There was an unnecessary hint of a love story that I could do without and at times this did not feel remotely believable, which made it drag at times while also being entertaining. I thought it was good for a debut novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy. All opinions are my own.

Even though this had all of the elements of a thriller I typically fall for, this didn't hit for me. I felt like every time I blinked, I would open my eyes and be in an entirely different scene and big plot points passed right by me. I'm not sure if it's a "right book, wrong time" situation, but I just felt a bit underwhelmed by it.

The plot was very unique and interesting though. I loved the involvement of tarot cards into the story and wished we even got some more insight into the tarot world!

I wouldn't skip past Lina Chern in the future because although this one wasn't for me, I think with some more editing, it would work for me! 2.75 stars rounded to 3 stars

Pleasantly surprised by this light read. The cover is a bit misleading that it has more to do with tarot cards than it actually does. This has murder mystery appeal, with a likable lead. Strong start to this one, but I had struggling interest in this story toward the end.

Play the Fool A Mystery by Lina Chern

313 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Bantam
Release Date: March 28, 2023

Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Tarot, Divination, Spies

Katie True reads tarot cards and works in Firebird Imports, a Russian gift shop in a rundown mall. She has a friend, Marley, who works in the Stone Blossom, metaphysical shop. A big guy runs into Katie’s store frantic, his head bleeding, and looking as if he is running from something. Katie takes out her tarot cards and starts a reading for him. When he isn’t looking, Katie looks at his phone. She sees a photo of Marley, shot dead by the dumpster. She begins investigating and calls the police. She meets Jamie, a detective recently transferred from Los Angeles. He believes her, but without a body or any clues, the investigation goes nowhere. Katie depends on her tarot cards to tell her the story. Hopefully she will find out the truth before the murderer finds out what she is doing.

The book has a fast pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. I love quirky characters with flaws. They feel more realistic to me. The author did a wonderful job including the tarot cards into the story. Not only does she do readings, but she also includes the descriptions of cards for the people she encounters. There is a little romance that I hope continues after the book ends. If you like light mysteries or tarot, you may enjoy this book.

This book was a little slow to start, but overall, it was mostly enjoyable. The mystery was engaging, and there were some funny moments. I liked the use of tarot cards and would have actually liked it more if they had played a bigger role.
My main issue that kept me from giving it a higher rating was that the main character was a bit annoying.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book. It was really well written and it just had you trying to solve the mystery. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

The first third of this book was fascinating and gripping. I loved Katie's intro to her life and her world. The story was simple yet interesting to get into. The humor was loud out loud funny and had me in stitches at times. The mystery was intriguing and had me invested throughout.

This was a really entertaining cozy mystery debut featuring a cynical tarot reader turned amateur detective who sets about figuring out who killed her friend. I really enjoyed this on audio narrated by Kristen Sieh and was kept guessing about who the killer was right to the end. The way that the tarot cards were used throughout the story was a fun element too that kept things interesting.

I really enjoyed reading Play the Fool! Based on the book description, I wasn't sure if I could expect a suspenseful mystery/thriller, or more of a cozy mystery. The plot was a little far-fetched at times, and the characters were great and well-developed - I would definitely classify this as more of a cozy mystery. I was very invested in the protagonist, and appreciated the struggles and growth she went through during the story. I would recommend this book if you like quirky mystery stories!

Katie True works at a frippery store in a mall and is just coasting through life because she can't quite commit to what she wants to do, which is being a professional psychic. She has one friend who she doesn't feel cool enough to have and a whole lot of issues she's having trouble getting herself to care about. Until a guy comes into the store covered in blood and she talks him into a Tarot reading. Katie snoops his phone for clues to make the reading better and finds a photo of her murdered friend. It's the beginning of Katie making a series of very questionable and at times dangerous decisions that force her to look at her life and where she's heading. There's also the handsome cop who actually believes her there's been a crime and is willing to help her prove it, adding the prerequisite romance angle rather beautifully.
I confess to coming into this book unsure if I was going to like it because I'm kind of over amateur detectives lately, but I loved Katie and the utter mess that her life is in. She makes all the dumb mistakes that seem mandatory to the genre but it somehow felt original as it was happening.
This is probably due to Chern's loose and personable writing style. It's a relaxing and entertaining read despite the fact that it centers around a murder and the danger Katie finds herself in after insisting that the cops solve it despite there being no body or proof that it actually happened.
Here's hoping this turns into a series because I enjoyed following along with Katie's growth as a character. Her relationship with Jamie is also great and I'd love to see that explored in a book that keeps the momentum of this one going.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for the thoroughly entertaining read!

As so many of us are, I am intrigued by knowing the future. The description of this book caught my attention, having been fascinated by Tarot, and runes, and all manner of fortune-telling. I will admit that I didn't like the main character initially, but discovered there was more to like than not, as I continued. The family dynamic and the way the relationships develop kept my attention, and I found a sort of familiarity with the characters. The story has the elements of a good suspense thriller, and while I felt there were some predictable components to the story, it made for a fun adventure. The settings and events were believable and well-described. I feel that anything that gets me thinking is a worthwhile pursuit, and that was achieved in Lina Chern’s novel. The author has an interesting voice, and I'll be looking for future titles.

A copy of Play the Fool, A Mystery, by Lina Chern was provided to me by NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam, for an honest review.