While I'm not typically a reader of mystery novels, I was intrigued by the story's plot... and promptly finished within 2 days.

"Play the Fool" is told from the perspective of Katie True - a young woman who's run into her fair share of difficulties. She hasn't found a career path her family approves of, and is back in the suburbs of Chicago where she grew up working at a Russian tchotchke in the local mall. Katie's always had an affinity towards the tarot cards though, and when one customer appears in her store to have his fortune read, Katie finds on his phone a photo of her friend Marley Callaghan, shot and killed. Despite their unconventional friendship and Katie's own lack of authority, she partners with a new-to-town cop named Jamie to help unravel what happened to her friend.

The underlying story is uncovering the mystery of Marley's death, but the bulk of the novel focuses on Katie herself. We get to see firsthand her complicated relationship with her parents and successful realtor older sister, her closeness to her brother Owen, and even her developing relationship with Jamie as they continue to work on this case. While some of the plotlines around the crime and its involved players got a little too tangled for me (possibly too many external characters?), I nonetheless kept reading as I was invested in Katie and her own outcome of events.

I really enjoyed Chern's writing style: to-the-point, honest, and candid. She crafted a protagonist that felt true-to-life and relatable, and one that readers will root for throughout the rest of the novel.

Fast paced, easy read. Should go over well for our patrons.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This is the first book I have read by Lina Chern and it definitely won’t be the last! This story about a tarot card reader who unintentionally gets caught up in an investigation was well written and hooked you early on. The ending made me want to go on another investigative adventure with the characters rather than have their journeys come to an end.

Katie True is a quirky, cynical, down on her luck cashier at a mall novelty shop when Nico comes in. He’s been beat up and he’s highly anxious, pacing the store. Katie, who dabbles in Tarot card readings, convinces him to allow her to read his cards for $20. When he uses the restroom, she looks at his phone as a way of gleaning information about him for the reading, but instead she finds a picture of her best friend, Marley, with a bullet in her head.

Katie bungles her way through amateur detective work trying to solve Marley’s murder. She is exceptional at reading people and this serves her well in her investigative endeavors. She’s a likable protagonist and I was rooting for her to succeed.

This book is entertaining and lighthearted, albeit a bit juvenile for my taste. I give it 3 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I was not expecting this book at all! I was sent this book from the publisher after reviewing another book on NetGalley and I’m so glad I was! It was the perfect mix of mystery and humor. Great story pacing and character development. This will definitely be On the top of my recommendation list when this book comes out!

Play the Fool by Lina Chern is about a cynical tarot card reader who seeks to uncover the truth about her friend’s mysterious death.

The book was a quick read and fairly enjoyable. Katie, the main character, was hard to like at times due to her snarkiness and being kind of a messy character. The story is narrated by Katie. The author's writing was good and the story was developed well. It wasn't as "mysterious" as most marketed thriller books. Overall, an okay read for me.

I go back and forth on giving this a 3 or 4 stars, so I'll rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars and round up to 4 stars.

#PlaytheFool #NetGalley @ChernLina @atrandom

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for my honest review. Excellent book though the title wasn’t something that made me want to jump right into this book. Glad I did…thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and the characters were different and very like-able. Would highly recommend.

I think this cover is so great! I love the card embedded in the bright blue! I wish I'd loved the book as much.

The first third of the book was fascinating. I liked getting to know Katie and her wild life. Her friends, her job and her apartment. I loved how she carried the cards around and how, sometimes she was so connecte to them, that they would come as images to her in the midst of casual conversation.

But at about 50%, I thought the story derailed. It just hit the realm of not believable. I wanted to buy it, I really did, but I found the police angle to the whole case just too much. And I didn't love Jamie and whatever was going on there. I wasn't feeling the love interest in the midst of all the over-the-top mafia type family and the suddnely rush of a huge cast of characters. It was cute, I didn't mind the end, but I definitely didn't love it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Katie's friend is killed. Her best friend is dead? Who killed her and why? She's able to get messages from cards that others could not. She is out to solve the crime but puts herself in the crossfire! Such a good read! This kept me on the edge of my seat! I read this in a day! Highly recommend!

This book was a lot of fun! The main character, Katie True, is one that will have you internally screaming at her to make a different decision, but each of those decisions certainly work well to keep the plot fast-paced. The pace is faster than what you would expect from a single POV, and it works in this story. The characters have depth and are lovable without being cringy. A cozy, clever mystery where you likely won’t guess all of the twists, but the reveals still make sense.

Pub date: 28 March 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and Kathleen at Penguin Random House for the ARC; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lina Chern, and the publisher for letting me read an advance copy of Play the Fool. This was this author’s debut book and she really combined a lot of investigation, mystery, and the occult in it. I enjoyed the detail of the characters and how they processed through the book. The twists and turns were subtle but noteworthy. I enjoyed the fact that there was no sexuality thrown into the mix which would have tarnished the complexity and ambiance of the characters.. It was an excellent read and I recommend it to mystery enthusiasts.

Play the Fool by Lina Chern tells the story of Katie True a tarot card reader who is not living her best life. She befriends Marley who she sees dead in a picture. Katie feels she needs to find out what happened to her. I enjoyed this story. Liked the characters and it was a very believable story. It read more like a cozy mystery. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

I really enjoyed Play the Fool. It was a perfect cozy mystery for the Halloween season, complete with tarot cards. I loved how the main character had flaws, wanted to do and be better, but kept making the wrong decisions. Katie was a very relatable character. I definitely didn't anticipate how the story would go but I thought it was well done. I loved the relationship between Katie and Jamie and my only wish is that we could have seen that develop more. I got through this pretty quickly, I just had to know what was gonna happen next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review!

This was a really unique mystery book! I enjoyed the grittiness of the main character Katie and the mysterious aspects of the tarot. I never anticipated the next steps of the story which is KEY for a mystery book like this. I can’t wait to see what else Lina Chern writes!

Katie True is a tarot aficionado who languishes her days (and potential) away at the mall, selling Eastern European knick knacks. When Katie offers to read the cards for an injured and disoriented customer named Nico, things go sideways fast. A little light snooping on Nico’s phone reveals a photo of her flame-haired friend Marley…. dead in the dumpster. Shocked and appalled, Katie makes it her personal mission to solve Marley’s murder- whatever the cost.

Play the Fool is a captivating and upbeat mystery that’s laugh-out-loud funny. I found myself reaching for it again and again because it’s refreshingly playful and entertaining. Finally, a suspenseful and engaging story that doesn’t rely heavily on gore, darkness and all things disturbing to intrigue an audience. Play the Fool doesn’t need any of that because the fast-paced plot, zany character and sheer fun stand all on their own. Speaking of characters, I fell in love with them all- Katie, Owen and Jamie have my heart. And how could I resist a special shoutout to the White Camry of Death!

As a curious amateur myself, I especially appreciated the tarot references, which breathe even more life and whimsy into the book. They’re also an unforgettable part of the main character’s identity. It’s really easy to root for Katie, an authentic underdog who ‘plays the fool.’ She is on her own path of personal growth towards individuation/self-actualization. Over the course of the story, she is challenged to own her ‘magic’ and shine her light, despite self-doubt, limiting beliefs and others’ expectations. Her inner development mirrors the hero(ine)’s journey- a thread of shared experience that many, if not all of us, can relate to.

With this bouquet of ringing endorsements, may I humbly recommend Play the Fool- quite possibly the most hilarious book I’ve ever read and a clever mystery to boot. If you’re looking for a lively whodunnit with lovable characters and plenty of panache, you’ve met your perfect match. I can’t wait to see what Lina Chern comes up with next!

A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
This book was enjoyable. I really liked the the characters. The plot was a-lot of fun too!

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts are my own!

When I think of thrillers; I think of suspenseful and scary. I wouldn’t put this in that genre. I’d say this is more of a cozy mystery book. With that being said, it’s a good book. It held my attention enough and the plot was really good. I would recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries.

Katie is a girl who just really doesn’t have her life figured out. She’s working at a store and a man named Nico comes in acting strange. Katie loves to read tarot cards and she a bit nosy so she asked him if he wanted to get a reading done. She reads a few cards at first and then Nico decided to go to the bathroom. While in the bathroom Katie snoops through his phone and finds a picture of her friend Marley…dead.

Will Katie be able to help solve her friend’s murder? With tarot cards, luck, and a friendly cop, anything is possible.

Side note: I really liked Owen (Katie’s brother). Their relationship is relatable and funny. I also really liked Jamie the sweet cop who helps Katie. I wish there would’ve been more between them and not just romantically. I really liked them together. Also, I LOVE the cover. It really pops!

This book releases March 28, 2023. Thank you again for an ARC copy. 4 stars!

I loved this fast paced book. Katie True has been feeling like a slacker, drifting from one dead end job to another, not living up to her family’s expectations. The one thing she feels good about is her ability to use Taro cards to play psychic and help people. When she stumbles upon the news that her best friend has been murdered Katie finally decides to see something through to the end. I never really knew what to expect, but enjoyed the twists and turns.

This book is a true gem! Complicated, colorful characters drive this well written thriller. Katie True, her real name, is a tarot card reader working a dead end job in a mall trinket shop. She befriends another colorful mall employee and the intrigue unfolds! Murder, drug gangs and subterfuge. What will the cards show? With her loyal brother, Owen, and local cop, Jamie (a loner and former L.A. detective) Katie starts digging. Tight short chapters keep the reader engaged, “just one more chapter”.

A girl working in a mall at a Russian tchotchke shop in the suburbs of Chicago decides to give a tarot card reading to a man who wanders in bleeding from a wound in his head and gets a whole lot more than she bargained for. Katie True has spent her life underachieving in almost everything, but when her “best friend” (aka only friend) Marley shows up dead in a photo on a strangers phone she takes matters into her own hands and takes it upon herself to solve the murder. This book was a roller coaster honestly with me thinking I’d finally figured out who’d done it and then having my theories dashed to bits. It only made it that much more satisfying at the end when everything actually came together. It wasn’t as dark as a Ruth Ware or Paula Hawkins book, but had the same thrill you’d get from reading one of their works and trying to figure out the murderer and the motives. I wouldn’t quite call it cozy mystery but more like a fun thriller? In any case, 10/10