OH MY GOD THIS BOOK IS AMAZING I LOVED IT SO MUCH IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! Not fun happy, fun addictive. It was fast paced and well written, the mental imagery was phenomenal, and the characters were interesting to read about! Highly recommend omg

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. The start was captivating as we were introduced to Jade and Stevie and their tumultuous life. I really enjoyed the tarot and spirituality involved, even the behind the scenes where Stevie is tasked with making the show come to life.
I thought the con was clever and unfolded in unexpected ways.

As the story progresses we lose more of the initial characters and are thrown into characters which haven’t been developed as strongly which lost a bit of my interest. There’s parts that feel unfinished to me which I would have liked to see resolved during the book.

I initially thought the detectives would play a larger role in the story but they seemed to be an afterthought a lot of the time and just a way to push the plot forward when it needed support.

Overall I enjoyed this book but thought it missed some of its intentions. Thank you to Crooked Lane books and NetGalley for this eARC. This is my honest opinion.

The Tarot Reader (Releases October 14, 2025)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5 stars)

The Tarot Reader offers an intriguing premise—a fake psychic fabricates a vision for a missing congressman that unexpectedly mirrors real events, landing her in the center of a murder investigation. The mix of political scandal, mysticism, and murder initially pulled me in, and I really liked the unique angle of involving psychics and tarot cards in a mystery thriller.
The plot moved along smoothly, but some of the twists felt predictable, and the tension never quite reached the level I hoped for.
Overall, it was entertaining enough for a quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this arc.

This review will be posted on GoodReads and Storygraph starting on Saturday, 6/14/25

I really wanted to like this one. I mean—tarot, North Carolina, spooky vibes? That should’ve been an easy win. But no matter how many times I picked it back up, I just couldn’t get into it. The pacing felt off, the characters didn’t click for me, and the atmosphere that should’ve hooked me just… didn’t.

DNF’d around the 30% mark. Right book, wrong reader, maybe—but definitely not for me.

If you love anything to do with psychic readings and thrillers mixed you'd enjoy this,

downfall was I wish it was longer as the ending felt to rushed but I really enjoyed that there was minimal characters so you knew who was who, and the twist was unexpected

A tarot reader based on parlor tricks and all that entails. She is trying to keep her head above water. But someone goes missing and she thinks it’s a great way to boost business. The suspense is great.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — A Gripping Blend of Suspense and Supernatural Intrigue

Finley Turner's The Tarot Reader is a masterful fusion of psychological thriller and supernatural elements that keeps readers on edge from start to finish. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the novel follows Jade Crawford, a 25-year-old who runs a tarot shop with her sister, Stevie. While Jade's psychic abilities are a facade, a fabricated vision about a missing politician unexpectedly aligns with reality, thrusting her into a perilous web of media attention and police scrutiny.

Turner's storytelling is both sharp and immersive, delving deep into themes of identity, survival, and the blurred lines between truth and deception. The dynamic between Jade and Stevie adds emotional depth, highlighting their resilience amidst adversity. The novel's pacing is impeccable, with twists and turns that challenge readers' perceptions and keep them guessing until the very end.

What sets this novel apart is its exploration of the consequences of deceit and the complexities of familial bonds. Turner crafts a narrative that's as thought-provoking as it is thrilling, making The Tarot Reader a standout in the genre.

Highly recommended for fans of suspenseful narratives with a touch of the supernatural

A fake psychic who gives a real clue causes a whirlwind of the cops, her shitty dad, dangerous local criminals, and her sister's past trauma. Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc.

Finley Turner has come up with a perfect "who-dun-it" with The Tarot Reader. It is about two sisters living together, trying to pay their bills and put food on the table without resorting to crime. Unlike their parents, they want to be on the right side of the law. Stevie works at a bar to bring in cash. Jade gives seances, reads palms and Tarot cards, among other types of occult activities, which she admits sometimes skirts their goal of honesty.

The girls find themselves in deep when the rent on their place takes a massive hike. They don't know how to keep the place where Jade runs her business and where they also live.

One day, a local councilman goes missing and his family offers a $2000 reward for tips leading to where he might be. Jade decides to call in a tip about a "vision" she had, which of course, she completely made up. It turns out to be something the girls regret. It starts a domino of occurrences, one being that the police are more than interested in where Jade got her information.

This novel is hard to put down, a must for mystery lovers. Thanks to Netgalley for the prepublication copy to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the egalley of this book.

Twenty-five-year-old Jade Crawford spends her days selling crystals, conducting séances, and reading tarot cards in her shop in Winston-Salem, NC. But her connection to the other side is all a facade. After losing their mother to a terrible accident and their father serving jail time, Jade and her younger sister Stevie do what they can to survive. When a local politician goes missing, Jade sees a lucrative opportunity to drum up new clients and inject some much-needed cash into their pockets.

Jade submits a “psychic vision” to the police tipline only to discover that her shot in the dark is chillingly accurate when the police find the politician’s body. Caught in a media whirlwind, Jade revels in her newfound popularity and success, but she quickly finds herself the target of not only a police investigation but of the killer who is still on the loose. 

This book was just OK for me. No big surprises. No complex storyline. 2.75 out of 5 ⭐️

The Tarot Reader

A con artists dream scenario is a young woman’s nightmare.

Jade and Stevie two sisters trying to get by on what I could say is small harmless trickery, until Jade plays too heavy on the mysticism.

“Helping” in a missing person’s case is all fun and games till you’re being taken seriously, by the police and media.

I’m not sure how I felt reading this. Too silly for thriller but not serious enough for a thriller title, an odd middle ground though.
The story was straightforward with minimal side quests, a few “spooky” happenings here and there, but enjoyable and followed the flow of the story. While the sister’s personal life/ past was a td bit more interesting than the initial story.

I did like Jade up until chapter 12, and she did have a few redeemable moments during the rest of the story that were better than her behavior.
Stevie was more of a background character than an involved narrator.

Didn’t hate it, but maybe it’s someone else’s cup of tea.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️

Jade es el alma del negocio de lecturas espirituales que dirige junto a su hermana. Es carismática, inteligente y profundamente conflictuada. Aunque finge ser médium, lo que realmente ofrece es consuelo emocional envuelto en espectáculo. Es una superviviente, marcada por una infancia difícil y padres criminales, luchando por mantener la distancia con ese pasado, aunque su presente siga ligado a la mentira. Lo más fascinante de su personaje es su ambigüedad moral: no busca hacer daño, pero no duda en aprovecharse del dolor ajeno cuando la situación lo exige.

Stevie, su hermana menor, funciona como el contrapunto perfecto para Jade. Aunque se percibe como menos comprometida, su contribución al negocio es esencial, ya que se encarga de la logística detrás del espectáculo. Su humor ácido y su descaro alivian los momentos más oscuros, pero también dejan ver una joven que ha aprendido a sobrevivir a través del cinismo. A pesar de sus defectos, su relación con Jade es el pilar emocional de la novela: una alianza forjada por el abandono, la necesidad y el cariño incondicional.




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

The Tarot Reader is the story of two sisters, Jade and Stevie, who run a metaphysical store, but all is not as it seems. They give skewed tarot readings, and siphon information out of their clients to cheat them out of their money. While Jade performs seances, Stevie hides in a secret adjoined room with special effects ready. They are total crooks, but they think they’re just doing what they have to do to survive.

One day, the sisters hear of a missing councilman with a generous reward for any tips being offered, and they cannot help themselves. They submit a fake tip, but it turns out to be right on the money. At first they celebrate their success, but soon they begin to wonder if whoever killed the councilman is now locked on their trail.

This was fairly straightforward, and though there were a few small surprises, I was not floored or shocked by anything I read. For a thriller, this really could’ve been more thrilling. I did appreciate the accurate use of tarot within the story. The spiritual aspects were well-done, but I was left feeling lukewarm about the story as a whole. Three and a quarter stars.

The beginning of The Tarot Reader started out so strong for me. I loved the behind-the-scenes look at the psychic cons, as well as the sisters' relationship. However, around the 15-20% mark, the story began to drag. It felt like the author was really creating a slow burn until the murder aspect of the book, and just when it seemed like we were getting there, a new perspective was introduced. (Sorry, Stevie, you pulled me away from the more interesting narrative.)

There are so many strong elements to this premise – the fake psychic, the murder, the sisters teaming up — but none of these felt like they were explored as much as they could have been.

Jade Turner’s façade of her tarot / séance business. Her readings are based on her understanding of personalities, parlor tricks, and utilizing stereotypes of readers. This is a story about skepticism and what type of consequences can lead to. This started off a promising with the lead that this was going to be a fun adventure. She is manipulating the crowds before their eyes because she is giving a performance of what the audience wants to see in their most vulnerable moments.
Her interaction with the police is intended to be a ploy for credibility that turns out to disprove her own skepticism of her career. Now she needs to mend her own beliefs. There are inconsistences as she questions how she came to these answers and she feels like the detective is on to her wicked tricks. What I really wanted from this novel was an established setting that goes beyond telling us it is spooky. I want to see, here, and feel that spooky ambience. Spooky is subjective and I think the tarot element could have been used more to highlight that. This also felt like it wants to be a contemporary gothic tale warning about the dangers of lies and secrets that we keep. I wanted a more elaborate diction. That is what keeps this for me at a 3 out of 5.
The premise is fun and a bit too whimsical for a thriller . A simple tale about lies and deceits that put you on a path you cannot stray from. What does that say about our selfish desires when we indulge too far? Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced digital copy for an honest review.

Finley makes a living for herself and her siblings the best way she can. She has a shop where she sells tarot cards, crystals, and other magic related items. She also makes extra money by giving psychic readings to clients. Of course, her psychic capability is completely fictional, until she she makes a startlingly accurate reading about the murder of a local politician. A fun and enjoyable read.

The Tarot Reader by Finley Turner offers an intriguing glimpse into the life of Jade Crawford, a young woman trying to keep her head above water in Winston-Salem. With her shop full of crystals, séances, and tarot cards, Jade seems to have a knack for connecting with the spirit world—though, as we soon learn, it’s mostly a façade to mask her own troubled past. When a local politician goes missing, Jade sees an opportunity to boost her business—and perhaps find some redemption—by submitting a psychic tip to the police. Things take a dark turn when her vision turns out to be eerily accurate, leading her into a dangerous game of media buzz, police suspicion, and even a killer lurking in the shadows. Turner builds a tense atmosphere that keeps you guessing, with plenty of twists along the way. Jade’s struggles with her past and her desire for survival add emotional depth, even if some plot points feel a bit predictable. The suspense is enough to keep readers engaged, especially fans of small-town mysteries and psychological thrillers. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of a top-tier thriller, The Tarot Reader is a compelling and chilling read that’s perfect for those who enjoy a mix of mysticism and suspense. Finley's storytelling keeps the screws turning, making it a solid choice for a quick, entertaining escape.