Mercury retrograde wreaks havoc on astrologer Julia Bonatti San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti’s life is turned upside down when she becomes the target of the city’s newest cult leader, Reverend Roy of the Prophet’s Tabernacle. Driven out of her apartment in the midst of a disastrous Mercury retrograde period, she takes shelter with a client who’s caring for two elderly aunts. One aunt … aunt appears stricken with dementia and the other has fallen under the spell of the Reverend Roy. To add to the confusion, a young man claiming to be a long-lost nephew arrives. The longer he stays, the more dangerous things become. Is the young man truly a member of the family? Can astrology confirm that? Julia’s not sure, but one thing she does know is that Mercury wasn’t merely the messenger of the gods–he was a trickster and a liar as well.
Praise:
“This smartly written debut from di Marco sets the stage for a promising series.”–Kirkus Reviews
“Di Marco’s series starter features a clever plot and a smart and feisty heroine with feet firmly planted on the ground while she searches the stars.”–Library Journal
“For astrology fans that enjoy a good read, The Madness of Mercuryprovides an entertaining escape.”–Dell Horoscope
“Danger figures in the stars for Julia, along with mixed astrological energies, some wolves in sheep’s clothing and an amiable stranger with a down-under accent.”–BookPage
“Connie di Marco begins a fascinating new series…The writing is clever and compelling and the protagonist is smart and gutsy. The villains are seriously sinister and the darkly intricate plot will keep you turning the pages.”–Kate Carlisle, New York Timesbestselling author
“Connie di Marco blends real-life tragedy, heart-rending betrayal, loyal friends, and the kindness of strangers in this fast-paced, entertaining read.”–Leslie Budewitz, two-time Agatha Award-winning author of the Seattle Spice Shop Mysteries
“The stars may not align for the unlucky characters in The Madness of Mercury, but they certainly do for readers who discover this book. An astrologer with her eyes on her charts and her feet planted firmly on the ground, Julia Bonatti is an original sleuth, juggling astrological readings with a mysterious death and a Jim Jones-like cult leader. Dark wit and darker motivations unite to create a satisfying read.”–Kim Fay, Edgar Award-finalist for The Map of Lost Memories
“A great read is in the stars! With the Zodiac Mysteries, Connie di Marco gives us a bright and interesting heroine and a mystery with plenty of twists and turns. Lots of action and well-written suspense equal good fortune for readers.”–Casey Daniels, author of Graveyard Shift
“An enjoyable read.”–Reviewing the Evidence
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THE MADNESS OF MERCURY (A Zodiac Mystery Book #1) by Connie di Marco is the first book in a new series with a female astrologist as the amateur sleuth by a new to me author.
Julia Bonatti is a successful astrologist in San Francisco. She accepts individual clients and answers letters anomalously as Ask Zodia in a San Francisco newspaper column. With an answer to a letter in her column, Julia suddenly becomes the target of a new cult leader Reverend Roy and his followers in the Prophet’s Tabernacle.
With Mercury in retrograde, Julia is chased from her apartment by protestors. The Reverend has the elite and government officials of the city in his thrall and is terrorizing all those who do not agree with his preaching. Julia moves in with a friend and client, Dorothy and her affluent elderly aunts. The gardener dies mysteriously in a fall on the property, one aunt believes Dorothy is trying to kill her and is showing signs of dementia, while the other aunt disappears to join the Reverend Roy’s followers in their secluded compound. Add a controlling ex trying to get Dorothy back and a long-lost relative showing up out of the blue, the charts do not look good for any of them.
Julia knows Mercury was a trickster and a liar. Will she be able to find the truth before anyone else dies?
I enjoyed this new mystery. Julia is a very likable amateur sleuth and the astrology is an interesting twist, even though I enjoy it as an entertainment and not as a way to live my life. I felt some of the astrology terminology was more than the average reader would care to know and it took me out of the story occasionally while reading. The secondary characters were fully-fleshed and I am looking forward to following them in future books in the series. The descriptions of San Francisco made me feel as though I was there. The plot had interesting twists and red-herrings and I was surprised at the ending, which I always consider a plus.
I can recommend this first book in the series and am looking forward to more mysteries with Julia.
I loved this first in the series. Julia along with many of her friends become the target of a cult leader, a customer accuses a family member of trying to kill her, in this same family there seems to be mayhem aplenty.
The story grabbed me quickly and kept at a steady pace. I didn’t know who to trust and it kept me guessing. I loved the characters, I admit I was a little at a loss with some of the astrology but I found it interesting.
I will continue on with this series.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it definitely won’t be the last! Julia Bonatti is an astrologer living in San Francisco. Along with doing birth charts for clients she also writes an advice column for a local newspaper. Life is going smoothly until a new Reverend and his followers descend upon the city. They believe astrology, among many other things, is the work of the devil. Things go downhill from there. I enjoyed all the characters. They are written in a descriptive manner which I like and the story/mystery is very well written. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! Happily recommend!
Thank you PICT for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Madness Of Mercury
The Zodiac Mysteries #1
By: Connie di Marco
REVIEW
When it comes to the Zodiac, my knowledge is scant at best. Despite this, The Madness Of Mercury, first of Connie di Marco’s Zodiac Mysteries series, was immediately appealing to me based on the back cover blurb and striking cover art.
The heroine, Julia Bonatti, is a San Francisco based astrologer and newspaper columnist. Recently, Julia has been troubled by Reverend Roy, an enigmatic, charismatic and conniving false prophet, who, in the most puzzling way, has a fanatical cult following, The Army Of The Prophet. Because of Julia’s astrological based newspaper column, the Reverend calls her a tool of the devil. This leads to dangerous situations for Julia, and living alone in her apartment no longer seems safe.
Julia ends up living with a client, Dorothy, and her two elderly aunts. Unfortunately, one aunt is enraptured with Reverend Roy. Julia is, however, not the only person in the astrology community affected by the cult’s behavior. Most lose business and money. The situation keeps deteriorating, but Julia is determined to find out how and why Reverend Roy has such a strong following, including political figures and others in positions of power.
While I found this story intriguing and compelling, I was lost in all of the astrological terminology a layperson just doesn’t know. I think this story would benefit from less of this or explaining with common language. The pace was a little slow for me, but I’m a speed reader.
Julia was an easy to like character. I found her personable, intelligent and sassy. The secondary characters were well developed as well, creating an excellent overall cast. I enjoyed this story and have a favorable impression of it. Highly recommend!
The Madness of Mercury by Connie Di Marco is a mystery about a group of people believing one guy about everything wrong in California.
Will Julia be able to figure out what is going on with her client’s aunt?
Julia Bonatti
Julia Bonatti is the main character that has a job as an astrology person. She is an interesting character, and I’m not sure that I believe in the whole astrology angle. It’s a great concept for a book, but I never used astrology like that before. Julia is a great sleuth and has done a great job in solving this case. I like her because she has a great way of treating her clients like family to her. It’s cool how she does the whole astrology thing to solve a person’s worries.
The Mystery
All of this started because Julia’s client’s aunt wanted to talk to Julia as she is worried about what is happening to her. Julia tries her hardest to help her client’s aunt and ends up stumbling on a huge mystery. It’s pretty interesting how everything is unfolding for it. I got who did it, but I’m surprised by the motive. I feel bad for everyone that is involved with the killer.
Four Stars
The Madness of Mercury by Connie Di Marco is an interesting story about what happens when ordinary people believe a guy that isn’t a nice person. Ms. Di Marco did a fabulous job on this story, and it’s a fascinating story. The mystery had me. It’s getting 4 stars from me.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Madness of Mercury by Connie Di Marco.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
Quite a mystery to solve.
Danger on two sides.
Who to trust?
What to believe?
My main less than perfect comment is the amount of horoscope details was a bit overwhelming to me as a reader.