Derry is the daughter of the seventh son of the seventh son and has inherited her family’s psychic abilities. She’s also an out-of-work actress who needs to make some money, so with some encouragement from her Irish father, who uses her abilities to win at the track, and her mother, who’s threatening to bring her to New York for a real job, she becomes Madam Tulip.
Derry’s first stint as Madam Tulip at a party thrown by a supermodel starts out pretty good – there’s a long line waiting for her services and the needy supermodel is thrilled with her reading. But when Derry’s best friend stumbles across the dead body of a rapper, she’s thrown into a world of celebrities, drugs, and criminal masterminds.
Madam Tulip is full of larger-than-life characters and has a way too convenient romantic side plot but it’s a zany and fun read. The mystery of who killed the rapper and why isn’t very hard to figure out but the fun is following Derry as she tries to stay out of trouble while also trying to keep her friends and family from harm. The story is set in Ireland and has a European feel but there are some Americanisms thrown in too.
Madam Tulip is the first in a series by David Ahern and I look forward to Derry’s next adventure.