Audiobook Review: Flight Risk by Cherie Priest
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Booking Agents
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (November 15, 2022)
Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Ulka Simone Mohanty, Timothy Andrés Pabon
Flight Risk may be the second novel of The Booking Agents series, but protagonist Leda Foley is certainly spending a lot less time at her day job as a travel agent these days. Instead, she has taken to moonlighting as a private investigator, hoping to use the psychic angle as a way to drum up more side business. Her powers had proved helpful before, when she was a consultant for the Seattle police helping detective Grady Merritt solve a crime that had been stymying him, and this time, she might have even gotten a jump on them with her new case. Recently, a man had approached Leda asking for assistance in finding his sister. The woman had been gone for a month and her scum bucket of a husband hadn’t even reported her missing, and now her brother fears the worst.
Meanwhile, out on the remote trails of Mount Rainier, Grady has been frantically searching for his lost dog Cairo, who had wandered off the path while on a hiking trip a few days before. He eventually finds the wayward pet, but not without another surprise. Somewhere along on his adventure, Cairo had picked up a souvenir—a man’s severed leg. But who did it belong to? And where was the rest of them? As Grady sets off to find these answers, he is surprised to learn of a connection to Leda’s missing person case.
Cherie Priest is a very versatile author, and I’ve read everything from her young adult fiction to her steampunk and horror. But this series is probably my favorite of her projects yet. There’s an oddball quality to The Booking Agents that I wouldn’t have expected from the author, but she tackles the humor and quirkiness like she was born to it. The characters are lovably eccentric, the stories just plain fun. Following in the footsteps of Grave Reservations, this sequel doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s quite honestly one of the most appealing traits about these books because I know I can pick them up and enjoy myself no matter what.
The plot of Flight Risk is also intriguing but also has this light-hearted cozy quality to it so you know things won’t get too dark—chewed up, dismembered body parts notwithstanding. In fact, most of what I loved about the first book carried into this one, not the least of these being the paranormal elements. Leda’s psychic powers remain a prominent focus, playing an even stronger role in almost every single step of the case. The characters have taken to calling them her “woo-woo vibes” which I thought was charming and hilarious, and of course I’m thrilled to report Klairvoyant Karaoke is also back! Oh how I wish that was truly a thing.
And if the mystery wasn’t as tightly knit in this sequel, at least the character development more than makes up for it. A regular cast has been established at this point, and so far, I’m having a blast with the interplay between the different personalities and all the quick and witty conversations coming out of these interesting dynamics. Leda and Grady’s partnership has become the cornerstone of this series and it is currently one built upon a foundation of friendship and professional respect. Readers hoping for a romance will be disappointed, but I for one found this to be a breath of fresh air.
I also returned to the audio format for Flight Risk, after the amazing experience I had with the audiobook of Grave Reservations. Ulka Simone Mohanty reprises her role as narrator while Timothy Andres Pabon joins in this time as well for Grady’s chapters, a much welcome addition to bring out the energy in characters and their affable relationship. I hope there will be a third book, and I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to grab the audiobook again.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Grave Reservations (Book 1)
The BiblioSanctum 
Oh yes I did read book 1. Didn’t realize that book 2 was out.
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I didn’t even realize it was going to be a series, but I’m glad it is!
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I haven’t heard of this series yet! It sounds really fun 😃
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It really is! Great for a fun, light read!
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I’ve still only read one Cherie Priest book, but this is the series I’d tackle next if I had time😁
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This one feels very, very different from everything else she’s written!
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I would love to read this series – I definitely think it would work for me.
Lynn 😀
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Yes, it’s perfect if you need something lighter to kick back with!
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Reading your review it gives me a feel of Finlay Donovan!
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It does have that vibe! With some paranormal elements!
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I’m very happy to see your rating but the review’s just gonna have to wait. I’m starting on this audiobook tonight or tomorrow. Looking forward to it. 🙂
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Ok, so I finished the book and now I’m back to read your thoughts. I think I’m right there with you on this one. I really enjoyed it, as well. The only thing I didn’t like, unfortunately, was the addition of a second narrator. It would have been one thing if they’d narrated different characters, but they ended up giving their own voices to the same characters and I found that a bit jarring and sometimes a little confusing. Beyond that, though, I really enjoyed it and would certainly read any follow up.
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Interesting! I actually liked that there were multiple narrators this time, but I guess I didn’t pay too much attention to how they were reading the character voices. I did come across several reviews later on that mentioned the guy’s reading of the female voices was really jarring, so you’re not the only one for whom the addition of a second reader was a questionable choice!
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I’ve never read any of Priest’s writing – but this sounds so very tempting! Thank you for a wonderful review and I’m going to look into acquiring the first book:)).
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If you’ve never read Priest, just know that this series is very different from anything else she’s ever written. It’s definitely a good thing though! If you ever need a light read just to relax with and have fun, this series is for you 🙂
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What is that dog eating?? Oh…dang
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Haha, yep! It’s right there on the cover! 😀
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