Philadelphia, PA, May 1943
The clock struck ten o’clock that Wednesday morning. A clairvoyant, a medium, a crystal ball reader, a seer of ghosts and a nurse with healing hands sat around the polished, antique table in the Hamilton House mansion library, now their conference room. The stormy weather that heralded America’s entrance into the war had finally passed. Balmy breezes crept through the opened French doors allowing exit to a flagstone patio and extensive estate grounds. They—the Operation Delphi team—were the White House’s top-secret psychic defense against Nazi mind control. (From Expect Deception)
Sound far-fetched? According to author, JoAnn Smith Ainsworth, there really was a top-secret U.S. military branch comprised of psychics during World War II. And I believe her because I believe in all this woo-woo stuff—I have proof.
Let me explain. In the 1980s I kept books for an environmental firm and one of the principles studied at the John F. Kennedy University at night where she researched the possibilities of mind over matter. She and her advisor had developed a tone machine that sounded when a subject thought about the sounds. She couldn’t make the machine sing—but I could. I never learned to fully control my ability, but I became proficient in remote viewing (my boss would look at something, call me and I’d tell her what it was.) She never had to call to change our appointment!
I never achieved the same levels of psychic ability as U.S. WAVE Livvy Delacourt, or perhaps I’d be working for the government instead of writing book reviews. Ainsworth certainly makes the job of psychic sound exciting, and for readers of WWII novels, she gives a riveting story of espionage and treachery set in an era of polite national determination.
A sequel to Expect Trouble, Ainsworth pits Lt. Livvy Delacourt and the Delphi team of paranormal investigators with an undercover German wizard, Deryk Fergus, who is performing regularly as a USO magician. He is involved with the Nazi group der Mumm and when he is ordered to eliminate the Philadelphia-based Watch and sabotage supply ships bound for Europe, he is certain he will be rewarded with entrée into Hitler’s inner power circle.
After the team attends his performance at the local USO, things start to go wrong and they must investigate a baffling sickness at NAMU, the U.S. Navel Aircraft Modification Unit, then the sabotage of Dock 2 and the Liberty Ship carrying needed supplies. At the same time Fergus attacks Livvy and her superior officer, US Navy Commander Barrington Drew II. Acquainted since high school, Livvy and the Commander are reunited through the Delphi Unit and romance buds, although Livvy’s attention is on stopping Hitler’s psychic spy. The stakes are high. Not only might she lose Trey and her friends, she might lose her own life. And worse, the Nazi’s might gain the upper hand and win the war.
Aside from Ainsworth’s unique premise, I found the spells, powders and other magical elements used in the story to be fascinating. I dog-eared the page that tells about the wall of psychic red roses Livvy’s mother (yes, it runs in the family) constructed to protect her from school bullies. Wouldn’t it be a cool trick for writers to protect themselves from all the rejections? Later, we learn some of the ingredients of the evil spells Fergus casts. It appears the author did her homework.
The attention to detail and setting is also a sign of sound research. I felt like I’d been dropped into 1943 and imbued with wartime zeal. Our country rallied behind the war effort, even as the war changed life, as Americans had known it, especially women’s lives. The era seems simpler, more innocent, but the allies faced a supreme evil and Ainsworth captures both the mores of the times and the urgency of the horror facing the world. At the book’s climax, Livvy faces the demon and the hard decisions that comes with leadership. I don’t want to give a spoiler, but I’m betting there’s another book to come.
Expect Deception is written in a straightforward style with the feel of a cozy mystery, although it’s what I call a soft thriller. Livvy’s job is to stop evil rather than solve a mystery and while violence is included in the book, the author doesn’t graphically describe every awful action or use language that might be offensive to some readers. The language is the language of the 40s, slightly formal yet seasoned with idioms of the day. Descriptions are sufficient, but not over drawn and the setting feels authentic.
I found each character has a unique personality according to his or her role in the story, and while we see Livvy, Trey and Fergus most, the rest of the team come alive in their scenes. Fergus was my favorite after Livvy. I like a villain and he fills the bill. That he was given a point of view added dimension to the plot. I also enjoyed Fergus’s niece who shows some mettle and sincere caring for her evil uncle at the end.
Lovers of World War II stories will enjoy this book, as will folks interested in the paranormal. If you like both, this novel is for you! Give Expect Deception a try. It’s out today in all the usual places. Check out Goodreads for links to your favorite bookseller.
If you like it, why not help JoAnn Smith Ainsworth with her launch? Join me at http://www.publaunch.com/campaigns/expect-deception to help make the launch of Expect Deception a success, and give JoAnn Smith Ainsworth a hearty “congratulations” on publication of a delightful sequel to the Operation Delphi Novels.
Building a Better Story 