Reviews of Too Near The Edge
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Reviewed by John R. Clark
http://tcm-ca.com/reviews/1425.html
November, 2006
©2006 TCM. All rights reserved
I enjoyed this book immensely. It might be the first
or near first in a new genre-the psychic cosy. Lynn
Osterkamp has combined elements of her
professional experience and the community of
Boulder, Colorado into a nicely crafted plot.  The
result is a very readable mystery that kept me
wondering who really pushed Adam off the edge of
the Grand Canyon right up to the point where the
culprit was unmasked.
Several things work well in this book.  First, the
author weaves the neighborhoods and
surrounding natural features of Boulder into the
story in ways that made me feel like I was there or
at least could easily visualize them.  That's a rare
gift and certainly one that bodes well for future
books. The variety of characters also works.  
There are numerous players, but they all have a
logical fit in the story.  Nobody seems like a
throw-in. While their emotions edge close to
'over-the-top' at times, they never cross that
invisible line that starts turning them into
caricatures.
The psychic aspect works because the author has
done her homework, particularly in terms of
educating the reader regarding how Cleo, the
protagonist, got started in that aspect of her grief
therapy practice. Having spent 27 years in the
mental health field, I can attest to the
idiosyncrasies of psychologists and Lynn captures
some of that very nicely in this story. It is also worth
noting that in the acknowledgements, the author
credits her local Sisters in Crime group with helpful
criticism and feedback. This group is one of the
best things to happen to women writers and
demonstrates the author's desire to get things right
before publication.
I'm happy to add this to the Hartland Library and
can think of several patrons that will enjoy reading
it as much as I have. A winner for sure.
John R. Clark
Website:
http://personalpages.tds.net/~berek/gonzo.htm
http://www.readerviews.com/
Reviewed by Joe Graham
http://www.readerviews.com/ReviewOsterkampTooNe
artheEdge.html
December, 2006
Sharon Meyer’s husband Adam is killed in a fall at
the Grand Canyon and the authorities rule it an
accident or suicide.  But Sharon suspects foul play
and is introduced to Cleo Sims, a Grief Counselor in
Boulder, Colorado.  Cleo also runs a project called
the Contact Project to help people who she feels
can benefit from it to try to contact loved ones who
have died.  Cleo quickly becomes drawn into to the
problem of what happened to Sharon’s husband.
She also has to deal with Donald Waycroft, a
psychology professor who is Sharon’s father and
who is vehemently opposed to Sharon having
anything to do with Cleo and her “wacko”  Contact
Project and he threatens to ruin Cleo’s reputation.   
Also, added to the mix is a very attractive man, Erik,
who seems to be interested in Sharon and/or Cleo
and is possibly a con man, Sharon’s ex-boy friend,
Joel who is the father of Sharon’s son Nathan who
reappears on the scene after Adam’s death, and a
doctor, Dr. Ahmed, who may be involved in drug
trafficking (Cleo’s mother is in a nursing home under
Dr. Ahmed’s care).  Besides dealing with Sharon’s
problems, Cleo is also dealing with troubles in
relationship with her boyfriend, Pablo, a police
detective and problems with her mother in the
nursing home. Cleo also has a dead surfer dude
named Tyler that appears to her to give her hints to
help her solve the crime.  But don’t let this
paranormal visitor throw you off the book. Tyler
adds a little more mystery, but he doesn’t interfere
with the main story line of the book.
Osterkamp stirs all of these elements together for a
very satisfying read.  And with several possible
candidates for who might have done Adam in, if he
was done in, the reader is kept guessing until the
final pages of the story.  An added plus in the novel
is the descriptions of the various locations in and
around Boulder.  Boulder residents, besides
enjoying the mystery itself, will enjoy reading about
their town and non-Boulder residents may want to
make a list of places to visit in Boulder when they
get the chance to visit.
I would recommend “Too Near the Edge” for any
mystery lover. Osterkamp kept me engaged
throughout the book as I tried to figure out what was
going to happen next. I was a little concerned that
the paranormal aspect of the book might be a little
too far out, but that was not the case. The surfer
dude Tyler added to the book instead of detracting
from it. The book is a very enjoyable read as the
reader tries to figure out the mystery. And again, an
added bonus to the book was all the descriptions of
the great locations for recreation and food and
shopping in Boulder. A good mystery story,
characters that I made a connection with and
locations that I wanted to visit, what else can you
ask for from a book?
 
Reviewed by Diane Kasperski
http://www.armchairinterviews.com/reviews/categories/
mystery/too_near_the_edge.php
December, 2006
Adam Meyer is deeply troubled and needs to get
away. Everyone recommends going hiking at the
Grand Canyon. Unfortunately for Adam someone
pushes him over the edge to his death. However, the
police rule his death as a suicide and do not do any
investigating.
Cleo Sims is a grief counselor with a controversial
way of helping her patients. She has a special
therapy called the Contact Project. The Contact
Project helps clients get in touch with loved ones who
have died so that there can be closure.
Sharon Meyer desperately wants to see if the Contact
Project could help her contact Adam. She doesn't
accept that Adam killed himself as they were so
happy.
The more Cleo finds out about details surrounding
the death of Adam, the more suspicious she is that
his death was no accident.
Who could have killed him and why? There are quite
a few suspects. All of them have secrets and all of
them want to keep their secrets hidden at all costs.
Cleo believes deeply in her Contact Project. Tyler, a
true 'surfing dude,' is a spirit that she unintentionally
contacts during her first time in the "apparition room."
He pops in and out of Cleo's world every once in a
while, giving her clues. The problem is the clues are
in surfer's lingo and very vague. The one consistent
message is that she "needs to ride the wave to the
end."
Cleo's biggest problem throughout is--whom can she
trust? What was bothering Adam so much that he had
to go away to think about it? The mystery deepens
and gets more complicated the more she finds out, all
leading to a very exciting and unexpected standoff
towards the end.
Armchair Interviews says: Murder, suicide--which is it?
© 2006 CASI Publishing, All Rights Reserved
http://www.bookpleasures.com
Reviewed by Jennifer Andrew
http://www.bookpleasures.com/Lore2/idx/17/2374/My
stery/article/Too_Near_The_Edge.html
December, 2006
Too Near The Edge is set in present day Boulder
Colorado and is told in the first person by a
character named Cleo, short for Cleopatra.  Her
profession as a Medium and Grief Counselor brings
her into touchy situations but she never thought it
would lead her into a world of intrigue, mystery and
murder.  Cleo is asked to help a grief stricken single
mother who lost her husband Adam in a tragic
accident but her client, Sharon, thinks her husband
could have been murdered.  Using Cleo’s
techniques at helping her clients to contact their
loved ones, Sharon gets clues from beyond the
grave to help solve her husband’s mystery.  Cleo
has problems of her own when Sharon’s life starts to
interfere with her livelihood, which forces Cleo to
take a stand for her beliefs and come to the aid of
her client.
The prominent characters in the novel move the
story along to build suspense.  Cleo gets visited
from time to time by Tyler, a surfer apparition who
gives her clues in slang surfer language that she
has to decipher.  Her “boyfriend” Pablo thwarts her
profession while Erik, a fitness trainer and
nutritionist, tries to pawn his herbal business on
her.  Dr Waycroft, Sharon’s father, is an
overbearing, self-righteous behavioral psychologist
who ends up making Cleo’s life unbearable if she
insists on standing in his way.  The reader will be
able to identify with many of these characters in the
book as well as the minor characters who play a role
in the flow of the story.
Too Near The Edge gets a hold of you from the first
page and you can’t seem to put the book down.  
The author makes you keep reading to see what
Cleo is engaged in next.  The reader gets carried
away by Cleo’s actions and ends up rooting for her
drive to do the right thing and hope she doesn’t
blunder into any trouble.  Lynn Osterkamp makes
the reader frown at Pablo’s insensitivity towards
Cleo’s situation but you end up breathing a sigh of
relief when he comes through for her.
The interesting thing about this novel is that it
appears to be three mysteries entangled into one.  
The reader must figure out what happened to Adam
as well as experience the sequence the characters
have to go through to figure out Adam’s demise.  
The third mystery lies with Dr. Ahmed, the physician
in charge at the retirement home in which Cleo’s
grandmother resides, and what he’s involved in.
This exciting novel by Lynn Osterkamp is
recommended to anyone who loves mysteries.  
Throw in humor with a paranormal twist and you
have an adventure on your hands.
Jennifer Andrew
Freelance Writer / Book Reviewer
Book Reviews: http://booksiloved.com/38/
Website:  http://www.femmevip.com