I got this slightly-battered ex-library softcover from Better World Books during a recent book-buying binge. It's one of a series about a mysterious woman who tells fortunes via tarot cards, but things seem to get a lot more complicated... In a way, the episodic tales and the increasingly-odd back story remind me of Nightmare Inspector.

The artwork is simply stunning, btw, with all the characters being very beautiful (and most of them very androgynous), with large, liquid eyes heavily rimmed with lashes. The chapter illustrations include full-page images of different tarot cards, with notes crediting a number of different tarot decks for the inspiration.

The stories here include: a human-like "doll" that's subject to the torments of its cruel owner, despite its tender-hearted maker's hopes for a better fate (this sweet tale is my favorite in this volume); a lost boy who's a werewolf - and who winds up working at the shop; the arrival of a beautiful youth named Ash, who's apparently being hunted by a grotesque fiend; and several hints as to mysterious goings-on in Pamela's past.

[There's a TV Tropes page for the series that's of interest, but do beware of spoilers.]

The series:

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7

I'm sending this 7-volume set to BCer azuki in Florida. Enjoy!

Can't quite express my surprise and gratefulness when I was journaling the series Ceres, and pulled out a book The Tarot Cafe. At first I thought it was included by mistake, but when I found out GoryDetails sent the whole series as a RABCK, I was speechless.

I have to, of course, jump right in to find out what happens after the cliffhanger in vol 1! (and I'd say it's quite satisfying.)