Heather Blake
Pub Date 07 Aug 2018
Book Blurb:
Wishcrafter Darcy Merriweather might be a witch with the ability to grant wishes for others, but wishing isn't going to help her catch a killer.
When wishcrafter Darcy Merriweather's personal concierge company is hired by elite runner Abby Stillwell to organize the Wicked Mad Dash, a competition that takes place in the Enchanted Village, Darcy is more than willing to help her friend. As blizzard conditions rage on the morning of the race, Darcy's main concern is the terrible weather - until Abby goes missing and is later found dead, buried in the snow.
As Darcy investigates her friend's untimely death, she learns that she didn't really know Abby well at all. And those closest to the woman - her secret fiance, her roommate, her ex-boyfriend, and her co-workers at Balefire Sports - seem to have plenty to hide too. As Darcy digs deeper, she uncovers complicated relationships, a possible embezzlement scheme, and allegations of cheating against a top athlete.
Just when Darcy is convinced she's hit a dead end in the case, a startling burglary and the hunt for Abby's elusive ex send Darcy down a dark, dangerous trail. It will take the help from friends, family, and a little bit of magic for Darcy to stop a stone-cold killer from striking again.
This was a light book - good for a beach read. I really liked the setting. It seemed like a typical small village where everyone knows everyone else with the twist of some of the inhabitants practicing witchcraft. It was the second book in the series, and while the first book wasn’t required to enjoy this one, I think it would have helped. For example, early in the book, before the primary characters were known, there were lots of characters introduced with lots of different crafting abilities and lots of different rules. I’m assuming a number of these were introduced in the prior books, so coming into this book, the reader wouldn’t feel as lost as I was. At one point I debated creating a Cast of Characters list. However, by the middle of the book, after the focus was shifted to a smaller group of characters, it became easier to keep track of them.
Another element that was a little annoying was all the rules that the community had, some of which seemed like convent plot points than a true rule of the community. For example, when the main character is interviewing a suspect, she thinks she’d like to ask about X, Y, and Z - which would have made her job easier (and the book shorter), but couldn’t because of rule A. An multi-book plot seems to be driven by a couple of this rules. Again, these rules may have been explored in the earlier books (I think I read this the 8th in the series) more organically, and thus not be as contrived as it feels here.
Overall, a fun book - good for when you’re looking for some light entertainment.
I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley and voluntarily chose to review.
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