A Spell of Murder

A Spell of Murder
Clea Simon
Pub Date: 10 Dec 2018

Book Blurb:
“It’s Harriet’s fault. It’s always her fault, not that she’ll ever admit it.” So begins A Spell of Murder: A Witch Cats of Cambridge mystery, the first in a new cozy series that mixes feline fiction with a touch of the paranormal, and a little romance as well.

Becca, newly single and newly unemployed, wants to believe she has psychic powers. With nothing but time – and a desire for empowerment – she’s studying to become a witch. What she doesn’t know is that her three cats – Harriet, Laurel, and Clara – are the ones with the real power. And when Harriet – “a cream-colored longhair with more fur than commonsense” – conjures a pillow for her own comfort, Becca believes her spells are finally working. Could that be why Trent, the coven’s devilishly handsome leader, has been showing her special attention? Or why Suzanne, a longtime coven member, draws her aside to share a secret – a confidence that may lead to murder?


As the blurb describes, Becca is a young woman going through some rough times - she lost her job around the same time her boyfriend broke up with her - but she has one huge benefit that she doesn’t realize: she owns three magical cats.  And these aren’t just your average magical cats (for all cats have some magic), but witch cats.  When Harriet, a lazy creamcicle cat concerned more about treats and dinner than anything else, conjures up a pillow, Becca thinks she’s done it.  Which leads to all sorts of problems, including murder.  Clara,the youngest (by a few minutes) of the three cats and the closest to Becca, feels obligated to protect Becca and help her solve the case.

What I really loved about this book is that it’s told from Clara’s point of view.  She’s able to follow Becca, so we get to see the action, so to speak, but we don’t get insight to all of Becca’s thoughts.  Becca is a researcher, so she’s always googling stuff; Clara watches her, but can’t read, so we only get to see the pictures, for example, of the web search Becca does of her great grandmother (who incidentally had Clara’s foremother as a pet); we get to see there’s a connection, but don’t get the full details right away.  I’m hoping it’ll be revealed over the series.  I also love how Clara’s journey seems to be echoing Becca’s.  Both start off seeming very young, but start to grow into their powers, so to speak.  Becca gains some strength and independence, for example, when she finally walks away from her ex-boyfriend, while Clara starts to suspect she has other strengths, like being able to suggest things to people as well has her sister Laurel can.

The mystery itself was a little on the light side I felt; the motive just seemed thin.  Yes, there were some clues pointing to it, but it seemed a little unbelievable to me.  Maybe I need to re-read the book to find what I missed?  And I felt like a few of the main characters were flat; I never felt like I got to know Becca's best friend Maddy, for example.  However, given how much I liked Clara, her sisters, and Becca, I’m looking forward to future books.

I received an ARC of this book which I voluntarily chose to review.

The Prisoner in the Castle

The Prisoner in the Castle

Susan Elia McNeal

Pub Date 7 Aug 2018

Book Blurb:

A series of baffling murders among a group of imprisoned agents threatens the outcome of World War II in this chilling mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Churchill’s Secretary.

World War II is raging and former spy Maggie Hope knows too much.

She knows what the British government is willing to do to keep its secrets.

She knows the real location of the planned invasion of France.

She knows who’s lying. She knows who the double-crossers are. She knows exactly who is sending agents to their deaths.

These are the reasons why Maggie is isolated on a remote Scottish island, in a prison known as Killoch Castle, out of contact with friends and family.

Then one of her fellow inmates drops dead in the middle of his after-dinner drink . . . and he’s only the first. As victims fall one by one, Maggie will have to call upon all her wits and skills to escape—not just certain death . . . but certain murder.

For what’s the most important thing Maggie Hope knows?

She must survive.

I really enjoyed this book!  It starts as almost a homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None with a number of characters stranded on a remote island with a killer on the loose (It’s even mentioned in the early pages of this book!), but there are enough twists to make it unique; most of the inhabitants have been there for months or years for one.  They’re also trained agents - prisoners of their own government - rather than having been invited there by the killer.  Likewise, the action switches between the island and the mainland - there’s still a sense of isolation on the island, but it’s tempered with the mainland.

My only quibble is that a few characters seem to have more modern sensibilities.  When the original title of Christie’s book is mention (complete with a vulgar term), one character reacts to it.  Given the book was published a few years before this book is set, it feels a little contrived, as if Ms. McNeal is apologizing for Christie’s title.

Another pet peeve of mine is when a book isn’t the first in the series, I find references to prior books distracting and sometimes annoying.  In this case, however, I’m intrigued and want to start back at the beginning of the series, see how the different relationships and prior cases have led to this one. And reading other reviews, this book might not be the strongest one in the series, so I'm looking forward to reading more of Maggie's adventures.

Overall, an enjoyable read with just more than enough suspense and mystery to make it hard to put down.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley and voluntarily chose to review.

To Catch a Witch

To Catch a Witch

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.

Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies

Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies
Darci Hannah
Pub Date: 8 June 2018

Book Blurb:
Cherry enthusiast Whitney Bloom is furiously baking her way into the heart of Chicago with her fabulous cherry pies when she receives a desperate call from her mother. The annual Cherry Blossom Festival has just kicked off at the Cherry Orchard Inn in Wisconsin and the manager of the Bloom family orchard has been found dead beneath the cherry blossoms. Worse yet, all evidence points to Whitney's father as the killer. After racing home to help, things really land in the pits for Whitney when she discovers that Jack MacLaren, her old high school nemesis, is Cherry Cove's only police officer. Putting her cherry-tastic treats on hold, Whitney matches wits against Jack. But will she have what it takes to clear her father's name and sift out the real Cherry Cove killer?

Like many cozy mysteries, this one has a theme: cherries! Our protagonist, Whitney Bloom, grew up in Cherry Cove, Wisconsin on a cherry orchard living at her parents' Cherry Orchard Inn.  She left home for college and an less than stellar advertiser career before dashing home to help when there's a death in the orchard.

While I really enjoyed Cherry Cove, I was less charmed with elements of the plot.  Over the last 20 or so pages, for example, Whitney goes from shaking from the shock of nearly being killed (again) to going on a picnic with her best friend's love interest.  The killer is revealed with a somewhat contorted motive, Whitney saves the day, and then manages to forget that she has dinner plans with person A while eating with person B.  All this over the last 20 pages!  She also kept ignoring good advice, getting into sticky situations and screaming way too often.  True, I did appreciate she was always able to rescue herself (and the occasional drugged man with her); I just wished she acted little more intelligent (maybe a little less gleeful about heading into dangerous situations?) or at least have the situation initially presented as being less dangerous than it turned out to be.

Despite my misgivings about the plot, I really enjoyed the book.  I loved Cherry Cove and some of the quirky characters - Whitney's mother, grandmother, friends, and especially McGruff.  There was some fun lines - Jack's comment about having kids; the reference to the Scooby Gang (complete with some possible romantic foreshadowing??).  I look forward to reading future books in the series!

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley and voluntarily chose to review.

The Island of the Mad

The Island of the Mad
Laurie R. King
Pub date: 12 June 2018

Book Blurb:
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes are back in Laurie R. King’s New York Times bestselling series—“the most sustained feat of imagination in mystery fiction today” (Lee Child).
With Mrs. Hudson gone from their lives and domestic chaos building, the last thing Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, need is to help an old friend with her mad and missing aunt.

Lady Vivian Beaconsfield has spent most of her adult life in one asylum after another, since the loss of her brother and father in the Great War. And although her mental state seemed to be improving, she’s now disappeared after an outing from Bethlem Royal Hospital . . . better known as Bedlam.

Russell wants nothing to do with the case—but she can’t say no. And at least it will get her away from the challenges of housework and back to the familiar business of investigation. To track down the vanished woman, she brings to the fore her deductive instincts and talent for subterfuge—and of course enlists her husband’s legendary prowess. Together, Russell and Holmes travel from the grim confines of Bedlam to the winding canals and sun-drenched Lido cabarets of Venice—only to find the foreboding shadow of Benito Mussolini darkening the fate of a city, an era, and a tormented English lady of privilege.

I have been a fan of the Russell books for many years.  The last few, however, seem to be lacking something - I didn't even read all of the last book.  This one I felt was closer to some of the earlier ones.  A little mystery, some disguises, with the threat of Fasist Italy in the background.  It still lacked some of the lovely Holmes - Russel moments that the earlier books had, but at least they were working on the same case.

The story starts with Russell and Holmes still adjusting to the changes from the last book, but soon they diverted to a case when Russell receives a phone call from an old friend: Ronnie Beaconsfield.  Now. Ronnie Fitzwarren with a young son, Ronnie is worried about her aunt who has disappeared after a family gathering heading back to Bethel Hospital, aka Bedlam, the insane asylum. Russell of course agrees to take the case.  After breaking into the famous mental hospital, Russell realizes that the the aunt and her nurse have headed to Venice.  From there, Russell and Holmes continue their investigation, leading their paths to cross with Elsa Maxwell and Cole Porter along the beauty and extravagance of the Lido.

The real star of the book was Venice.  As with many of her books, Ms. King excels at capturing the sprit of a location, and Venice is no exception. It's quite lovely.  

My major complaint about the book is also a common one I've found with some of the Russell adventures: it just ends.  If felt like it needed another chapter or so to wrap up a few things - let Ronnie know the fate of her aunt, for example, or hear how Ronnie's mother takes the news. I also felt it was a bit contrived that it took Russell so long to figure out the cause of the aunt's madness. There were also some hints about Holmes being concerned about his marriage to Russell that are never resolved. And as I mentioned above, it would be nice to see some of those tender moments between Russell and Holmes that we see in earlier books.  

Overall, a very enjoyable read.  Highly Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley and voluntarily chose to review.

Icy Clutches and Uneasy Relations

Icy Clutches

Uneasy Relations
Aaron Elkins

Book Blurbs:
Gideon Oliver expects to be amicably bored when he takes on the role of accompanying spouse at a lodge in the magnificent wild country of Glacier Bay Alaska where his forest ranger wife Julie is attending a conference But it turns out to be exactly his cup of tea There is another group at the lodge six scientists on a memorial journey to the site of a thirtyyearold glacial avalanche that killed three of their colleagues Their leader is TV s most popular science personality the unctuous M Audley Tremaine who is the sole survivor of the fatal avalanche But he does not survive long and is soon found hanged in his room If that is not upsetting enough shocked hikers discover human bones emerging from the foot of the glacier are they the shattered remains of the three who died finally seeing daylight after their twomile threedecade journey within the glacial flow When the FBI seeks expert help everyone agrees how fortunate it is that Dr Oliver the famed Skeleton Detective is on the scene Everybody that is but the person who wants ancient history to stay that way and who believes that murder is the surest way to keep the past buried


Buried ceremoniously, high in a cave on the Rock of Gibraltar, lies the skeleton of a human woman, clutching the skeleton of a part-human, part-Neanderthal child. Fascinated, Professor Oliver jumps at the chance to visit the site. But two deaths, possibly murders, have rocked Gibraltar. As Oliver tries to piece things together, he's about to fall for some deadly tricks. After all, unlike the Gibraltar Boy, he's only human.



Aaron Elkin's Gideon Oliver novels are a bit like a Disney movie - sometimes formulaic (Gideon is off somewhere, bones are discovered and examined, near the end he has an 'Ah-ha!' moment and solves the case) but, just like a Disney movie, very entertaining.  These two books are no exception.

Icy Clutches is earlier in Gideon’s career.  He’s already firmly established as the Skeleton Detective.  His wife, a forest ranger, is at a retreat in Alaska; Gideon tags along.  Initially he’s bored, but then bones are discovered for him to ‘detect’ on.

Uneasy Relations, in contrast, is set later and in a warmer climate, along the Mediterranean.  This time, his wife is tagging along with him. Like Icy Clutches, there are interesting side characters and eventually bones to be examined.

As I alluded to above, both are entertaining.  Reading more than a couple together might start to get overly formulaic, but a couple every now and then are always good fun.

Recommended.

Witches Gone Wicked

Witches Gone Wicked (Womby's School For Wayward Witches)
Sarina Dorie
Pub Date 14 April 2018

Book Blurb:
You think you know the world of magical boarding schools? Not from a teacher’s perspective at a school for at risk youth. 
Like any twenty-two-year-old who grew up obsessed with fantasy novels, Clarissa Lawrence expects all her Harry Potter fantasies to come true when she is invited to teach at a school for witches. Her dreams of learning magic—and being a good teacher—are complicated when she finds out her deceased mother was the equivalent of the Wicked Witch of the West. 
As if being the new “arts and crafts” teacher isn’t hard enough at a school for juvenile delinquent witches, budget cuts are just as severe in the magic community, administrators are as unrealistic in their expectations of teachers, and the job is a hazard if the students find out you can’t actually do magic. 
Amidst all these challenges, Clarissa must prove she’s not her mother’s mini-me and that she belongs at the school so she can learn to control her powers. If she fails, her powers will be drained, or worse yet, she might be enslaved by the Fae.
As if this isn’t enough pressure, she has to figure out why teachers are mysteriously disappearing. If she doesn’t, she might be next.

This book was mixed for me.  Parts of it were fun, but other parts were . . . rather cringe-worthy.

The premise is similar to Hogwarts, only from the teacher’s point of view.  Our protaginist, Clarissa Lawrence, is the new art teacher who knows quite a bit about art, but very little about magic.  She’s at the (slightly rundown) school of magic to learn more about magic and more about her birth mother, a true wicked witch.  Because her mum’s crimes, she’s treated with a lot of hostility from other members of the school staff.

I liked the premise, but the main character seemed like she was going out of her way to be disliked.  Her vocabulary reminded me more of a pre-teen than a 20-something teacher as did her attire (which included wearing Disney night gowns (because she claims there’s nothing in her size that’s appropriate) and stripped leggings to look more like a witch).  Because magic and electronics don’t mix well, there are no computers; when talking to the librarian, it felt like Clarissa was almost mocking her about having an old-fashioned card catalog. When given an old book to study, she immediately starts using a highlighter on it, not bothering to check if she needs to return it, or if it’s a valuable old book.  She also delibrately lies or misleads people for no appearant reason.  One character thinks she looks familiar; rather than confessing who her mother is (which he is going to find out eventually), she lies. Later, when following a professor, she gets into trouble and has to be rescued.  Rather than admitting that she was following the professor (which she might have a valid reason for doing), she lies to her rescuer - again for no apparent reason. There’s also a subplot of missing test answers that seems a bit contrived, existing only to raise the possibility of her not having a job next semester.

Despite all that, I did enjoy the book.  By the end, I confess I was more interested in learning more about her mother and the background of some of the other teachers than I was her, but it was still entertaining, and I was still curious about what happened next. The preview chapter of the previous book sounds fun, too.

My recommendation: good for the beach, where the more annoying parts of the book are easier to overlook and forgive.

**I received a complementary pre-release copy of this book through Net Galley and voluntarily chose to review.

Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles

Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles (A Mahalia Watkins Mystery)
A.L. Herbert

Book Blurb:
Welcome to Mahalia’s Sweet Tea—the finest soul food restaurant in Prince George’s County, Maryland. In between preparing her famous cornbread and mashed potatoes so creamy “they’ll make you want to slap your Momma,” owner Halia Watkins is about to dip her spoon into a grisly mystery . . .

Halia Watkins has her hands full cooking, hosting, and keeping her boisterous young cousin, Wavonne, from getting too sassy with customers. Having fast-talking entrepreneur Marcus Rand turn up in her kitchen is annoying enough when he’s alive—but finding his dead body face-down on her ceramic tile after hours is much worse.

Marcus had his enemies, and the cast iron frying pan beside his corpse suggests that at last, his shady business deals went too far. Halia is desperate to keep Sweet Tea’s name out of the sordid spotlight but her efforts only make Wavonne a prime suspect. Now Halia will have to serve up the real villain—before the killer returns for a second helping . . .


I picked this book up because of a recommendation from a book list, and I’m glad I did. Mahalia Watkins, or Halia to her friends, runs a successful upscale soul food restaurant. She’s not getting rich, but she’s comfortable. Right off the bat, the reader learns of the importance of family to Halia; the restaurant is named not after her, but after her "grandmommy" Mahalia who taught her to cook.


This theme of cooking and family continues throughout the book. One late Saturday evening, Halia and her cousin Wavonne head home, leaving her business partner Marcus to finish his dinner meeting and lockup. They stop by the grocery story to pick up a few items her mother had requested for Sunday dinner the next day. When Wavonne claims to have left her purse at the restaurant and asks Halia to buy some make up for her, Halia decides to return to the restaurant so Wavonne can pay her back right away. Only when the two return Sweet Tea, they find Marcus dead. In order to protect her restaurant, Halia gets Wavonne to help drag his body outside. In the process, Wavonne swipes his wallet; before his body is even found, she’s using Marcus’s credit cards to buy expensive purses. If the police manage to connect the stolen card to Wavonne, she’ll be the prime suspect. Halia realizes it’s up to her to find the killer and clear her cousin’s name.

I enjoyed the characters of Halia and Wavonne; both seem well developed – it makes perfect sense that Wavonne would do something silly like stealing a dead man’s credit card and buying an expensive item. Supporting characters like Halia’s mom Celia and Jacqueline are also developed; I hope they show up in future books. Details around running the restaurant add to the story. I even enjoyed the recipes; frequently I find recipes in cozies less than appetizing.

There are a few minor criticisms. For someone so totally devoted to running her restaurant that she doesn’t have free time to date (a sore point for her matchmaker mom), she leaves it quite a bit during the story without much internal struggle. And Marcus’s car sitting in the restaurant parking lot for several days doesn’t cause much concern; when Jacqueline comes looking for Marcus, why isn’t she all over the fact it’s there, asking how long it’s been there, getting the police involved in finding him immediately, and so forth. I also think the assumption that finding Marcus in the restaurant will hurt its reputation is questionable; yes, they’ll probably have to close for a day or two, but given the public’s love of a juicy scandal and Marcus’s shady reputation, I’d expect people be lined up to see the spot where the dirty deed was done.


Overall, I enjoyed this book. Highly recommended.