A Wytch's Book Review Blog

The Madness of Mercury by Connie di Marco

San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti's life is turned upside down when she becomes the target of the city's newest cult leader, Reverend Roy of the Prophet's Tabernacle. Driven out of her apartment in the midst of a disastrous Mercury retrograde period, she takes shelter with a client who's caring for two elderly aunts. One aunt appears stricken with dementia and the other has fallen under the spell of the Reverend Roy. To add to the confusion, a young man claiming to be a long lost nephew arrives. The longer he stays, the more dangerous things become. Is the young man truly a member of the family? Can astrology confirm that? Julia's not sure, but one thing she does know is that Mercury wasn't merely the messenger of the gods—he was a trickster and a liar as well.

Julia is an Astrologer who has private clients and also works for a newspaper answering astrological questions, she is stunned when she starts to receive vicious emails and phone calls, her apartment is targeted (leading to possible eviction!) and she finds out that others in the alternative therapy sector are being got at as well, she tries staying at her Gran's house (whilst she is away) only to discover that the boiler needs replacing which means no heat and no cooking facilities! So she ends up going to stays at one of her private clients houses - but the night she arrives one of the elderly sisters up and leaves to join the very group that has been making her life a misery.  Julia needs to work with Mercury to help the two sisters and get her own life back.

Defending the Dead by Sheila Connolly

Abby Kimball has slowly accepted her recently discovered ability to see the dead, but none of the harmless sightings she’s experienced could have prepared her for the startling apparition of a centuries-old courtroom scene—where she locks eyes with a wicked and gleeful accuser. Thrown back more than three hundred years, Abby realizes she’s been plunged into a mystery that has fascinated people throughout American history: the Salem witch trials.

With her boyfriend Ned at her side, Abby digs into the history of the events, researching the people and possible causes of that terrible time and her own connection to them—all the while going more deeply into her connection to Ned, both extraordinary and romantic.

As Abby witnesses more fragments from the events in Salem and struggles with the question of how such a nightmare could have come about, she’s suddenly confronted with a pressing personal question: Were one or more of her ancestors among the accused? Unraveling the puzzling clues behind that question just might give Abby and Ned the answer to a very modern mystery of their own.

Abby has lost her job and her rental house (but the latter isn't important as she has moved in with Nat), she is currently spending her days renovating the house and doing more Genealogy research. The latter brings her to Salem and the infamous Witch Trials, she soon realises that an ancestor of hers was there in the court (and later at the hangings!). As well as this Ellie (her previous boss's daughter) is determined to see her even though her Mother doesn't like the idea (Leslie is finding it hard to realise that Ellie, Abby and Nat can see ghosts).  Abby needs to sort all of this out in order to get some peace of mind.

Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delaney

Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to manage her Great Uncle Arthur's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. The shop--located at 222 Baker Street--specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche, and is also the home of Moriarty the cat. When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body.

The highly perceptive Gemma is the police’s first suspect, so she puts her consummate powers of deduction to work to clear her name, investigating a handsome rare books expert, the dead woman's suspiciously unmoved son, and a whole family of greedy characters desperate to cash in on their inheritance. But when Gemma and Jayne accidentally place themselves at a second murder scene, it's a race to uncover the truth before the detectives lock them up for good.

Gemma Doyle is running the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium for her Great Uncle (she has half shares in the business and half shares in the house) this is based at 222 Baker Street (her Great Uncle would have preferred 221 Baker Street but that wasn't for sale!), after a very busy day Gemma finds what appears to be a valuable magazine stashed behind some books, she and her friend Jayne track down where the person who stashed it is staying only to find her dead! One of the detectives is an ex-boyfriend (who knows her quirks) but the other seems to believe she is the murderer! Gemma needs to channel Sherlock himself to find out what is going on.

I found this heavy going to start with but about half way through it picked up and I am glad I stuck with it!

Gertie Sews Vintage Casual: A Modern Guide to Sportswear Styles of the 1940s and 1950s by Gretchen Hirsch

The mid-20th century was an amazing time for American women’s fashion! Following the war, women started looking to American designers rather than French couture houses for inspiration and to demand clothing they could move in, even play in. In this follow-up to Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing, Gretchen “Gertie” Hirsch celebrates the classic casual styles that icons like Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, and Rosie the Riveter made famous—think wide-legged trousers, fitted capri pants, beach rompers, shorts, knit tops, jeans, and day dresses. In Part I, Hirsch introduces key techniques for sportswear construction—from working with knit fabrics to the intricacies of pant-making—and in Part II, she showcases a 30-plus-piece vintage-inspired casual wardrobe.

This is a wonderful book for any sewers who also like the classics of the '40's and '50's (granted in is US centric but still very good), the best thing about this is the fact that these clothes are designed for women with SHAPE and the first part of the book is a wonderful repository of clothes making information, with the latter part turned over the the patterns (and various "tweaks" thereof!) I cannot wait to lose just a bit more weight so that I can actually MAKE some of these!

Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer

It’s almost May, and some of the local ladies have organized a pagan celebration in the woods to welcome spring. But the evening goes terribly wrong when one of the attendees winds up dead, apparently poisoned by an herbal concoction prepared by Lucky’s grandfather, Jack.

Lucky’s sure her grandfather could not have made such a tragic mistake. But before she can clear him of suspicion, her best friend, Sophie, is diverted from planning her wedding to By the Spoonful chef Sage DuBois when she finds a dead man floating in the creek on her property. Now it’s up to Lucky to get both Sophie and Jack out of hot water before a killer stirs up more trouble…

There is a new library assistant in Snowflake who gets dragooned into taking part in the Beltane celebrations, along with six other women, by the end of the evening though one of them has wound up dead.  The problem seems to lie with the May wine that was offered to the dead lady and the herbs for it were provided by Jack, Lucky (the owner of the Spoonful)'s Grandfather. The widower seems determined to make sure Jack is suitably punished (although he couldn't punish him more than he is punishing himself!)

Then Lucky and Sophie find a dead body in the creek that runs through the family property (that the powers that be think could be Sophie's brother!), the resort wants to buy part of the land and the whole town seems to think they are invited to Sophie and Sage's wedding! Lucky needs to live up to her name and sort it all out so things can go smoothly on the wedding day.

Hey Diddle Diddle, the Corpse and the Fiddle by Fran Rizer

Mortuary cosmetologist Callie Parrish and her friend take off for a bluegrass festival on Surcie Island. But when a fiddler turns up dead, Callie has no choice but to take center stage in the investigation.

Callie and her friend Jane have headed to an inaugural Bluegrass Festival on Surcie Island part of the way through the first day though the body of a fiddle player ends up being found, end then another corpse is discovered (by Jane when she smelt it - Jane being completely blind) and then to add to the Sherriff's woes (and more importantly Callie's woes) Jane goes missing, so they need to track down a missing blind person and a killer and that is just the start of the problems!

Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer

During her return to Spain with her father, the lovely Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylva is horrified when their ship is set upon by pirates. Far worse is her discovery that their captor isn't just any pirate -- he is the notorious Sir Nicholas Beauvallet, an Englishman with a scandalous reputation for plundering Spanish ships. But Dominica's pride braces her determination to be no one's hostage . . .

It should have been easy for Sir Nicholas. It was, after all, just another ship. But instead, Sir Nicholas finds himself captivated by Dominica's dark beauty and indomitable courage. After returning his captives to their homeland, Sir Nicholas vows to win the heart of the Spanish beauty. It could be his riskiest venture yet -- and one that promises a treasure greater than any other . . .

Beauvallet sailed with Sir Francis Drake and now has his own ship the Venture and during his latest voyage the Venture is attacked by a Spanish Galleon, the Venture's crew comes out ahead and they discover not only riches but a Spanish noblewoman, her father and their servants, they are taken on board and after a few days Beauvallet has decided he will marry the Senorita, and so tells her that he will drop her and her father in Spain and will be with her within the year, although at first she scoffs at him she comes around.  The problem is that as a heretic and pirate (according to the Spanish) if he is caught he will be hauled up in front of the Inquisition and nothing could save him from that ...

A Christmas Peril by J. A. Hennrikus

When Edwina “Sully” Sullivan’s life imploded, she left behind her job on the police force and her unfaithful husband to start a new life as the general manager of her hometown theater, the Cliffside Theater Company. For five years, she focused on budgets instead of crimes and kept the Cliffside running alongside its mercurial artistic director.

But when her best friend is arrested for killing his father, the rich and powerful Peter Whitehall, no one is looking for another suspect. So, in between keeping A Christmas Carol on budget and Scrooge sober, Sully dusts off her investigative skills to find a killer. Her two lives collide when her ex-husband gets on the suspect list and she’s forced to confront her past in order to save her present.

"Sully" Sullivan has settled into life back in her hometown after a few too many hiccups in her previous life (a workaholic police officer, she was then invalided out of the force, meanwhile her lawyer husband had an affair and then her Dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer!), she has taken a job as the manager of the local theatre which normally only has a Summer run, but in order to raise funds for the last few years they have put on a week of A Christmas Carol.  This year though the headline actor they have hired is a drunkard who can't remember his lines, Marley has walked out because he got a better paying gig and the local magnate has been shot! (he was also Sully's relative), so Sully has to dust off her investigative skills to make sure that the Show Will Go On!

Potions and Pastries by Bailey Cates

It’s been exactly two years since Katie and her aunt and uncle opened the Honeybee Bakery, where they serve delicious—and bespelled—treats to the good people of Savannah. After a dinner celebrating the bakery’s anniversary, they all take a stroll along the waterfront and meet Aunt Lucy’s friend Orla, a colorful character who has been telling the fortunes of locals and tourists alike for years.
 
The next day, Orla meets with what seems like a terrible accident, but Katie’s witchy intuition tells her it was something more sinister. Together with her trustworthy coven and her firefighter boyfriend, she’ll race to find out what happened to the unfortunate fortune-teller before the piping hot trail goes cold....

After a celebratory meal (2 years of the Honeybee Bakery/Cafe being open) Katie, Declan, Lucy and Ben are strolling along the waterfront when they see and overhear a disagreement over a Tarot reading.  The next day the Tarot Reader walks in front of a car, the Police believe she committed a rather bizarre suicide Katie, Lucy and the Spellbook Club are not so sure - they believe she was murdered by magic.  So Katie needs to gather her Lightwitch aura and find out the truth, oh and find a new house for her and Declan at the same time!

Not A Creature Was Purring by Krista Davis

Inspired by her German heritage, Holly's grandmother has arranged for Wagtail to have a Christkindl Market packed with goodies and decorations for the howliday tourists. But Holly's mood takes an unseasonable turn when she learns that her old flame and childhood friend Holmes Richardson has brought his fiancee home--and she'll be staying at the Sugar Maple Inn...

A love triangle becomes the last thing on Holly's mind when her Jack Russell Trixie's nose for trouble leads her to the corpse of a pet clothing tycoon. Now Holly and her dedicated detectives--Trixie and Twinkletoes the cat--must sniff out the killer to keep Christmas from going to the dogs...

It is just before Christmas and the business owners of Wagtail are doing a Secret Santa with a difference, they have all provided goods and/or money so that the less fortunate Wagtail residents can have a good Christmas (or in the case of some gifts they provide the gift keeps giving as it is something the person needs for everyday). Holly and a couple of the Sugar Maple Inn dress as Elves each night (just in case they are seen!) and deliver the items on a specially decorated golf cart.

Holly needs all the Christmas Cheer she can muster as most of the Inn has been booked by one family, one member of which is Holmes's fiancee, the family seems odd however NJ (the fiancee) is a control freak, her cousin has dropped out of Med School and is spending all his inheritance on living the high life in New York and the other cousin is just downtrodden.  The two really nice members of the family are the Grandfather (who is prepared, indeed honoured, to play Santa for the children) and his mother, then he is found dead and Holly, Dave and Holmes need to find out who is playing the Grinch and ruining Christmas.