The Innocent Dead
Natalie Taylor is the High Priestess of a coven in Giles, Massachusetts. All she wants is to stop seeing dead people. Just when she has all the elements needed for the spell to keep the dead away, she finds a body in Corey Woods.
Finally, Natalie has the chance to prove that her long-lost love wasn’t guilty of the murders committed years before. With luck, proving his innocence will also get him to move on to the afterlife and leave her in peace. Some of the answers she needs to solve those long-ago murders can only be gotten from the dead, the very thing she is trying to avoid at all cost.
Series: The Maid, Mother, and Crone Paranormal Mystery Series – Book #1
Author: Jill Nojack
Genre: Paranormal/Witch Cozy
Publisher: IndieHeart Press
Page Count: 247
Rating:
The Innocent Dead is a new series and is part of the Witches of Giles Universe written by Jill Nojack. This book is a great beginning to what will be an ever-evolving and creative series that should last for many years to come.
Natalie isn’t your typical witch or crone. She not only sees the dead, but it is also her duty to help them move on if she can. William Stanford is one very persistent ghost, who also happens to be the love of her life, and a murder suspect. The character of Natalie in the form of a grumpy old woman who never seems to smile or laugh with any real happiness is unforgettable. She is mean, bossy and outspoken, yet she also knows when to keep her mouth shut and when to help someone, living or dead.
William may be a ghost, but he is dedicated to Natalie even after 50 years. She is his world and always was. He is warm, compassionate, and filled with a youthful spirit. The reader will fall in love with William and his strength and determination, as well as his antics.
The additional cast of characters and witches are equally enjoyable and graced with the beauty of mind and spirit, as well as a wonderful sense of humor, especially Cassie and Gillian. It is easy to like all of them and relate to one or more, even the decidedly purposefully oblivious chief of police, Denton.
The town of Giles and the businesses sprinkled throughout the story, although fictional are described lovingly as a place a person wouldn’t mind visiting or living near. The town is built around a square with a large statue of the real-life Giles Corey who was accused of practicing witchcraft in 1692. It is an interesting and thought-provoking setting.
This story is filled with page-turning action and clues that will lead the reader right up to the killer’s doorstep. However, just when you think the mystery is solved, a wrench is thrown into the works. The reader must go back and look at the other possible suspect from a different point of view. The Innocent Dead is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good mystery filled with magic, witches, and the occasional ghost.
About the Author:
Jill Nojack has rarely managed to make a living from the pursuit of her creative endeavors. Instead, she is a corporate drone who stays up late to indulge her passions. Even so, Ms. Nojack has cred. Way back in the long ago, she romped through a degree in English. She followed it up with a Master’s degree in Sociology. During her time at University, she served on the staff of the school’s literary magazine. She eventually stepped into the editor’s role. Shortly after graduation, she published several short works (stories and poetry) in the small press.
Like most young people who hope to pursue a creative life after college, she quickly realized you can’t feed your family in copies or with pennies from the coffee shop “tip the musician” jar. Having achieved financial stability, and no longer having a family to feed, Jill is free to return to her love of writing as the focus of her leisure time. When she isn’t exploring her creative side, Jill enjoys laughing too loud and long in public and talking about herself in the third person. She resides in the great American Midwest with a long-suffering cat.
Contact Jill: jill@jillnojack.com
Find on Social Media:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jillnojack
Twitter – https://twitter.com/indieheart
Follow the Cozy Review on Bloglovin’
Contact The Cozy Review
Leave a Reply