Bells, Spells, and Murders

Lee Barrett has landed her dream job at Salem’s WICH-TV. As the new field reporter, she’ll be covering events live as they happen. On her holiday checklist is an interview with the chairman of a popular walking tour through Salem’s historic district. Unfortunately, it may be his ghost walking on this snowy Noel season after Lee finds him murdered in his office, his bloody Santa hat askew.

With her police detective boyfriend working the case and a plethora of suspects—including some bell-ringing Santa’s. Lee chases down leads aided by her wise cat O’Ryan and some unsettling psychic visions of her own. When a revealing clue leads to another dead body, not even a blizzard can stop Lee from inching closer to the truth, and a scoop that could spell her own demise this Christmas.

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Series: A Witch City Mystery – Book #7
Author: Carol J. Perry
Genre: Cozy/Witch Mystery
Publisher: Kensington Books

Rating:

Carol Perry is a talented writer who obviously enjoys her characters and seeks to flesh them out as much as possible. The writing is smooth and balanced with just enough adventure, action, and emotion to make the reader care about the characters and thrill at turning the page.

Bells, Spells, and Murders is the 7th book in the “Witch City Mystery” series. It is a pleasurable read, easy to follow, and filled with all the things and characters that make this a great series. There was a little less of River North, and other ongoing characters than most readers would expect, but the story overall was enjoyable as always.

Lee Barrett is a very likable character with issues that plague most people in the world today, she’s also a witch. Her excitement over her new job is contagious. Yet her compassion for the victim is palpable even though she never met him. Trying to figure out a murder while maintaining her boss’s expectation of her work is a balancing act that Lee pulls off with no problem. However, add in the fact that she and her boyfriend, Pete, have recently moved in together, and it is taking a bit more work than she had thought it would to adjust, makes for a very absorbing story. Aunt Ibby never plays a big enough role in this series, or at least not as much as most readers would like. Unfortunately, this does not change in the new addition to the series.

When the killer is finally unmasked in this story, it doesn’t come as that big of a surprise to those who know this author’s style and the way she structures her stories. This does not detract from the delight of the book, and in fact, helps enhance the reader’s interest.

Bells, Spells, and Murders is a pleasant read that will take the reader away on a trip to Salem, and into a world, most people never get to experience. I highly recommend this book and the series to anyone that wishes to sit down with a book that doesn’t leave them scratching their head or having unanswered questions.