Final Exam

Life at the house on Winter Street is abuzz with preparations for Aunt Ibby’s 45th high school reunion, and Lee Barrett is happy to pitch in, tracking down addresses and licking envelopes. But as a field reporter for Salem’s WICH-TV, her priority is to be on top of the town’s latest news before anyone else.

When the local police dredge up a vintage sports car containing human remains, Lee is thrilled to be the first reporter on the scene. Once she learns the car is connected to the cold case her boyfriend Pete happens to be working on, her powers of investigation are quickly alerted. But it’s her Aunt Ibby’s emotional reaction to Lee’s TV report that puts her on the case. With the help of O’Ryan, her psychic feline sidekick, she’ll have to unravel a tangled past of secrets and promises to stop a killer from making history again.

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Series: A Witch City Mystery – Book #8
Author: Carol J. Perry
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Witch/Paranormal
Publisher: Kensington Books

Rating:

Carol J. Perry’s Final Exam is a compelling addition to the Witch City Mystery series from Kensington Books. This story will have readers laughing, yelling, and occasionally on the verge of tears. However, they will be happy and satisfied.

Lee finally gets her dream job but at what price. While trying to help her aunt Ibby she uncovers a murder and makes her aunt the prime suspect. Aunt Ibby is a beloved character throughout this series. She is the one relative we all wish we had, someone kind, loving, intelligent, and genuinely admirable individual. Other characters who are staples of this series make an appearance and are delightful and entertaining.

Salem is special. It makes the reader want to jump in the car and travel to this lovely town to see all the wonderful people and places. With the historical relevance and the touristy atmosphere, there is no better place to put a magic-related series. Each time the reader visits this town, they get a thrill from the idea that witches openly live, work, and walk the streets.

If there is a complaint about this book, it has nothing to do with the story or the writing. Ms. Perry is an excellent writer who knows her subject matter and is skilled with transitions and plot lines. No, my complaint is that I found myself wanting things to go back to the days when Lee taught at the Trumbull school. There is not enough of the recurring characters from the school. And… there is never enough of River.

The killer is not necessarily the kind of person you would expect. Not someone you would hate or even dislike overall. But the mere fact that they are a killer will become evident. In the end, murder is wrong no matter how it happens.

Final Exam, sounds like an ending but it’s not. Lee and Pete will go forward; Aunt Ibby is safe. It will be interesting to see what becomes of River and her BF in the coming books, and what mischief Lee gets up to next Readers will love this book, series, and anything Ms. Perry writes.