Friday the Witchteenth
Bay Winchester is newly married and happy. Things have been quiet since she returned from her honeymoon, which means trouble is just around the corner. Even Tilly has been behaving herself. So when trouble comes, it takes the form of a despondent man on a bridge. Despite her best efforts, Bay and the hostage negotiator can’t save him, and death is swift. That should’ve been the end, but a weird symbol on the dead man’s hand piques Bay’s interest, and when the negotiator turns up sick with the same symptoms, she knows that they have a curse on their hands.
Suicide as a contagion? It’s not the fight Bay was expecting, and it’s not the one she was looking for. Still, it’s a problem that keeps on giving, especially when it spreads to Mrs. Little. In her heart, Bay knows she shouldn’t care about the woman who has hurt her family at every turn. Ignoring the problem isn’t an option, though. If she stands back and does nothing in an attempt to end the chain, she’ll never be able to live with herself. If she gets too close, she could get infected herself.
Bay has never doubted her magic, but the current fight is out of her wheelhouse. Magic is at the core of what’s happening, but their enemy is invisible. The Winchester witches have never met an enemy they can’t fight until now. Will they be able to pull together and save Hemlock Cove? Or is the town doomed to fall to a curse without a name and an evil without a soul? Strap in because the answer is more than anybody is expecting, and if everybody is to survive, the fight will have to move to an entirely new level. The game is on. In this one, the winner will take all.
The Details
Series: Wicked Witches of the Midwest – Book #20
Author: Amanda M. Lee
Genre/Category: Cozy – Witch/Paranormal
Publisher: WinchesterShaw Publications
ISBN: 979-8810660491
Page Count: 286
Rating: 
The Review
The Winchester witches are at it again. In book twenty, Friday the Witchteenth, they are better than ever, and the magic flies as life in Hemlock Cove turns upside down. Someone has cast a curse; it is somehow infecting innocent people. Bay is smack in the middle of another murder investigation, and Aunt Tilly is enjoying tormenting Mrs. Little a bit too much. It almost seems as though life has returned to normal in the Winchester family since Bay’s wedding, but not quite.
A curse that causes people to become infected with bad luck leads to death. Landon and Bay are on hand when the first victim plunges to death. But not long after, Bay realizes that the curse may have transferred to someone who had contact with the first victim. She works frantically to stop it in its tracks, but with one small misstep, the curse finds its next victim and then another; Bay can’t allow it to escape her magic again. Lives are at stake as Bay, Landon, Aunt Tilly, and Terry track down the curse and the person who cast it. It takes everything Bay has to counter the curse that may well lead to the death of the one person in her life she always knows will be there and who will always get her into and out of trouble, Tilly.
There really is only one suspect in this story, but other characters play a pivotal part in finding the culprit and putting an end to the curse that is plaguing innocent people and causing them to kill themselves. Evidence is only based on the past and what Bay learns from the victims and their loved ones. It doesn’t take long to make the connection to the who, but the why will take readers a bit longer to figure out. Tilly is running around as usual tormenting Mrs. Little, this time in a unique fashion, but soon stops when she sees her old nemesis losing her mind. As she says, nobody gets to torment Margaret Little except her! With help from friends, Bay puts an end to the curse and the people responsible. The killer is put to an end, and the case is closed firmly.
I love the Winchester witches, all of them, even snarky Thistle. Clove is still not my favorite character, but she adds drama to situations that could otherwise be a bit boring. The new baby has excellent potential for future stories. I would like to have seen the sub-characters play a more significant role in this book, but hopefully, the next one will showcase all of their talents and allow readers to experience their collective sarcasm, wit, and power all at the same time. I loved the cross-over aspects of Friday the Witchteenth, the curse was unusual and intriguing, and of course, Aunt Tilly will always win my heart. I hope to grow up to be just like her one day! If readers haven’t read any books in this series, I suggest you do that before even trying to read this installment. If you love this series and haven’t read this book yet, find a comfortable place to sit and enjoy, but make sure you have a pillow to scream into or a tissue to wipe away the tears.
The Author
Amanda M Lee, aka Lily Harper Hart, is a writer in several different mediums. She’s a longtime newspaper reporter, an avid reader, and a voracious science fiction fanatic.
She is a very prolific author as both Amanda M. Lee and Lily Harper Hart. She normally publishes 3 or 4 books a month. She is often considered the standard-bearer of Indy – Self Publishing Authors. Amanda is a longtime Michigan resident and lives outside of Detroit.
Other books in the Wicked Witches of the Midwest series readers will want to dive into includes Make A Witch or one of the shorts in this series, Landon Calling. I recommend starting with book #1; that way, readers can achieve the full Winchester Witches experience!
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