Witch Upon a Star
Josie is eager to show off Wilfred’s delights to her visiting sister, Jean, even though she must conceal her magic from her. In any case, Jean is excited to attend Cookie Masterson’s trademark “Ready-Set-Go!” workshop on becoming a life coach. Then there’s the grand reopening of Darla’s Café, where the doors are thrown open to reveal a dead man stabbed in the back. That was definitely not on the revamped menu. The library’s spellbound books chatter while Josie tries to ignore their hints and stay out of the investigation.
Unfortunately, the sheriff receives a report of a fresh corpse at the retreat center. Maybe murder isn’t uncommon in Wilfred anymore, but two unfamiliar bodies within an hour certainly is! Josie’s willing to let law enforcement take the lead; after all, she’s gotten into some trouble from the hints the library’s spellbound books keep feeding her about the patrons. But when her sister receives the killer’s chilling calling card, she’ll use everything within her otherworldly powers to divine just who in town has homicide as his new slogan.
The Details
Series: A Witch Way Library Mystery – Book #4
Author: Angela M. Sanders
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Witch
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496740912
Page Count: 304
Rating: 
The Review
Josie is one of those characters that readers either love or hate. This time around, they will definitely love her! After all, what’s not to love about a murder mystery that involves spellbound books at the library, a sister who comes to visit and attend a life coach workshop, and not one but two murders within a few hours?
The assembled cast of characters brings together fans who love the regular players right alongside new and exciting characters that keep them guessing. The library’s books are spellbound and give Josie hints about the nature of the murders; they also do their best to protect her from harm. The workshop aspect is not new to the cozy genre, but in this case, it gives readers a way to look inside the suspects’ minds without giving away the ending. The murderer is elusive, while the evidence can be challenging to figure out. But in the end, Josie finds the killer and manages not to get herself killed in the process.
I got a kick out of Josie’s sister. I understand her need to find her way in the world or within her family while another sibling gets all the attention. The life coaching workshop seems to be custom-made for Jean, who doesn’t know about Josie’s magic and the spellbound books that help her solve crimes. The story unfolds in a way that will make readers happy. The plot is easy to understand without too much detail that would bog down the pace. The author knows what she is doing, and Witch Upon a Star proves that she has a bit of magic of her own.
The Author
Angela M. Sanders is a former congressional investigator; she now writes full-time and is a member of Novelists, Inc., International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime. Angela has two cats, one of whom is black, of course, a witch’s freckle in her left eye, and learned to read tarot cards from a pagan priestess. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Contact her on social media or her website.
Readers may want to start the “Witch Way Librarian” series from the beginning with the first book, Bait and Witch along with book two, Seven-Year Witch.
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