Pawsitively Swindled is the fourth book in the Witch of Edgehill series by Melissa Erin Jackson. I do recommend reading this series in order, although the author does include a nice summary in the beginning of the book. Even as a returning reader, I found this very helpful to remind myself of the particulars so I could get into the book more quickly than I normally would.
Amber Blackwood, Edgehill’s secret resident witch, recently found her parents’ grimoires and the powerful time spells within. Amber must find an impregnable hiding place for the grimoires, though she has no clue where to start looking. When her cousin Edgar suggests the game of Magic Cache, a magic-infused version of geocaching played by witches all over the world, Amber agrees to learn how to play. After all, a weird plan is better than no plan. In the process he gets caught up in a murder investigation where one man is dead and a second one framed for the crime. To complicate matters, the framed man’s condescending daughter, Bianca, wants Amber’s help—and Bianca just happens to chair Marbleglen’s Floral Frenzy Flower Festival Committee, the rival to Edgehill’s own Here and Meow Festival Committee. The two women are thrown into an uneasy alliance. Amber works to unravel the mystery to ensure the right culprit ends up behind bars and Marbleglen’s safety is restored. But Amber knows that even if Marbleglen’s mystery is resolved, a bigger danger lurks in the shadows. If the Penhallows claim the grimoires of Amber’s late parents, they’ll use the books’ time-reversal spells to try to stop the curse from ever having poisoned their clan—and, in the process, possibly rewriting history.
Pawsitively Swindled is a solid mystery with significant character growth, and the introduction of more characters. I enjoyed seeing Amber, Edgar, Jack, and Kim continue to grow in their individual lives and as a group, and I liked the continual growth of connections and other characters- like Chief Brown. I thought the introductions of characters in Marbleglen offer more depth the the mystery, and more options the the future of the series. The mystery of who framed Simon for murder is very well done, and woven seamlessly into Amber's larger story and growth. There are a great deal of personal relationships forming, or growing, in the story and it was highly engaging. As I read I wanted to know the who done it, and the hows and whys involved. However, I was equally interested in the personal relationships of the characters, what the Penhallows were up to, what Connor and Molly were investigating, and the particulars of the magic dead zones. There is a whole lot going on in the book, but it was so firmly woven together that it never felt like it was too much, which sometimes happens. I am really looking forward to seeing what comes next. I will definitely continue following this series.
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