Early Book Review: Witch Hunt by Cate Conte

Witch Hunt is the first book in a new series by Cate Conte and is currently scheduled for release on June 30 2020. Violet Mooney owns The Full Moon crystal shop in quaint North Harbor, Connecticut. Still grieving her beloved grandmother’s recent unexpected death, she takes comfort in her fat orange cat Monty and her work. Not everyone in town is thrilled with her business, however. When disagreeable town councilwoman Carla Fernandez picks a fight over Violet’s "voodoo shop," the two have a very public confrontation. Of course, when Carla turns up dead, Violet gets little sympathy from the police as suspect #1. But the shock of two policemen showing up at her door pales in comparison to the sudden appearance of her estranged mother Fiona and a surprise sister, Zoe. What Fiona reveals will rock her world and her sense of self—and reawaken her long-dormant mysterious power. 

Witch Hunt is a story with a whole lot going on. Violet is still mourning the loss of her grandmother and just trying to get through life. Her best friend and neighbor is acting strange, her boyfriend is being distant, and the queen of the town council is harping on many of them about their businesses. Once said council member is found murdered everything gets even more complicated. It seems everyone has secrets, including Violet's family. A magical heritage and new dangers are added to the list of problems to be faced, and the stakes keep rising. I thought Carla's murder and the surrounding mystery was well done, and while I had some suspicions as things unraveled, it was an interesting ride to the reveal. The story line about Violet's family and witches in the world was good, but felt like it could have been its own book rather than a layer over the first murder. I felt like the witchy reveal, and the problems that it could bring, will include more murder and mystery in the next volume- but I already have a suspect in mind for several possible issues that might arise. I really enjoyed several aspects of the story, and the writing style was nice. I just think there was too much going on layered over each other for what I was in the mood for when I picked up this title. 

Witch Hunt is a well written mystery with many layers to unravel. 

Book Review: Graveyard Shift by Casey Daniels

Graveyard Shift is the tenth book in the Pepper Martin series by Casey Daniels. I have read several of these books, but somehow missed the last three, but feel like I was able to catch up pretty quickly. I do not suggest going into the series cold, but if you missed a few I think you will still be able to fully enjoy the story. 

Pepper Martin, now Community Relations Director of Garden View Cemetery, is contacted by the ghost of Eliot Ness, one of Cleveland’s most famous dearly departed. According to Ness, the ashes scattered at the ceremony twenty years earlier weren’t his. His were stolen prior to the ceremony by a Ness groupie, and he cannot rest until those ashes are found. Luckily, Pepper has an idea where they may be. Knowing she’ll have no peace until she does what the ghost wants, Pepper travels across town to retrieve the ashes. When she gets there, though, she finds more – and less – than she bargained for. There is a dead body in the house and Eliot Ness’s ashes have vanished. Pepper sets out to solve the murder of the man in the house where the ashes were supposed to be. But when a mysterious package arrives for Pepper, containing the spirit of Al Capone, and her boyfriend Quinn begins acting strange, things go from bad to worse.

Graveyard Shift is another installment of the Pepper Martin series, and offers few surprises. I missed a couple books- and so missed some of the relationship development between Pepper and Quinn. However, I think I was able to catch up quickly as far as that goes. I had missed the reintroduction of her parents too, that took me a bit longer to get used to. I liked the larger mystery- getting to delve into a gangster related mystery again was fun, even of we were on the right side of the law this time around. My most common complaint with cozy mysteries is when I expect a big twist long before it is revealed, and that did happen here. However, there was also the introduction of new characters with personalities and implications I was not expecting. I liked the pace of the mystery, and the danger Pepper finds herself in. I think the story offers good entertainment, and I was thinking about what would need to happen next when I had to put the book down to deal with necessities (like feeding my family) but overall it was not as enthralling as I had hoped for.

Graveyard Shift is a quick read that offers followers of the series exactly what they expect, and are looking for. It was a entertaining read, but nothing that stood out to me in a genre that I have been reading more and more. It was fun, and a nice diversion- but did not stay with me after I finished.