A fun cozy mystery of witches, magic, and the haunted history of Salem, Massachusetts! When a copycat killer has reporter Lee Barrett brushing up on ancient history, it’s a test where failure could be lethal . . . As a Salem, Massachusetts, native, WICH-TV field reporter and amateur sleuth Lee Barrett is well versed in the region’s lore. So when the murder of revered local professor Samuel Bond … the murder of revered local professor Samuel Bond resembles a killing from almost two centuries ago, everyone is on edge. Especially assistant professor Cody McGinnis . . .
Not only did Cody have differences with Bond, he even taught a course on the historic murder. And when his fingerprints and ladder are found at the crime scene, the police are certain of his guilt. Cody’s family, however, believes otherwise and asks Lee for assistance. Now, with the help of her clairvoyant cat, O’Ryan, her tech-savvy librarian aunt and housemate Ibby, and Pete Mondello, her handsome detective beau, Lee will delve deeper than ever into Salem’s past—and into her own psychic gifts—to find the real killer—before someone else is history . . .
Praise for the Witch City Mysteries
“Perfectly relaxing and readable.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“This rewarding paranormal cozy series debut will have Victoria Laurie fans lining up to follow.”
—Library Journal
“An entertaining story that keeps readers guessing until the very twisted and eerie end.”
—RT Book Reviews
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Wow! I was thrilled to have found this new author & book, “Murder, Take Two” which is book 10 from the (Witch City Mystery series) and a perfect PNR cozy mystery with a totally fresh storyline! … Relatable characters, great descriptions with twists and turns that breathes life into the characters! … I was hooked from the start & turning pages like crazy not wanting to stop when I had to! … I only wish I would have found Ms. Carol J. Perry & this series before, as I don’t really care to read backwards (like her books 1-9 in this series) but I like them enough that I may someday 🙂 … I’ve already started the next book 11 & love it, too 🙂 Even tho I borrowed this through my Amazon Prime Books free reading, I can honestly recommend this to all fans of fiction and now I can’t wait to read more from this author!
I have a liking for cozy mystery books. This one had me reading when I should have been doing other things.
This is the 10th in a series I have enjoyed for awhile. The characters and setting (Salem, Mass.) are interesting. Our heroine has some supernatural powers. She uses them to help solve mysteries.
I mean don’t we all know that I love this series from Carol J. Perry.
When a local murder seems to mirror a historical murder can investigative reporter Lee Barrett and her band of merry “snoopers” find out what happened?
I adore this series so much. I love Lee and Pete. I love Aunt Ibby and River North. I think my favorite character is probably O’Ryan my favorite character. While this story was a bit predictable, I still enjoyed reading it. I loved the aspects of the historical murder and the aspects of the game Clue. I did wish that there was a bit more of Pete in this book. I missed him a little bit. I need more commitment from them! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!!
I’ve read almost every book in this series and loved it. I was excited to dive into this tenth (10!) book in the series. It was wonderful getting to see the characters again, and it didn’t take long to get involved in the plot. I liked that a real murder was woven into the plot of this murder mystery. The writing is as good as always. I didn’t find this one quite as engaging as the other ones, but I think if I hadn’t read the others, I wouldn’t have even noticed. That aside, I did quite enjoy this one, but I was confused about Aunt Ibby; I thought she was involved with someone? This is a great cozy paranormal (just a little) mystery series. Recommend.
This is my first book in this series to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lee is a reporter at a Salem MA WICH-TV. A local murder finds 2 of her former students’ nephew charged. She becomes involved in the story which seems to be a copycat of an old 1800’s murder. Stories tie together and involve an older group of Charlie’s Angels and a Clue game. Lots of fun!
Lee Barrett has come along way from the young widow returning to her home in Salem to live with her Aunt Ibby and work a late night gig as the psychic hosting a horror movie. Along the way she has adopted a cat, O’ryan, who was the familiar to the previous late night host who was murdered. That was Lee’s first case and, with this, the 10th of the series, she has left her teaching job at The Tabby, the local arts academy and is now back to doing live tv reporting. Life is good, she and Aunt Ibby share a great old house and Lee has a steady boyfriend who is a local police detective. Together they also uncover their share of killers.
One evening Lee receives a call from one of her former students, a retired Boston police officer with ties to Salem. His nephew is the prime suspect in a local murder and Lee, it turns out, has several ties to the case – not only is the suspect the nephew of her former student but her boyfriend is the lead detective and Lee is covering the story for the local tv station. Of course she will do whatever she can to clear the nephew, Cody and find the real killer, hopefully before she becomes the next victim. One of the tools Lee has at her disposal is her special talent – she is a scryer, able to see vision in shiny surfaces like mirrors and even a patent leather shoe in one book. She also gets help from O’Ryan, one of my favorite mystery cats.
One of the most interesting threads to this mystery was the use of a real murder in Salem, from 1830. Capt. Joseph White was the victim and his supposed killer was Dick Crowninshield, son of a very wealthy local family. The author’s father worked for Salem based Parker Brothers game company and she weaves in the game of Clue. It’s a wonderful mix and made for another very satisfying mystery to try and unravel. This series has earned a permanent spot on my must never miss reading list.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
clairvoyant, law-enforcement, cozy-mystery, television, university, massachusetts, amateur-sleuth, murder-investigation
To start with, I’ve never even heard about this series but I love this offering and want to read the earlier books for fun and not because they seem vital to enjoying this one. Lee has an interesting past, intriguing friends, and a nose for more than just news. At the request of two of said friends (retired homicide cops who are identical twins) she asks for sleuthing help from some savvy seniors who know how to find out things that law enforcement can’t. Seems that there has been a perplexing murder that closely mimics a real historical one from the area and the chief suspect is nephew to the men who asked for assistance. Excellent cozy with some really fun touches. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!