‘I loved this book so much!… I ended up reading it all in one night because I just couldn’t put it down… Such amazing characters… so much fun!’ Goodreads reviewer Witches. Family curses. Poisoned cups of tea. For resident psychic Temerity Love, it’s just another day at the office. Psychic investigator Temerity Love is just about to take her first bite of a warm buttered scone at The Singing … bite of a warm buttered scone at The Singing Kettle – the town of Lost Maidens’ best, and possibly haunted, cafe – when the door flies off its hinges to reveal a wind-blown messenger bearing some pretty shocking news: sweet-as-pie local schoolteacher Miss Molly Baliss has been murdered in the teacher’s lounge at break time.
Temerity hurries to the side of Lost Maidens police officer Angus Harley – not that she’s exactly welcome there. Angus has no time for professional psychics, especially when they come with an awesome rockabilly wardrobe and a stubborn streak a mile wide. But truth be told, Angus needs help: a spooky black mirror found next to Molly’s body points to a murderer who knows his way around the occult. Lights, camera, action: this is Temerity’s moment to shine.
Temerity knows she won’t rest easy until Molly’s murderer is caught. The thing is, anybody in town – from the town’s new doctor to the sassy maid at the big manor house – could be a suspect… and this time the killer is hiding in plain sight. But how can she catch the culprit when Angus is stepping on her heels at every turn?! He’s just so difficult… and infuriating… and, okay okay, gorgeous (focus, Temerity!). Can this completely unconventional duo solve the most mysterious murder ever to blight Lost Maidens Loch before the killer strikes again?
What readers are saying about Kennedy Kerr:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Absolutely fantastic, had me gripped! Loved it! Can’t wait for more from this author. Storyline was great, characters were easy to connect with.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I absolutely adored this book. What a rollercoaster of emotions. It kept you guessing from start to finish. I loved it! It played on your emotions relating to all the different characters. I hope this is a series. I can’t wait to read more about the characters more in depth.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘I really enjoyed this book. I liked the mystery – it really kept me guessing. The mystery had a number of twists and turns. I will enjoy getting to know the characters and the town.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘A book of murder and romance set in a village in modern day Scotland involving the Laird, police, and two modern witches. It’s an extremely good story written by someone who understands how witchcraft has evolved in the 21st century… Loved it!’ Goodreads reviewer
‘If you like your mysteries with a touch of witchcraft and romance this is for you. I really enjoyed this, I think Temerity, Tilda and their wonderful pets are great characters and I hope this is just the start of a long series!’ NetGalley reviewer
‘This was a nifty mystery involving magic! I really liked the characters of Temerity and Tilda…I really enjoyed this mystery!’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘The author does a great job of developing Temerity’s character and the descriptive prose helped transport me to the small town of Lost Maidens Loch and its gossipy, idiosyncratic townspeople…If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a bit of magic and a potential for romance, then you may well like this novel as much as I did.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘A good start to a new series…The characters are interesting. The setting is one of my favorites. The plot was full of action and twists. The supernatural aspects are not the typical stuff we have seen over and over again in the genre. I will definitely be reading the next book.’ Goodreads reviewermore
“A Spell of Murder” the first book in the “Lost Maidens Loch Mysteries” by Kennedy Kerr. Great start to a new series!
In the sleepy town of Lost Maidens Loch, people sometimes disappear…
Down a quiet lane in town sits a little shop full of oddities you’d probably miss if you weren’t looking for it. This is Love’s Curiosities Inc., and its owner, Temerity Love, is sought by experts all over the world for her rare and magical gift: the ability to find lost things and learn their stories.
When Lost Maidens’ pretty local school teacher is found murdered by a poisoned cup of tea, a strange antique hand mirror is discovered nearby. Temerity – with the help of witchy sister Tilda, their cats Scylla and Charybdis and the lovingly eccentric local townspeople – is determined to divine the story behind the mirror and its part in Miss Molly Bayliss’ untimely death.
If only grumpy out-of-towner Angus Harley of Lost Maidens Police wasn’t on the scene. Temerity can’t solve the crime without him, but he’s distracting, and in more ways than one. Can this unconventional duo solve the most mysterious murder ever to blight Lost Maidens Loch before the killer strikes again?
The story is set in the small village of Lost Maidens Loch, Scotland where sisters Temerity and Tilda Love, run Love’s Curiosities, Inc, a little shop full of oddities.
This was a fabulous paranormal cosy mystery and as I mentioned previously I loved the sisters’ familiars – cats, Scylla and Charybdis, plus the parrot, Hebrides!. As expected in small town cozies there was quirky villagers, as well as newcomer Constable Angus Harley and will he become Temerity’s love interest? Temerity’s inner musings about him constantly cracked me up.
As for the mystery it was full of twists, turns which made this a story I did not want to put down nor end …
I can’t wait for book two and getting to know the Love sisters and other residents of Lost Maidens Loch better.
I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Booktoure and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own
A story with many twists and turns that are unpredictable all the way until the end.
Temerity lives with her sister, Tilda, and they are both witches. Temerity has the gift of psychometry, which gives her the power to glean information by touch. Being in the antiques business, this gift comes in handy. However, she also uses this to help solve crimes, and when a local teacher gets murdered under mysterious circumstances, Temerity finds herself involved in the investigation.
Temerity is a likable character—very loyal and helpful and sort of funny, at least in her mind. We don’t get to see her sister too much, but from what we do see, she appears to be kindhearted and smart, which makes me want to know more about her. We also meet Constable Harley Angus, who is a potential love interest for Temerity. However, she’s very much hung up on her first love who died when they were still teenagers, and that left her a little standoffish. Harley is a little harder to get to know because he’s very reserved and logical. He has a hard time believing in Temerity’s gift, but as they work together to solve the case, they both open up more, and their relationship adds another nice dynamic to the story.
Overall this is detailed and has many side-plots that you need to pay attention to so you don’t get lost. There are a few lulls in the story, but a lot happens, and it keeps you guessing all the way until the end, so for the most part, it is entertaining throughout.
If you are looking for something with intrigue, murder, witchcraft, and potential love, then A Spell of Murder might be a good choice.
Well, it’s realistic except for the witchy part. I just really enjoyed this book and did not pre-guess who done it
Scottish Paranormal Cozy Mystery
This book is the first in a new series; Lost Maidens Mysteries. The plot was just wonderful with just enough paranormal elements to get the reader in the spirit. The crime ended up being complex with hidden motivations. This looks like it will be a great series. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
I’ve been on a big cozy paranormal kick lately, and I thought this one would fit the bill. I hadn’t read this author before, so I didn’t know what to expect. What I got was a delightful, well-written paranormal cozy with interesting characters. Temerity and her sister Tilda are an amusing pair of characters who live in a small village in Scotland. They are witches and each has a gift. Temerity has helped the local law enforcement with crimes before, but the new officer doesn’t believe in that hocus pocus…until Temerity shows off her stuff. At times, I found Temerity hard to relate to, but even with that (I know sometimes a series starter can be a little rough), I am really looking forward to more books in this series. I hope we find out what happened to Patrick…or maybe not. I do recommend! I was provided a copy which I voluntarily recommend!
Great start to a new series. Loved this small town and it’s cast of charters. The Love sisters, Temerity and Tilda, intrigued me from the start. I enjoyed watching Angus and Temerity work together. Looking forward to another visit to Lost Maidens Loch. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC received via NetGalley.
A Spell of Murder by Kennedy Kerr is the first book I’ve read by this author and the first book in the A Lost Maidens Loch series.
This book was smoothly paced but slow in the beginning. I rather expected this as the author needed to introduce the characters and the community but the plot didn’t really pick up until about the middle of the book. Temerity Love has a psychometry talent which allows her to see the history of an object that she holds in her hands. The new constable, Angus Harley, is a non-believer when he first meets Temerity but that changes as she become more involved with the investigation. The local community has some quirky characters that help to move the story along and there were several twists and turns to keep me guessing until the reveal.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
A SPELL OF MURDER by Kennedy Kerr is a well-written witch cozy mystery. The story takes place a small village set on the edge of a loch in Scotland and has a mixture of mystery, police procedural and magic combined in one short novel.
Temerity Love operates the family shop, Love’s Curiosities, Inc. and lives above it with her sister Tilda who focuses on rare and old books. They also have two cats and Hyacinth Macaw that live with them. Tilda is known as an herbalist and witch while Temerity is sought by experts all over the world for her magical gift which enables her to find lost items or give hints of an item’s provenance.
A local school teacher is found murdered in the school staff room and Temerity along with the local Inspector, Kim Hyland, and a new constable, Angus Harley, work to solve the murder. There are several twists and turns within the story line.
The author does a great job of developing Temerity’s character and the descriptive prose helped transport me to the small town of Lost Maidens Loch and its gossipy, idiosyncratic townspeople.
How does Temerity get in on the police investigation? Who murdered the teacher? Why was she murdered? If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a bit of magic and a potential for romance, then you may well like this novel as much as I did.
Many thanks to Bookouture, Kennedy Kerr and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.