Spring is in the air, but for Edindale, Illinois, attorney Keli Milanni, murder is the only thing blooming . . . Keli’s looking forward to Beltane, the time-honored Wiccan holiday that celebrates life with feasting, ceremonial dancing, and ancient Celtic rituals. But since recently leaving her law firm and opening her own practice, Keli has more on her plate than simple abundance. Still, she … simple abundance. Still, she always has time for a friend. Erik, a Druid from a neighboring town, has had a run of bad luck he blames on a curse cast by his ex-girlfriend Denise, a practicing witch whose expertise in the dark arts can’t save her from her own deadly end.
When Keli finds herself a person of interest in the investigation, she begins to wonder if she herself might be cursed. With a little help from her friends, including her devoted boyfriend Wes, Keli aims to find out who poisoned Denise. What she uncovers is a witch’s brew of spells, hexes, and black magic that raises questions about her own Wiccan worldview. As the community gathers for the May Day festivities, it’s up to Keli to stop a killer from springing ahead to another murder . . .
Praise for the Wiccan Wheel Mysteries
“A perfect read.” —Library Journal on Yuletide Homicide
“Enjoyable . . . A wintry, woodsy setting.”
—Kirkus Reviews on Bell, Book & Candlemas
“A good atmospheric read for fall.” —Parkersburg News & Sentinel on Samhain Secrets
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I look forward to each new book in this series. I have enjoyed everyone and this is another terrific read. I’ve been drawn to the main character in the series since the very beginning. We have a bit in common (same birth date and profession). The story just grabbed my attention from the start and like always, I just kept reading to see how this one was going to end. I think the author has done a wonderful job with the character development. Keli is a very likable characters and continues to discover who she is and what she wants. I like how Wes is opening up and becoming more open minded about Keli’s practice of Wicca. The mystery was well done and kept me guessing. I never could pinpoint just who I thought was responsible.
I will definitely continue with the series and be back for the next book. I voluntarily read an digital ARC provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
The mystery is fast paced and has a good flow. This book had more Wiccan / pagan tradition in it than Samhain Secrets did and I found some of it difficult to follow since I know so little about those practices. But I enjoyed the story – Keli is a fun and feisty protagonist with loads of charm.
Attorney Keli Milanni has recently opened her own law office after leaving the practice where she had recently mad partner. She’s still trying to keep her Wicca faith private but events soon make that difficult. With Spring on its way, the Beltane holiday is fast approaching and Keli has some decisions to make. When she helps a fellow Pagan, a Druid named Erick, they stumble upon the body of his ex-girlfriend and Keli soon finds herself a person of interest in the murder. Soon she is delving into the mystery and doing her own investigation so she can clear her name.
I love this series and this book is no exception. Intriguing and fast-moving, I was hooked from the beginning and kept enthralled until the end. The characters, whether you like them or not, are full-fledged and the book’s well-written. I’m eager for the next book. I highly recommend both book and series which I suggest you read in order.
Attorney Keli Milanni is looking forward to Beltane, the time-honored Wiccan holiday that celebrates life with feasting, ceremonial dancing, and ancient Celtic rituals. Having recently opened her own practice she is still getting used to the fact she is the business. When she decides to help out her friend Erik who is blaming his bad luck on his ex whom he believes put a curse on him. When the ex turns up dead and Keli finds herself a person of interest she begins to believe she may be cursed too. Can Keli uncover what is really going on and who the murderer truly is or will she miss the May Day festivities?
Although this is the 5th book in the series it was my first book. I had no trouble following the storyline or understanding the characters relationships. The characters are interesting and the mystery is full of red herrings. This is a quick fun read which I would recommend to cozy mystery fans.
I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.
This story is definitely a unique twist in cozies. The protagonist, Keli Milanni, is a wiccan lawyer that finds herself involved with “witchy people” in trying to solve a murder entangled with hexes and curses. However, she soon finds herself a victim of harassment or maybe even a curse or two.
This is an intriguing and sometimes suspenseful story. It moves along at a good pace giving readers lots of information but yet keeps the murderer unknown until the end.
Thanks to Kensington books and NetGalley for an ARC of this story. The opinions expressed are my own.
I’ve missed a couple books in this series, but I honestly didn’t feel like it when I dived right in to this fifth addition to the Wiccan Wheel series. Keli has her own firm and is doing OK when she is drawn into the murder of a new acquaintance’s ex-girlfriend. Keli can’t help herself and uses her spare time to investigate the murder, especially because she’s considered a suspect as she and this new acquaintance discovered the body. Along the way, she realizes she may have been hexed because nothing goes right in her life after discovering the body and starting the investigation. I quite enjoyed this book, and most of the way through the book I smugly thought to myself “I know who did it.” Well, guess what? I was wrong! If you love paranormal cozies, definitely give this one a try! I highly recommend this book and was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.
A Cozy Book – Keli’s looking forward to Beltane, the time-honored Wiccan holiday that celebrates life with feasting, ceremonial dancing, and ancient Celtic rituals. But since recently leaving her law firm and opening her own practice, Keli has more on her plate than simple abundance. Still, she always has time for a friend. Erik, a Druid from a neighboring town, has had a run of bad luck he blames on a curse cast by his ex-girlfriend Denise, a practicing witch whose expertise in the dark arts can’t save her from her own deadly end.
When Keli finds herself a person of interest in the investigation, she begins to wonder if she herself might be cursed. With a little help from her friends, including her devoted boyfriend Wes, Keli aims to find out who poisoned Denise. What she uncovers is a witch’s brew of spells, hexes, and black magic that raises questions about her own Wiccan worldview. As the community gathers for the May Day festivities, it’s up to Keli to stop a killer from springing ahead to another murder.
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Series: A Wiccan Wheel Mystery – Book 5
Author: Jennifer David Hesse
Genre: Cozy Mystery/ Witch/Paranormal
Publisher: Kensington Books
May Day Murder a cozy book by Jennifer David Hesse from Kensington Books comes a new addition to the “A Wiccan Wheel Mystery” series. Which also happens to be one of the best cozy series on the market today. Readers flock to the bookstore to get the latest addition. Fueled by the wiccan movement across the globe, Ms. Hesse demonstrates her grasp of what people want. Not only in a cozy mystery but in their lives.
Keli Milanni is a superior character who has been created to be likable with human flaws. She is at times far too trusting of her fellow man. Fearful of what will happen when her friends and peers find out that she is a practicing wiccan. She is private with her beliefs and her lifestyle tries desperately to keep her life out of the public eye yet keeps getting thrust into the limelight where time and time again, her spiritual side is being revealed to those around her. She is torn between what she knows is right and what she wants to do with little space between the two to distinguish between them.
Other characters such as Keli’s live-in boyfriend, Wes, and her friends such as Farrah are developing into wonderfully diverse characters that help with investigations and keeping Keli on the straight path. They are learning to appreciate as well as respect her beliefs and choices without sacrificing their own.
In May Day Murder, Keli has finally come to the point where she must make a decision to keep her career separate from her beliefs or give up the hard work of keeping them separate and much of the real her hidden form those she sees and deals with daily. Her conflicting emotions get her caught up in another murder. Her decision is taken out of her hands when the killer zero’s in on her as she tries to help keep herself out of prison.
Discovering the murder of a complete stranger has the police looking at her as the top and possibly only suspect. All because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the end she has to take stock of her desire to keep her life private or unmask a killer before she becomes the next victim. In the end the killer is caught but not without problems. The identity of the murder and the motive is a bit of a surprise and will leave readers happy and satisfied.
I highly recommend this cozy book and series. If readers enjoy great cozy series such as the “Abracadabra Mystery Series” by Sharon Pape or Carol J. Perry’s “A Witch City Mystery” Readers will love “A Wiccan Wheel Mystery series”. Highly entertaining and enjoyable!
May Day Murder by Jennifer David Hesse was a breath of fresh air at this time of year.
Ms. Hesse’s characters are slowly developing now so that we get more and more insights into Keli, Wes and Farrah. I like Keli but this time she she seemed to be just a little too trusting which surprised me as she has not shown that side of herself before. Wes and Kelli’s relationship seemed to be going through some growing pains in this book. Although that’s a natural part of relationship growth, it still seemed that some of their conversations were a little flat and stilted. The plot is well-crafted, quickly paced with a few twists, several red herrings, very few suspects and a chilling reveal. There is also a secondary mystery thread that runs through this story that is unresolved at the end that I look forward to pursuing in the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.