This Magick Marmot (Abracadabra Mystery, #5)

by Sharon Pape

Praise for Magick & Mayhem, the first Abracadabra mystery

“Spellbinding, with magical prose, a wizardly plot, and a charming sleuth.”
—Janet Bolin, national bestselling author

“A charming, must-read mystery with enchanting characters.”
—Rose Pressey, USA Today bestselling author

“Magic, Merlin, and murder are a great mix for this fun debut cozy.”
—Lynn Cahoon, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

A fatal case of school spirit . . .

Kailyn Wilde, owner of the Abracadabra potion shop, feels some dread anticipating her ten-year high school reunion at the new hotel in New Camel—but it turns out even worse than she feared. Running into her very first boyfriend is pleasant enough. Chatting with Ashley—who still can’t let go of a tragedy that happened on prom night—is a bit more uncomfortable. But the worst part comes when one of Kailyn’s oldest friends is found dead in the ladies’ room.

Soon this upstate New York town is in an uproar. And with some help from time-traveling wizard Merlin—who has adopted an unusual and alluring creature as his familiar—it’s up to Kailyn to identify the alumnus most likely to commit murder . . .

“Pape has a sure‐handed balance of humor and action.”
—Julie Hyzy, New York Times bestselling author

• ISBN10: 1516108752
• ISBN13: 9781516108756
• Publish Date: 7 April 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing
• Imprint: Lyrical Underground
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 200
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9781516108756

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: my link text.

This Magick Marmot is the 5th book in the Abracadabra mystery series by Sharon Pape. Released 7th April 2020 by Kensington, it's 200 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a fun and lighthearted paranormal cozy with a whimsical ensemble cast, and punny titles. The setting is the fictional small tourist town of New Camel. Main protagonist (witch, amateur sleuth, and potion shop owner of the titular Abracadabra) is nearly 30-something Kailyn Wilde. When one of her best friends from high school is murdered at their 10 year high school reunion, she steps in to solve the crime.

The returning main characters - the trio of magic shop owner and telekinetic powerhouse Kailyn, her slightly dithery-but-sweet Aunt Tilly, and Merlin (yes, that Merlin) are back solving another murder.

I will say that for the paranormal cozy mystery subgenre, this one is well written. It's silly and somewhat humorous. It is well plotted and the dialogue is well written. Despite being the 5th book in the series, it does work as a standalone, and all the necessary backstory is written in. The series as a whole reminds me nos

I enjoyed the book a lot, but must admit that my suspension of disbelief suffered more than a few dings every time Kailyn's mother and grandmother showed up (as clouds whose color changes reminded me of some sort of afterlife mood rings). Readers in search of pure escapist fantasy could find a nice read here. The physics involved (or counfounded) over the paranormal parts of the plot (Kailyn is a telekinetic), will require some mental gymnastics to get around.

The language and plot are fairly clean (a few 'hells' and 'damns' but nothing worse), and there's a chaste and consensual romance subplot, nothing that would scandalize anyone's auntie.

Three and a half stars, rounded up because the author is quite adept and it's a fun read, it's got lots of cats, (and I love Merlin).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Baroness Book Trove]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This Magick Marmot by Sharon Pape is a fascinating cozy mystery that kept me on my toes. Merlin, by far, is the best comedy relief.

Who killed Genna? Is it the same person that murdered Scott?

Kailyn Wilde

Kailyn Wilde is our sleuth and point-of-view character like she has been for the past four books. She is a good witch trying to run her family's business while keeping her town safe. It also doesn't help when her grandfather Merlin, has caused trouble for her and Tilly. Merlin and Tilly are the funniest characters when they are together, and when they are apart, it's just Merlin. Kailyn is a great person for trying to do these cases. 

What I like about Kailyn is that she tries her hardest to be an average person. Yet, she is trying to figure out what other magical powers that she possesses before her 30th birthday in two years. Another thing that I like about her is that she is so in love with Travis that it is generally cute to see, especially when they need that break from a severe case. Like with this case, they needed a lot of breaks.

The Mystery

The mystery is one that has been in the making for ten years, and, sadly, it has taken this long. Scott Desmond was a friend of Kailyn's in high school until he drowns on their prom night. One of Kailyn's other friends named Genna died at their ten-year class reunion, and of course, Kailyn and Travis are on the case. I admit I fell for a lot of the red herrings for it, but it all made sense when it was being told at the end why the person did it.

Five Stars

This Magick Marmot by Sharon Pape is the funniest cozy mystery series I have read. Merlin is the comedy relief, but the mystery is what gets the reader involved, you know, trying to beat the sleuth to solve the mystery. Ms. Pape has done an excellent job on this, and I can't wait to read more from her in the future. I am giving this story five stars and recommending it to any reader that is a cozy paranormal mystery.

Other Book in the Series:

 

Giveaway

Prize:  (1) Digital Set of 5 of Abracadabra Mysteries by Sharon Pape

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Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove