Tarnished and Torn: A Witchcraft Mystery (Witchcraft Mystery, #5)

by Juliet Blackwell

As the owner of a popular vintage clothing store, Lily Ivory can enjoy a day of antique jewelry shopping and still call it work. But as one of San Francisco’s resident witches, searching for hidden treasures can sometimes lead to dangerous discoveries…
 
When Lily arrives at an antique jewelry fair, her bargain sensors go off left and right—but she also picks up a faint vibration of magic. Could the hard-bargaining merchant Griselda be a fellow practitioner? It certainly seems that way when a sudden fire sends panic through the crowd, and Lily discovers Griselda murdered in a way that nods to an old-fashioned witch hunt…
 
A crime that hits close to home turns into an unwelcome flash from the past when the police bring in their lead suspect—Lily’s estranged father. Though he may not deserve her help, Lily is determined to clear her father’s name and solve a murder that’s anything but crystal clear. 

• ISBN10: 045124009X
• ISBN13: 9780451240095
• Publish Date: 2 July 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451240095

Reviews

[Baroness Book Trove]

Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell is about a Gem Fair coming to town and a heatwave that doesn’t work out quite right with them being next to the ocean.

Can Lily figure out what’s wrong before it’s too late?

Lily Ivory
Lily Ivory learns from the last book that her dad is coming to town, but he hasn’t really come looking for her. She learns a lot about her Mexican heritage from another Mexican family hosting a quinceanera for one of their daughters. Lily has to take this knowledge and hopefully remember it when it comes to the right moment.

I love getting to know Lily a lot. She knows what she can and can’t do in terms of her spell work while also knowing she has to finish her training. Lily is trying hard to further her witch training, and unknowingly this book helps her out a lot. She is protective of her friends and who she considers family.

The Mystery
Lily Ivory accidentally stumbles upon a dead body of a Gem Fair seller pressed to death. In Lily’s mind, she has to find out why the seller was targeted and what the murderer was after. She has to deal with all of that and find out some stuff about her dad and other things that have happened. Lily is up to her knees in another magical mystery that might be a magical case with one part of it.

Five Stars
Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell is about Lily having to deal with hot weather, a possible visit from her father, and now a murder investigation that may or may not be connected to magic except for how the victim died. Ms. Blackwell did a fantastic job on this whole thing as I didn’t guess who the killer actually was. I guessed the other part right but not the killer. Lily and her friends are always a nice treat to sit down and read their stories while getting caught up in finding a killer. Every time I step into one of these books, I feel like I’m right there in San Francisco with them, and it feels so lovely.

I am giving Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell five stars and a huge recommendation to read this series for anyone that loves an excellent cozy paranormal mystery. I can’t help but recommend this series enough to anyone that hasn’t read them yet.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

[MurderByDeath]

4.5 stars. Excellent read I didn't want to put down until it was over. The characters feel like friends at this point and it's nice to 'visit' with them at Aunt Cora's Closet.

The plot line is a big one - maybe a teensy bit too big even for the suspension of disbelief - but a fun one. Even though the 'bad guys' are clear from the beginning, the villain of the murder wasn't at all and surprised me a bit.

I'd have liked to see a bit more of Sailor but at least he puts in his appearance eventually. Some explanations of behaviour would be nice too. But I can't wait until I get to visit the gang again. I'm only sorry I'll have to wait another year to do it.