Murder's a Witch: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery, #1)

by Danielle Garrett

• ISBN10: 1976021537
• ISBN13: 9781976021534
• Publish Date: 14 September 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 330
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Holly Bolt, a potions witch is given one last chance for a fresh start and is residing in a halfway house, run by a ghost for paranormals. She lives with a shifter wolf, vampire and a strange man on the third floor who keeps odd hours. The manor is situated in the quiet town of Beechwood Harbor where Holly works fulltime as a barista.

The story that unfolds was an interesting one and begins with a man sneaking around their house. She confronts him, and he claims to be interested in hosting haunted tours in her home. Holly begins to worry its something more. Before she even has time to contemplate what he is up to, she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigating, and her fellow employee is the prime suspect. She vows to clear her friend's name but must tread carefully, or she'll soon find herself in trouble with the paranormal community. To complicate matters the ghostly owner of their home is depressed, and the wolf and vampire are fighting.

Garrett did a fantastic job of introducing us to our heroine and key secondary characters while delighting us with a murder-mystery. Twists, suspects and paranormal complications kept me engaged. The town has all the charm one would expect in a small-town and the downside too, like nosey neighbors and town gossips. The murder is the talk of the town.

I love the premise of the halfway house, and we learn a little about the hierarchy in the paranormal world and the agency that monitors these displaced paranormals. I like that the supernatural world lives side-by-side in secret with humans.

This series has five published books out, and all have four plus stars on Goodreads. I am delighted to see them beginning to publish in audio format.

I've enjoyed the narrations of Amanda Ronconi and in truth, weighed heavily on my decision to start the series. She captured Holly, the residence of the manor and the small-town charm. I am hoping she continues to narrate the series. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

I will admit that I grabbed this audiobook because I thought the cover was cute, the blurb sounded interesting and most important of all, I LOVE Amanda Ronconi. This isn’t the first time that I saw a favorite narrator listed and I decide to look more closely at the book. I’ve found some really great stories by browsing by narrator. It is something I highly recommend. This was another winner for me.

So this book is about Holly Boldt. She’s a witch. She’s lived the majority of her life in Havens, which are almost like a parallel world for supernaturals. However, she’s been banned from the Haven and now has to live on Earth. She is living in a house with three other roommates (werewolf, vampire and unknown), all of which are supernatural. The owner of the house is a ghost who still lives in the attic. The SPA, which is kinda like a government for supernaturals, does all the legal stuff for the ghost homeowner.

There isn’t much of a mystery at the beginning as the author builds the world and introduces several characters. While it takes a bit for the suspense to get underway, I found that I still enjoyed the story. I had fun with the characters as I was getting to know them.

Then Holly’s boss turns up dead. Not only dead, but murdered. Holly works at a coffee shop. Her boss was bludgeoned to death with a bottle of peppermint syrup. Eww. The issue then because that Holly’s best friend, who also argued with the shop owner the night before her death, also spilled peppermint syrup on her shoes. You can see the problem.

I should also add that there is a new guy in town, a private investigator. He also does paranormal investigations on the side, which has the tenants of Beechwood Manor a little on edge. There is also the new owner of the coffee shop. Also, one of the “unknown” tenant of the house is acting weird. So there are plenty of suspects to go around.

I thought this was a quick and fun listen. I really enjoyed the story. I felt it had some humor too it. The suspense was great. I really enjoyed my time with all of the characters. This is my first cozy mystery. I really enjoyed it. I’m excited to get more of these books under my belt. I need to find more of these paranormal cozy mysteries.

Narration
What can I say Amanda Ronconi? If you haven’t tried her, I highly recommend her. I know her mostly from Molly Harper’s books, but I’ve listened to her narrate a few other things. She is a great narrator. Especially, if the book has humor in it. There is something about the way she reads a book that really brings out the humor. You can’t help but laugh out loud. Again, look this woman up. She is a lot of fun.

**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.