By Familiar Means by Delia James

By Familiar Means (Witch's Cat Mystery, #2)

by Delia James

In the latest from the author of A Familiar Tail, a witch and her familiar find trouble brewing at a coffee house.
 
After discovering her mystical heritage—and being adopted by furry feline familiar Alistair—artist Annabelle Britton has decided to make picturesque Portsmouth, New Hampshire, her new home. Now, she can take the time to figure out her new abilities and welcome her grandmother, who is visiting Portsmouth, and her old coven, for the first time in thirty years.
 
But being a witch doesn’t magically put money in the bank. When she’s hired to paint the murals for...Read more

Reviewed by MurderByDeath on

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Not bad, not great.  Nothing new, but pleasantly written with genuinely nice characters.  Annabelle's grandmother is in town and she gets involved in the 'mystery' of course.  She sometimes skirts the bleeding edge of what's fast becoming a 'grandma' trope in cozies: an 80 year old with the body of a 60 year old and the maturity of a 20 year old.  There's a love triangle brewing too - not once has it been articulated, but you just know it's there, lurking.   Annabelle takes on a mural commission and while touring the new premises, finds a secret tunnel with a dead body.  Because it's not really a secret tunnel unless there's a dead body.   The mystery plotting was...ok.  I'm not sure anymore if whodunits are just being poorly plotted and written, or if the new trend is to make it obvious who the bad guys are, but keep the reader guessing as to which bad guy actually did the deed.  If this were real life the culprits would have been labelled inept before page 50.  Even in print, the false leads were weak beyond belief and the arrest made no sense.   But even so, this wasn't an unenjoyable read.  It was light and relaxing; I just won't go crazy for the next one.

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  • Started reading
  • 8 January, 2017: Finished reading
  • 8 January, 2017: Reviewed