This Magick Marmot by Sharon Pape

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

Reviewed by annieb123 on

4 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 June, 2020: Finished reading
  • 7 June, 2020: Reviewed