Wicked Witch Murder
Leslie Meier
Kensington, Aug 31 2010, $24.00
ISBN 9780758229298
In Tinker's Grove, Maine, with her cat familiar Piewocketat her side, Wiccan storeowner of the charming shop Solstice, Lady Diana Ravenscroft, high priestess of the Silver Coven, sends a warning to Pennysaver reporter Lucy Stone to expect danger. Lucy thinks nothing of the reading as she is used to being in danger.
Lucy is walking her dog Libby when they come across a burned body in the woods. She learns later the victim is identified as the magician Malcolm Malebranche, a member of the Silver Coven. Diana is stunned as her associate was supposed to be in England not New England. Meanwhile Lucy's teenage daughters Sara and Zoe and their neighbors’ daughter Abby Stoughton find Lady Diana enchanting. When Abbey’s ailing mother dies, her grieving father Ike, a religious fanatic, holds Diana culpable. When Abby becomes very ill, Ike goes berserk with his accusations as Lucy tries to find out what is going on before the teen succumbs like her mom did.
The latest Lucy Stone investigative journalist cozy (see Valentine Murder and Mother's Day Murder) is a terrific entry as deaths seem to converge on Lady Diana. The story line is fast-paced as Lucy follows the clues but struggles to connect the two deaths though Ike swears Lady Diana is a killer. With a neat lat spin, Wicked Witch Murder is a charming New Age murder mystery.
Harriet Klausner
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