Oh, my.

Sarah Braxton's life in Seashell Cove gets complicated by the paranormal goings-on surrounding a rash of dead rats appearing on doorsteps and bloody warnings scrawled on windows. The plot thickens when some new and slightly worrisome new faces show up in the small coastal town.

T. Thorn Coyle's facility with character, plot, and setting shine in this series from the very first volume. They paint a vivid picture of life in this small, sometimes struggling, town, balancing magic with mundane with aplomb, and weaves their own spell over the Sarah and her friends, bringing them to life. Coyle repeatedly demonstrates a deft touch with the mystery genre, mixing it well in a paranormal cauldron to tease the reader through the maze with just the right amount of clue and subterfuge to keep the pages turning - if only to see if you've guessed correctly before the Big Reveal.

Highly recommended, of course.

I read the first four books over the summer of 2022 and jumped on this new volume as soon as I spotted it in my queue. I urge you to go back and start from book 1 - Bookshop Witch - to follow Sarah Braxton's journey from the beginning.

You can thank me later.