Tails, You Lose - Review

Title:  Tails, You Lose

Author:  Carol J. Perry

Series: Witch City Mystery #2

Synopsis: “After losing her job as a TV psychic, Lee Barrett has decided to volunteer her talents as an instructor at the Tabitha Trumbull Academy of the Arts -- known as “The Tabby” – in her hometown of Salem, Massachusetts.  But when the school’s handyman turns up dead under seemingly inexplicable circumstances on Christmas night, Lee’s clairvoyant capabilities begin bubbling to the surface once again.

     “The Tabby is housed in the long-vacant Trumbull’s Department Store.  As Lee and her intrepid students begin work on a documentary charting the store’s history, they unravel a century of family secrets, deathbed whispers – and a mysterious labyrinth of tunnels hidden right below the streets of Salem.  Even the witches in town are spooked, and when Lee begins seeing visions in the large black patent leather pump in her classroom, she’s certain something evil is afoot.  But ghosts in the store’s attic are the least of worries with a killer on the loose…”

Review:  Tails, You Lose is a perfect continuation of the Witch City Mystery series.  The world that Perry has created is opened up to us as we learn about the Tabby and the secrets that lie below the town.  The character development continues as Lee grows in her career choices as a teacher, and with the persistent development of her psychic abilities.  My favorite character is still O’Ryan the cat.  His character has developed a lot from the first book in the series; he is more magical in this book, which I loved.  I read Tails, You Lose from cover to cover in a single Sunday afternoon.  There were a lot of “edge of your seat” moments in this book.  It is a great book and I highly recommend this series for fans of cozy mysteries, and for fans of the paranormal.  If you missed my review of the first book in the series you can find it here: Caught Dead Handed.

     I love this series and can’t wait to read more.  As of right now there are five books in the series, but there are two more coming out this year.  It Takes A Coven releases on February 27, 2018 and Bells, Spells, and Murder releases on September  25, 2018. 

Publisher:  Kensington

If you like this book you may want to read:

Look Both Ways (Witch City Mystery #3) by Carol J. Perry

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum(Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum #1) by Kirsten Weiss

Brownies and Broomsticks (Magical Bakery Mystery #1) by Bailey Cates

Caught Dead Handed - Review

Title:  Caught Dead Handed

Author:  Carol J. Perry

Series:  Witch City Mystery #1

Synopsis:  “Most folks associate the city of Salem, Massachusetts with witches, but for Lee Barrett, it’s home.  This October she’s returned to her hometown – where her beloved Aunt Ibby still lives – to interview for a job as a reporter at WICH – TV.  But the only opening is for a call-in psychic to host the late night horror movies.  It seems the previous host, Ariel Constellation, never saw her own murder coming.

     “Lee reluctantly takes the job, but when she starts seeing real events in the obsidian ball she’s using as a prop, she wonders if she night really have psychic abilities.  To make things even spookier, it’s starting to look like Ariel may have been an actual practicing witch – especially when O’Ryan, the cat Lee and Aunt Ibby inherited from her, exhibits some strange powers of his own.  With Halloween fast approaching, Lee must focus on unmasking a killer – or her career as a psychic may be very short lived…”

Review:  I have a weakness for cozy mysteries involving cats, coffee, or the paranormal.  I call it my guilty pleasure, and for a long time I was embarrassed by it because cozies have a reputation for being fluffy or silly and for being full of clichés.  Well, yeah, that’s kind of true.  But I still enjoy them.  Sometimes it’s nice to read something you don’t have to think too much about. 

     Caught Dead Handed is a fun bit of fluff.  I enjoyed the characters, especially the cat, O’Ryan.  I think it would be fun to be a call-in psychic hosting late night horror movies on television.  Lee and Aunt Ibby are likable characters.  With a cozy you are pretty much guaranteed that everything will wrap up nicely in the end, and your favorite characters will be okay, but I was still compelled to stay up late to finish and find out what was going to happen.  I look forward to reading the rest of the series. 

Publisher:  Kensington

If you like this book you may want to read:

Tails You Lose (Witch City Mystery #2) by Carol J. Perry

A Familiar Tail (Witch’s Cat Mystery #1) by Delia James

Secondhand Spirits (A Witchcraft Mystery #1) Juliet Blackwell