by E. Felder (ELF)
This week we have a couple of mysteries with a supernatural twist to add to your summer reading list-It Takes A Witch by Heather Blake and Wild Wild Death by Casey Daniels.
It Takes A Witch by Heather Blake
It Takes A Witch by Heather Blake is the delightful mystery featuring Darcy Merriweather who has moved to the Enchanted Village of Salem, Massachusetts with her sister Harper after the death of their father.
The sisters were stunned to be informed by their Aunt Velma that they are witches but only Darcy is willing to use her powers as a Wishcrafter, even though she is struggling to learn all of the rules governing her talents. 
A murder implicates Aunt Velma’s boyfriend, Sylar, and the sisters decide that they are going to have to conduct their own investigation since the police chief is more interested in working on his golf game than in solving the murder. Darcy must juggle her duties as a Tooth Fairy, wombat pinata procurer and ‘As You Wish’ facilitator while tiptoeing through the minefield of rules that can cause her to lose the powers she has so recently learned to embrace. The murder investigation brings her into contact with Nick Sawyer, retired state trooper, who just might help Darcy overcome her broken heart and loneliness of two years, but only if she can figure out how to keep her duties from disconcerting the attractive mortal.
An imaginative and entertaining mystery tale that introduces an interesting segment of society that has familiar small town issues – gossip, relationship issues, jealousy, etc., – as well as not so familiar ones – familiars, wishes that come true, witches. The lively characters and secondary mysteries provide an enjoyable texture to this cozy mystery tale and I look forward to reading other adventures that involve a voluble macaw, a tailoring mouse, and two talented sisters who are adapting to life in the truly ‘Enchanted Village’.
Wild Wild Death by Casey Daniels
Review by E. Felder (ELF)
Wild Wild Death by Casey Daniels continues to follow the intrepid and (usually) well-dressed Pepper Martin. Being laid off from her job as cemetery tour guide has not eliminated Pepper’s ability to communicate with ghosts but it does make it much more difficult to sneak onto the facility! An outing to a baseball game with her sporadic and skeptical lover Quinn Harrison reminds Pepper of the fanaticism of Cleveland Indians fans who believe that their beloved team was cursed by Chester Goodshot Gomez, an Indian who died in Cleveland before he could return to New Mexico and fulfill his mission. 
A threat to her friend Dan Callahan’s life forces Pepper to get up close and personal with Chester himself and results in a trip to the wilds of New Mexico where Pepper’s designer duds and her own life are threatened. Sexy Jesse Alvarez, police chief of the Taopi Pueblo, knows that Pepper is looking for something and decides to keep an eye on the woman whom his shaman refers to as the Raven. He knows there is much more to her than meets the eye and he is quite willing to insinuate himself into her life. Pepper reaches a crisis of the spirit as well as struggles with her heart but she remains loyal to her friends and her designer clothing, no matter what obstacles, or curses, she has to overcome.
An entertaining addition to a creative series with a new spin on a firmly entrenched belief in a professional baseball legend. Pepper is true to form with her insistence on being appropriately dressed (by her standards) no matter what hardship she is facing. Detective Quinn continues to be a frustrating complication in her life while Chester provided an intriguing link to the mysticism of a fictional Pueblo Indian tribe, while providing some lighthearted entertainment. An enjoyable light read.
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