by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to win a copy of Ghost of a Potion, along with a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL and indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy.

It’s Halloween in Hitching Post, Alabama, and despite what one would assume, it’s a holiday that white magic witch and empath Carly Bell Hartwell wishes didn’t exist. For on All Hallow’s Eve a portal between the worlds opens, and ghosts needing an empath’s help come calling before the door closes on All Soul’s Day, two days later. Halloween is also when the Hitching Post Restoration and Preservation Society (also known as “Harpies,” both as an abbreviation and accurate to the leaders’ personalities) are hosting a masquerade ball at the Ezekiel Mansion celebrating its restoration. With Carly’s mother wanting to make good with the Harpies—one of whom is the aggressively hostile mother of Carly’s Significant Other—she’ll be doing her best to attend and return home before she can be called out by energy-sucking poltergeists.

Carly’s failed attempt to make good with Dylan Jackson’s mother falls short of actual violence, but that can’t be said of the confrontation between Patricia Davis Jackson and Haywood Dodd. Murdered before he can make a much-heralded announcement, Haywood’s ghost now haunts Carly as he moans for her help. Combined with the need to also prove Patricia’s innocence (of which Carly isn’t entirely certain), the talented white witch finds herself once again in the middle of a murder investigation with the unwanted—but much needed—input from an assortment of specters.

Except for the Harpies and “Face of Evil” Patricia, the wedding-theme town of Hitching Post is filled with genial characters who share food, celebrations, and more than a little gossip. Now that her cousin Delia has overcome their family’s rivalry and become an ally, Carly has witchy support in coping with the ghosts who seek her aid. Carly’s adorable father lends a comforting hand as well, and he continues to pursue his thirty-year engagement with Carly’s marriage-phobic mother. In this third of the series, the author once again captures the uniqueness of this small Southern town that perfectly suits Carly’s magical heritage. The true gift is how this tale of murder, witches, ghosts, and secrets maintains its sense of humor, leaving readers with smiles on their faces and warmth in their hearts.

To enter to win a copy of Ghost of a Potion, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Potion,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 24, 2015. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.

Click on this link to purchase this book and a portion goes to support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Ghost of a Potion: A Magic Potion Mystery

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).