by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Halloween is always one of the busiest times of the year for the town of Salem, Massachusetts, but now it’s especially chaotic. Paragon Productions has descended on Salem for a location shoot of their witch-themed movie called Night Magic, and everyone seems to be in a tizzy with the arrival of the actors and crew. Already working as WICH-TV’s program director and occasional field reporter, Lee Barrett Mondello has also been assigned by her station manager to direct a documentary about the film’s production. It looks like it may be more of a true-crime documentary than a behind-the-scenes-making-of feature, since the starring actress Darla Diamond is murdered on the set replicating the 1692 Witch House room.

Only a few of Lee’s closest friends and family know that she is a scryer, able to see past, present, and future visions in reflective surfaces. While initially alarmed and determined to avoid visions as much as possible, Lee is now more accustomed to them and attempts to use her sight to decipher the clues and catch a murderer.

It turns out that Darla Diamond’s demands and abrasiveness had made her a number of enemies on set, so it seems a little too convenient that her double and even Lee’s best friend River North are so readily available to step into the actress’s role and replace what AI can’t. Lee’s detective husband provides the information that Darla was poisoned by her favorite chocolate candy, which has Lee’s Aunt Ibby and her movie mystery critique group labeling the crime as the Liquid Centered Murder. A lead actor with a gambling habit getting arrested after a night of bar hopping, a stunt man hocking souvenir face creams, and a former child actor all have Lee and her aunt’s mystery-solving “Angels” immersed in the politics of an over-budgeted $300 million movie extravaganza.

This 14th in the series has a lot of fun depicting the behind-the-scenes shenanigans and chaos of a location movie set. Extremely timely as well is Lee’s visit to an animal rescue farm, where a former chimpanzee and bear “actors” have retired and are able to enjoy a more natural lifestyle (even if it does come with occasional human treats). Lee continues to learn more about her scrying powers, but even more time is spent with River North’s tarot reading and in-depth analysis of the meaning of her cards. Eerily relating both to the murder case and Lee’s life, this and Lee’s visions make this the perfect book for the spooky season or anyone looking for a paranormal mystery read. A fun twist at the end of the novel will have readers also eagerly anticipating the next installment of this witchy, but still very cozy, fun mystery series.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of Death Scene, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “death scene” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 19, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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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).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.