Publication date February 20, 2024

Summary

Wilfred, Oregon is a charming little town, but like all little towns, it has its secrets. When Helen seeks the help of the local librarian, Josie, to track down a man she believes to be her long missing husband, the search threatens to shake loose some of those secrets. After a stranger ends up dead, Josie feels compelled to find answers. 

Unbeknownst to the village, Josie is more than a librarian. She’s also a witch. Though she’s relatively new to her powers, she is able to utilize the energy of books, and Sherlock Holmes, for assistance in unraveling the mystery. 

My Thoughts

This book was a lot of fun. It was nicely paced, with quirky characters, and an entertaining mystery. 

This is the fifth book in the series, and I haven’t read any of the others. It wasn’t a problem in terms of following the story, but because I was new to it, it felt like there were a lot of characters introduced very quickly. I kept a list to help me keep track until I got a feel for who was and wasn’t important to the story. 

Josie is a very likable lead character. She’s clever, kind, loyal, and incredibly patient. She works with an abrasive woman, Roz, and her tolerance for the woman’s rudeness is impressive. Her repartee with Sherlock was quite entertaining. I’m also especially fond of her cat, Rodney, who has a personality all his own.

The “book magic” was creative, and I enjoyed reading about how Josie harvested and used it.  I’ve read mysteries with book magic before, but this felt like a fresh approach. Because her powers are relatively new, I suspect she’ll find all manner of new skills in the future.

The setting for the story was cosy. The author painted a beautiful picture of the library. Frankly, I want someone to build me a replica of the library, so that I can live in it. I didn’t get as clear a picture of the rest of the town, but I suspect that’s because I’m coming in on book 5. 

There was a subplot to this story which wasn’t wrapped up in this book. I generally prefer all plots to be completely tied up within one book, because by the time the sequel is released it is hard for me to remember specifics from a previous book, but I know some people appreciate the suspense. 

I will definitely check out others in this series.

I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating 4/5

About the Author

Angela M. Sanders lives in Oregon and is the author of 4 mystery series. I encourage you to check out her website to lean more about her.