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The Trouble With Magic
A Bewitching Mystery, No. 1

by Madelyn Alt



      When her sexist boss fires (potentially) good catholic girl Maggie O'Neill it might seem like the end of the world, but only that morning she had literally fallen into the antiques and luxury goods store, Enchantments, and been offered another job. But nothing comes without a price, and she is not sure how she will cope with working for a self-confessed witch. What will her well-meaning but inquisitive family say, not to mention the bible-thumping townsfolk of Stony Mill? Things get worse when, only a few hours after she has started work there, Maggie is told that her boss, Felicity Dow, has been taken in for questioning about her sister's murder. Suddenly it is time for Maggie to turn detective, but will she find her dream man as well?

A lot is promised in this slim volume - murder, small town coziness (and bigotry), a woo-woo element and romance. Some of it is delivered, but other items seem tantalizingly out of reach, hinted at for possible later numbers in this new series. Told in Maggie's own words, The Trouble With Magic gives a lively and garrulous look at the secrets behind small town life, but it also commits the most common sin of first person narratives in getting too bogged down with the minutiae of daily life. Maggie enthuses over her beloved car, watches her favorite TV show, talks about her family and upbringing, and describes her new job and Felicity's world. Somehow it all lacks momentum, and ultimately there is rather too much of this and not enough of the crime (until the end) or the burgeoning woo-woo element. Hints are dropped of Maggie's own psychic powers and Felicity's ghost-hunting group NIGHTS that are redolent of thrilling tales indeed, but only redolent. This is a series that could swing in several ways.

The Book

Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin Group)
January 2006
Paperback
0425207463
Mystery [Contemporary, Indiana]
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Rachel A Hyde
Reviewed 2006
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© 2006 MyShelf.com