| I
love when I learn something from a book right at the outset.
"Tarnished and Torn" begins with protagonist Lily
Ivory learning the Cow Palace in San Francisco stands for
California, Oregon, and Washington, rather than being a palace
for actual cows. Of course, with a mystery series with a healthy
dose of the paranormal and unusual, a cow palace wouldn't
have surprised me. I attended a concert at the Cow Palace
many moons ago, and now finally I understand the acronym.
This
is the fifth book in Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Mystery
series, and I enjoyed as much as the first four. Lily and
her friends Bronwyn and Maya are attending a Gem Faire at
the palace, with Lily hoping for treasures to sell at her
vintage clothing shop. It's not long before she senses magic
in the air, and comes to wonder if Griselda, a merchant at
the faire could be another witch. Griselda is soon murdered
and Lily and the manner of her death- pressing between two
boards- is tied to the way witches were punished in the past.
To make
matters worse, Lily's father, from whom she is long estranged,
is considered the prime suspect. Lily is bound and determined
to find the truth about Griselda's death.
San Francisco,
and Lily's shop, Aunt Cora's Closet are a delight to visit
in this well written mystery. Juliet Blackwell weaves a magical
spell with her words and storylines. As always, I can't wait
for the next book in the series, but will console myself with
Blackwell's Haunted Home Renovation Mysteries to tide me over.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Hexes
and Hemlines #3
In
a Witch's Wardrobe #4
Tarnished
and Torn #5
Vision
in Velvet #6
Spellcasting
in Silk #7
A
Toxic Trousseau #8
A
Magical Match #9
|
