Babs
Baldwin runs an interior design business and, after a dry
period, is thrilled when a couple who clearly have money walk
through the door. But Marta and Colin have very different
tastes, and while she is keen he is not. Something seems wrong
in their marriage, and their Victorian house is supposedly
haunted. But things are to take a tragic turn when there is
a murder, and a surprising one, when the new bakery owner,
Rose, wants to read Babs’ tea leaves. Surely cats don’t
talk, and magic is not real…or is it?
This
is the first in a new series from this prolific cozy mystery
author, and her first paranormal. Babs makes for an engaging
protagonist, and I loved the talking cat! It is not hard to
guess who will be killed or the identity of the killer, and
the ending seems rather rushed with some questions remaining.
Presumably these will be addressed in future books. But despite
these shortcomings, I felt that this was a promising beginning.
I don’t read a lot of paranormal mysteries because I
usually find them to be rather thin with the paranormal part
tacked on to make them: a) fashionable and b) more interesting.
This one has the supernatural as the raison d’etre of
the whole book, complete with some tantalizing set ups for
future books and a lot of potential for fun and sleuthing.
A more teasing plot with more strands and perhaps some local
color would really make this sing. I will be on the lookout
for more and delve into this (new to me) author’s backlist.
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