It Takes a Coven

Carol J. Perry

Feb 2018 · A Witch City Mystery Book 6 · Kensington Cozies

About this ebook

There’s a new witch hunt in Salem, Massachusetts—and an amateur sleuth and her clairvoyant cat are on the case . . .
 
When Lee Barrett joins a former student’s bridal party as maid of honor, she expects cake tastings and dress fittings. But wedding planning becomes more peculiar than Lee’s scrying talents could ever predict. There’s a magical baker, a best man with a checkered past, and a talking crow named Poe as the ring bearer. There’s also a kindly old man dead under his apple tree—one of a series of unexplained deaths hanging over the Wiccan community . . .
 
With witches dropping dead before they even come out of the proverbial broom closet, Lee’s best friend, River, fears she might have somehow unleashed a terrible curse on the city. Now, aided by Poe and her clairvoyant cat, Lee sets out to investigate. Are lives being claimed by vengeful supernatural forces—or by something more shocking? As she soon discovers, casting light on the wicked truth can be one killer commitment . . .  
 
Praise for the Witch City Mysteries
 
“This rewarding paranormal cozy series debut will have Victoria Laurie fans lining up to follow.” —Library Journal on Caught Dead Handed
 
“Perfectly relaxing and readable.” —Kirkus Reviews on Look Both Ways

Ratings and reviews

After Lee Barrett joins a former student’s bridal party, she expects cake tasting and dress fittings but not murder. There’s a magical baker, a best man with a checkered past, and a talking crow named Poe as the ring bearer. There’s also an old man dead under his apple tree, one of a series of unexplained deaths of witches in the area. Wedding planning becomes strange when Lee’s scrying talent kicks in. With witches dropping dead before they even come out of the broom closet, Lee’s best friend, River, fears she might have inadvertently cast a dreadful curse on the city. Aided by a very strange crow and her clairvoyant cat, Lee sets out to investigate. Are lives being claimed by vengeful supernatural forces, or by the human variety? -- Series: A Witch City Mystery - Book 6 Author Carol J. Perry Genre: Cozy Mystery/Witch/Paranormal Publisher: Kensington It Takes a Coven is a great addition to the “A Witch City Mystery” series. It is filled with wonderfully charming, intelligent and unforgettable characters. Ms. Perry is a talented writer that puts sentiment and realism in her stories. Lee isn’t your normal average person; she has visions that can be frightening in their intensity. Sometimes the visions make no sense, at other times their meaning is clear as a bell. This time her visions showed her a dead man in a gazebo on a beach, and she knows exactly who he is. It also shows her a dead witch who will go to great lengths to find the killer and get her spell book back. Lee must figure out what to do to prevent another death and to appease the hanged witch before the congregating crows destroy the peace and quiet of the town or another body turns up. Lee’s aunt plays a delightful role in this story and is very helpful as always. River North also plays a bigger role, and it would be wonderful to see her play an even bigger role in the future. Lee’s boyfriend Pete is his usual self and with Lee’s help figures out who the killer is in the nick of time. Setting a witch-based series in Salem could never be wrong. The history and the city lend itself to mystery and magic. For those who have never visited Salem, it will inspire them. For those who have, it will bring back fond memories and give them fanciful ideas. The ending of It Takes a Coven can be a bit baffling for a first-time reader. Although this book can stand on its own, it is helpful for readers to read at least one of two of the other books in the series. Clues to the killer’s identity are there, but they can elude the average reader and make the unmasking a letdown. Longtime mystery readers should have no problem figuring out who did it and why early in the book. Although there are some issues in general, there is far too much talk about food and Lee’s car and not enough investigating. Lee becoming an investigative reporter might upset fans who enjoy the interaction she has with her students who are intricate to the plot in almost all the other books in the series. This book and series are recommended for anyone who wants a fun, easy to read paranormal cozy with well-rounded characters that will leave them smiling.

It Takes a Coven by Carol J. Perry is the sixth A Witch City Mystery novel. Lee Barrett is finishing up the semester at Tabitha Trumball Academy for the Arts where she teaches TV Production and investigative reporting. Lee has agreed to be maid of honor for Shannon Dumas in her upcoming nuptials to Dakota Berman and imagines a relaxing summer with cake tastings and getting fitted for her dress. Then she is offered the opportunity of an internship (in other words an unpaid position) at WICH-TV as an investigative reporter. This gives Lee a chance to look into the recent deaths of witches and the crows that have descended upon the city. The crows have stripped all the apple and quince trees. River North is afraid that she has caused these incidents to occur and she is quite distraught about it. When another witch is shot at, Lee dives into her investigation. Lee has the aid of her scrying ability, O’Ryan (her cat), Pete Mondello (her boyfriend and local detective), and a crow named Poe. It seems, though, the cause for the abundance of crows may have a more sinister, supernatural explanation. Lee must work in her sleuthing between her numerous maid-of-honor duties (isn’t that what the wedding planner is for). Will Lee get a fix on the killer before he strikes again? What will it take to get the crows to leave Salem? It Takes a Coven can be read as a standalone book. The author provides Lee’s backstory along with details from the previous books in the series. The book contains good writing, but I found the pace to be a too slow in the first half of the book (when the pace is too slow my mind starts to wander from the book). It does pick up considerably later in the novel. I did feel there was a significant amount of repetition (it gets tiresome). Lee’s car was mentioned sixteen times (her corvette). I was happy to see more paranormal elements in It Takes a Coven (finally). The paranormal elements give the story life and depth. It also seems that Lee is starting to accept her ability (about time). The characters are well-developed and established. There are a couple of quirky characters like River North (though she can be a little over-the-top at times). It was great that Aunt Ibby had a bigger role in this book. She is my favorite character, and I hope she continues to have a prominent role in future books. The setting of Salem, Massachusetts is a delight (I have always wanted to visit). I appreciate the author’s descriptions of the area and landmarks. There was not enough focus on the murder of the witches (of course, there is a quite a bit jammed into this one book). I would have liked more active investigating and action. Two pieces of information provided me the identity of the culprit. The paranormal element behind the crows was more complicated (I do not want to say too much and spoil it for readers) and overshadowed the witch killings. I found it compelling. I did feel that the author tried to put too much into one book. The wedding, crows, the murders, Lee’s new job, a talking crow, a funeral, cooking, scrying, eating, romance and so much more. All the loose ends are wrapped up at the end of It Takes a Coven, and there was a good epilogue. There is a preview of Bells, Spells and Murder at the end. It Takes a Coven is a lively book that will bewitch readers.

I loved this book! Lee lives in Salem and is best friends with a local witch. Lee has always been a scryer, since long before she knew what the word meant. While she is still resistant to it, she is facing it head on, even when a long dead witch communicates with her through scryed images. Pete is her police detective boyfriend who shows a remarkable acceptance of Lee's ability and is very supportive of her. As Lee sees images, they seem to intersect with a case that Pete is investigating, which leads to Lee getting a bit more involved. What follows is a fun murder mystery filled with plenty of witchcraft. While I've enjoyed all the books in this series, this one might be my favorite thus far. I love how Lee and Pete's relationship has evolved and grown over the series. Fans of the genre will want to put this one at the top of their TBR list. The author is on my must read authors' list.

About the author

Carol J. Perry was born in Salem on Halloween Eve. She has written many young adult novels, and is also the author of the Witch City mystery series. She and her husband Dan live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with a cat and a black Lab. Visit her at www.caroljperry.com.