Billie Wichkan
Sometimes the truth isn’t crystal clear... Head Witch Zoe Clarke has never believed in fate. She’s sure she's gotten all she has through her own hard work and determination… until a traveling psychic sets up shop in Moon Grove and superstition sweeps everyone in town. But when the seer accurately predicts the death of a prestigious client, Zoe snaps out of her spell and wonders if there’s more to the mysterious mystic than meets the eye. From the psychic’s shadowy past to her parade of paranormal patrons, Zoe’s certain the soothsayer has something to hide — especially when her crystal ball goes missing and more of her clients meet unfortunate fates. Will Zoe divine the identity of the culprit before they strike again? Or will this be her last case for the foreseeable future? Crystals and Criminals is the eighth book in the Magic and Mystery series of witch cozy mysteries. If you like suspicious psychics, visionary vandals, and magical murder mysteries, then you’ll love this lighthearted eighth entry in Lily Webb’s spellbinding series. This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series! Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start. Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable. Great suspense and action with that adds so much to the story. Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read more of these. Recommend reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Emily Pennington
There is so much going on here! Zoe and Beau have an open house for the town’s residents. When Flora, her fairy friend, asks how things are working out with the newly expanded Moon Grove Council, she admits it has been stressful since getting thirteen witches and warlocks to agree on something had been difficult, but now convincing twenty-six people of various species to do something is almost impossible. Mallory Crane, her best friend, then mentioned a new fortune-telling app that everyone is going crazy about which the traveling psychic owner, Madame Adele Astra, may be selling at the Business Fair the next day. It could be a scam, but Zoe was going to check her out. An offer of a personal reading brought up even more questions, as Madame Astra told the overwhelmed Zoe -- who would not stay to hear about her parents’ fate -- that she would not be seeing Ms. Rowena Norwood again. When Rowena Norwood, founder and CEO of Norwood Creative, in a bidding war to acquire Madame Astra’s app technology, dies with no visible cause of death, Zoe tries to gather more details, but things get stranger and stranger. Everyone seems to be hiding something. Will she get to the bottom of the matter and find out who did this? Another wonderful cozy mystery in this series! Great characters we all know and love, along with a fast-paced plot and a mystery to tackle, keeps the reader avidly following along trying to figure out who did what and why! Grab your copy and join the hunt for the murderer!
Jamie Jack
Another Enchanting Cozy in This Series Mercy, there was a lot going on in this cozy mystery! The book starts with a meeting at Zoe’s, the Head Witch’s, house. During this meeting, she learns from a friend about Madame Astra and her fortune-telling app. The next day, Zoe meets her at a Chamber of Commerce meeting and has a rather disturbing reading. No sooner is Zoe back in her office than she finds out about mysterious goings-on. Can she figure out behind it? And how exactly does the app work? Can it really be as Madame Astra says? That seems impossible. Madame Astra's crystal ball goes missing, too. Zoe will learn more about her magic as well. A lot happens in this story with both the familiar characters as well as new ones. I really enjoy the little touches of humor that the author is able to weave in, especially in dialogue. The characters in the book have their own little unique sayings that reflect their paranormal community, turns of phrases on what we normally would think the words should be. I love wordplay like that. This is the 8th book of the series, but it could be read as a stand-alone without causing much confusion. Although, of course, you would probably appreciate the story more knowing the full background. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
