Book 95, 2019

Late Checkout by Carol J. Perry

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Finished reading Late Checkout last night. It's the ninth book in Carol J Perry's "Witch City" series, with the main character of Maralee (Lee) Barrett. Lee lives in Salem, MA, is an investigative reporter, and has recently come to terms with the fact that she sometimes sees visions in reflective surfaces.

Lee's hours are being scaled back at the TV station, so that the nephew of the boss' wife can get his feet wet in the industry. Lee is hoping that Howard's stay will be temporary. In the meantime, she is making use of her free time to volunteer at the library, where her Aunt Ibby works. While reshelving books in a seldom-used section of the library, Lee stumbles across the body of Wee Willie Wallace--former minor league baseball player and ex-con. Lee's boyfriend, Detective Pete Mondello, is soon on the case, but Lee and Ibby can't resist doing some sleuthing of their own. For Lee, Wallace's murder ties in with one of her TV projects, which is an upcoming celebration of the station's 70 years on-air. She learns that Wee Willie was a regular on WICH-TV back in the day. While tracking down some of the other 'oldtimers', Lee discovers more about Wee Willie, and her snooping may have put her in the sights of a killer.

I enjoyed most of the story. It was set around Halloween, which turns Salem into a madhouse, and I liked reading about how the sports collectible industry tied in with the murder. Lee is always an enjoyable character, and her Aunt Ibby was back to being her usual helpful, charming self (unlike the irascible snot she turned into in the last book, but I digress). I am also appreciating the slow build of Lee's relationship with Pete. O'Ryan, the cat, adds his own flair to the series. However, the resolution of this story was so out of left field (pardon the pun) that I was left with a faceful of 'WTF?'.

( Spoiler Alert )

Favorite line: In Salem a witch's familiar is always much respected and often feared.

This book was headed for a solid five-star rating, but that ending just killed it for me. It's earning an average.