Book 92, 2024

Death Scene by Carol J. Perry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I finished reading Death Scene last night. This is the 14th book in author Carol J Perry's "Witch City" series of paranormal cozies. The main character is Maralee "Lee" (Barrett) Mondello.

Residents of Salem, MA are excited that a movie about the Salem Witch Trials is being filmed in town. It means extra work for Lee--as program director for WICH-TV she's also been tabbed to make a documentary about the making of the film. Her husband, Detective Pete Mondello, is also busier. Their respective workloads increase when the lead actress in the film is found dead on the set. Soon both Lee and Pete are chasing down leads as they try to find out who may have killed Darla Diamond. Lee's visions aren't telling her much, but with the help of friends, family, and even her cat O'Ryan, she may just shine a spotlight on a killer.

Reading a new book in this series is like putting on a comfortable outfit. I love reconnecting with familiar characters. The author has a knack of bringing them to life, whether it's someone who's been in the series since its inception or a newly introduced character. I enjoyed the fact that Lee's documentary had her in the field more, and she was even in the right place/right time to do some on the scene reporting. I did figure out the killer fairly early, but of course I couldn't be 100% certain until the end. It was still entertaining to read along as Lee and Pete put the pieces together.

Favorite lines:
♦ "I'm here for one of those Harry Potter games for Pete's nephew's birthday." // "Good choice, Lee. They're selling like Hedwigs."
♦ That cat has a warped sense of humor sometimes.
♦ All of the wonderful, amazing things that the word home means became very real. There was enough food and a comfortable bed and some worn but good furniture. There were books and pictures and memories.

A story both lively and lovely. Five stars.