Book 59, 2019

[chez_jae]

Final Exam by Carol J. Perry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Last night, I finished reading Final Exam, which is the 8th in Carol J Perry's "Witch City" mystery series about investigative reporter (and reluctant scryer) Lee Barrett.

Lee is excited and happy to assist her beloved Aunt Ibby with plans for Ibby's 45th class reunion. However, Lee's job as a reporter demands most of her attention when she covers the removal of an old Mustang from the pool in a local quarry. Suddenly, Lee is chasing down leads and trying to scoop other news teams in an effort to learn more about how the car came to be at the bottom of the quarry. When it's discovered that the car contains human remains, the story takes a sinister turn. Normally, Lee can rely on Ibby to help her with research, but her aunt seems to want nothing to do with the situation. Eventually, the body is identified as one of Ibby's classmates--a boy who disappeared decades ago. Lee can't help but think one of her aunt's other school mates is a killer, but the trick will be figuring out which one.

The plot in this one was fascinating, as it wove together past events with current ones. Once again, Lee's job puts her at odds with her boyfriend, detective Pete Mondello, but I enjoy how the two of them handle such situations. Each can acknowledge that the other is just doing his/her job, and they don't let it come between them. Characters are multi-dimensional, including those that are temporary, and it's always a pleasure to follow along as Lee puts together clues both real and those gleaned from her visions.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Master of the Gordie Howe hat trick."
♦ Yeah, I know most people don't let cats walk on the kitchen table, but they do it when you're not home anyway.

SPaG in this one was not entirely clean, but markedly better than the last book in the series. Again, the author seems to overuse parentheses that don't seem at all necessary.

Very good--four stars

Comments

[oracne]

I have not yet tried this series, but I think I might give it a try.

[chez_jae]

I enjoy these books. Lee is a practical, pragmatic character who just happens to see visions in reflective surfaces. That "gift" is more prominent in some books than others. It adds a fun paranormal element without making the books completely woo-woo.