Final Exam

It is May in Salem, Massachusetts. Lee and her camera woman, Francine Hunter are tracking down a lead and hope to get a juicy story. They find police divers exploring a quarry and Lee scoops other reporters when they find a mustang with bones inside about 120 twenty feet down. Unfortunately, the body turns out to be an old flame of Aunt Ibby’s who disappeared before their high school graduation. All this time, It was believed the victim had taken off after an altercation with his father. Lee begins having visions of the past which lead her to identifying the killer. Carol J. Perry’s writing style is informal writing style which makes Final Exam a pleasure to read. The story has good flow with gentle pacing. I like the variety of characters in A Witch City Mystery series with O’Ryan being my favorite. He is an astute cat who aids Lee in solving her crimes. It was cute how O’Ryan had a friend to play with in this story, and they managed to cause some misdirection and mischief. There are plenty of enjoyable moments between the characters. Lee’s scrying abilities are integrated into the storyline along with a tarot reading from her friend, River North. Her tarot card readings are always helpful. The mystery was intriguing because it involved a cold case. There are pointed clues to aid readers in solving the crime. Past misdeeds have a way of coming back to haunt us. I was appreciative of the epilogue that wrapped up the mystery. Final Exam can be read alone if you have not read any of the previous A Witch City Mysteries. I do want to let readers know that there is foul language scattered throughout the story which is unusual for a cozy mystery. Included in the book are recipes for ginger pancakes, grape nuts pudding and Lee’s bread dipping sauce. Final Exam transports readers to Salem as Lee probes into the past to excavate a killer.

Loved this book! Each book in the series is better than the one before. Lee is a reporter for a local tv station who is dating Pete,a local police detective. Lee was raised by her aunt and shares a house with her. When she begins looking into the background of a news story she quickly finds that it intersects with one of Pete's cases and impacts her aunt. I love the way that Pete and Lee interact and how their relationship has progressed over the series, especially how Pete has handled Lee's scrying ability. If you enjoy the genre, you will love this book. The author is on my must read authors' list.

Carol is a wonderful writer. I have enjoyed all of her books. Thank you for another fun story.