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In this installment of the Bewitcher's Beach Mysteries, Christmas is around the corner. Everyone is in a festive mood until their plans to celebrate the holiday go up in flames. A serial arsonist is targeting certain residents of the small paranormal town. While some of the townspeople flee the area after receiving threatening notes, Noema decides to stay in order to protect her video rental shop and try to figure out who the culprit is.
This is another strong installment in the Bewitcher's Beach Mystery series. This paranormal town is like no other I've read in a cozy. There continues to be an eclectic mix of characters with quirky traits that make their interactions fun to read about. At the front of the book, there is a list of the main characters. I always find this helpful, but I would have liked to see all of the secondary characters listed too. As I read more books in the series, I'm getting to know all of the main characters and I really enjoy spending time with them.
Noema, our werewolf single mom of four pups, amateur sleuth, and narrator, frequently uses her sense of smell to detect the emotions of others and explain her own feelings. For example, she smelled banana cream pie when something excited her. This is such a unique way of getting the reader to understand the characters' thoughts and feelings, and it works really well.
Since Noema is a werewolf, she can transform into wolf form whenever she needs to get some place fast. However, the ability to transform comes with its challenges. When she is not able to control her emotions, she can easily start to turn into wolf form when she doesn't want to. It's interesting and amusing at the same time to see how she deals with this challenge.
The mystery is well-crafted with lots of suspects to consider. I did figure out who the culprit was fairly early, but it was still fun to see how Noema and the authorities would identify them. Noema did a lot of speculating and wondering throughout the book and I felt her emotions. While I would have liked to see more sleuthing on her part, I enjoyed all the twists and turns that eventually led us to the arsonist.
There is a bit of romance in this installment, but it does not overshadow the mystery. I'm hoping to see more of the love triangle in future installments. Believe me when I tell you this is the most intriguing and unique love triangle I've ever read about. I'm curious to see how Noema will sort out her feelings and which one she will choose, if she does choose one of them.
This series is set in the late 90s and it is filled with nostalgia. Emily Fluke does a fantastic job detailing certain aspects of that era. The fact that Noema works at a video rental store is just one example. Mention of an internet modem trying to connect online is another example. I especially enjoyed the references to Whitney Houston, as she was one of my favorite singers from that time period. There are more examples of 90s nostalgia, but you'll have to read the series to find out what they are.
If you enjoy recipes in cozies, you will be happy to know there are a few at the end of the book. Since this is a Christmas-themed book, all of the recipes are traditional holiday dishes. Each recipe comes from a different character in the book.
If you have not yet picked up this series, I highly recommend starting with the first installment, Magic, Movies, and Murder, and reading them order. While each one is a self-contained mystery, as with most cozy mysteries, you will enjoy following the subplots if you read them in order. If you've enjoyed the first two, I'm confident you'll enjoy this third one as well. All three books in the series so far are perfect for this time of year when we're in the midst of fall, with Christmas on the horizon.
I'm so glad there are more books in this series in the works. I can't wait to spend more time with these characters in the small town of Bewitcher's Beach!
Thank you to Emily Fluke for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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