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Note: While the the book has "Walkies" printed on the cover, everywhere else I look has it has "Walkie" in the title, so I will use the latter in my review.
In this sixth installment, Noema finally meets a long lost family member. Unfortunately, her newly found loved one is kidnapped. It's a race against time to save them and find out who's behind this mystery. Good thing she has a trusty friend (or more than a friend) by her side.
When I recommend cozies, I usually say they are self-contained mysteries, which means the mystery starts and ends in each book. However, I also recommend starting with the first one in the series if you want to follow the character growth and subplots. In the case of The Bewitcher's Beach Mysteries, especially with this sixth one, Witches, Walkie-Talkies, and Warnings, it's even more important to start at the beginning and read them in order. There are several major spoilers in this installment. If you've read the previous installments, you'll be delighted to see those references, but if you haven't read the earlier books, some of the mysteries will be spoiled if you read this one first.
This is a mostly clean cozy mystery. There were one or two instances of strong language that I prefer not to read in cozies, but it was toned down quite a bit in this installment compared to the previous one. One of my struggles with this book was that the magic was a little confusing to me. I didn't understand the complexities of it all. However, when I stopped trying to figure everything out, I enjoyed the ride much more.
One of the highlights of this series for me is the character development and the eclectic mix of paranormal characters. It is a joy to see them all interact with each other. Noema is a single mom with several pups. There was a love triangle, but this installment has Noema feeling sure that she has romantic feelings for only one of them. One character I really missed again in this installment was Squeaks, the family's pet mouse. Squeaks was mentioned, but I missed seeing more of him.
This series is set in the 1990's. The earlier books are stronger with the nostalgia. It's still present in Witches, Walkie-Talkies, and Warnings, though not as prominent. It was one of the aspects that drew me to the series in the beginning, so I really miss that.
One aspect that has remained prominent is that Noema shifts from human form to wolf form when it becomes necessary. I'm always amused at how this transpires. Emily Fluke's vivid descriptions of this and the setting in general really pull me in. Noema also continues to use her strong sense of smell when she sniffs out emotions to help her get a feel for whether or not characters are telling the truth. It's a helpful gift to have when you're an amateur sleuth.
Fans of this series will not want to miss Witches, Walkie-Talkies, and Warnings. It's a strong addition to the Bewitcher's Beach Mystery series that moves forward with Noema's journey. It's set in the fall leading up to Halloween, but it can certainly be enjoyed anytime of the year. There will be one more installment to conclude the series and I look forward to reading it when it's released.
Thank you to author Emily Fluke for providing me with an eARC of this book.
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