Review: The Magic of Murder by Susan Lynn Solomon

Published: October 2015

Pages: 225

Synopsis: “When his partner is discovered in a frozen alley with eight bullets in his chest, Niagara Falls Police Detective Roger Frey swears vengeance. But Detective Chief Woodward has forbidden him or anyone else on the detective squad to work the case. Emlyn Goode knows Roger will disobey his boss, which will cost him his job and his freedom. Because she cares for him more than she’ll admit, she needs to stop him. Desperate, she can think of but one way.

Emlyn recently learned she’s a direct descendant of a woman hanged as a witch in 1692. She has a book filled with arcane recipes and chants passed down through her family. Possessed of, or perhaps by a vivid imagination, she intends to use these to solve Jimmy’s murder before Roger takes revenge on the killer. But she’s new to this “witch thing,” and needs help from her friend Rebecca Nurse, whose ancestor also took a short drop from a Salem tree. Rebecca’s not much better at deciphering the ancient directions, and while the women stumble over spell after spell, the number possible killers grows. When Chief Woodward’s wife is shot and a bottle bomb bursts through Emlyn’s window, it becomes clear she’s next on the killer’s list.”

Rating: ***

I received a free copy of The Magic of Murder in exchange for an honest review.

Written in the first person from Emlyn’s point of view, in quite an informal relaxed style which seems to be popular at the moment, especially in American YA literature. Started off as a book within a book, with Emlyn writing a novel about Sarah witch, which leads Emlyn to a shop and opens the plot. The main plot about Emlyn was interspersed with sentences or short paragraphs about Sarah which were written in italics, and was almost as though we were reading them as Emlyn wrote them.

I found Emlyn to be quite irritating; she was scatty and chatty which I felt was probably supposed to be endearing but I found annoying. Despite this The Magic of Murder was well written and was very easy to read and follow.