Lovers of the paranormal mystery will enjoy this first installment in the Bookstore Cozy Mystery Series by Lucinda Race. The central character, Lily Michaels, is a secret-keeping bookseller in the small town of Pembroke Cove, Maine. But when she discovers she’s a witch, everything changes. She can communicate with her cat, Milo, and her “friendship” with the local detective, Gage Erikson, suddenly shifts out of the “friend zone” and into a romantic one.

I enjoyed this swift but escape-invoking read.

Small-town settings are prime for intrigue, as most residents believe what they see and are rocked when the narrative shifts. The best part is the characters and the world of secrets they strive to harbor. The protagonist, despite being other-worldly, if you will, is charmingly relatable, but she does rather quickly accept her newfound powers when a murder mystery is afoot. Milo, the cat, is clever and blunt, and his ability to help Lily navigate suspicion, not to mention suspicious people, wins him the badge of a fiercely loyal feline. I also like the back-and-forth first-person narrative of Gage and Lily, giving you a deeper peek into their emotions, motives, and goals.

There’s a bit of everything brewing in this book and the remainder of the series.

It’s a clean and lightly fun read, filled with possibilities. True to the genre, it provides a wonderful escape to a place where magic takes on a whole new meaning.

Book and Image Courtesy of Lucinda Race