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    Bells, Spells, and Murders
    Bells, Spells, and Murders
    Bells, Spells, and Murders
    Audiobook10 hours

    Bells, Spells, and Murders

    Written by Carol J. Perry

    Narrated by C. S. E. Cooney

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this audiobook

    Lee Barrett has landed her dream job at Salem's WICH-TV. As the new field reporter, she'll be covering events live as they're unfolding. Next on her holiday checklist is an interview with the beloved chairman of a popular walking tour through Salem's historic districts. But it may be his ghost walking this snowy Noel season after Lee finds him murdered in his stately offices, bloody Santa hat askew.

    With her police detective boyfriend working the case and a witch's brew of suspects-including some bell-ringing Santas-Lee chases down leads aided and abetted by her wise cat O'Ryan and some unsettling psychic visions of her own. When a revealing clue leads to another dead body, not even a monster blizzard can stop Lee from inching closer to the truth . . . and a scoop that could spell her own demise this killer Christmas.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 25, 2018
    ISBN9781977389589

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    Reviews for Bells, Spells, and Murders

    3.5/5

    28 ratings5 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The book suffered on two fronts for me: the story failed to capture my interest as much as previous books in the series, and the editing was so negligent that it fundamentally affected the plotting. There's not really much I can say about the story itself; it was average. A man who runs a vast charitable organisation in Salem Massachusetts is murdered in his office just before Christmas and Lee discovers his body when she arrives for a scheduled interview. It wasn't the worst I've read, and it wasn't the best. There never really was any question as to who was behind the crime, although the reveal at the end did have its own surprising twist. The first indication that the editing was not up to professional standards was the repetition of comments made by the MC: she tells the reader several times, for example, in almost identical words, that she knew her Corvette was impractical but she just loved it so much. (There was also a lot of brand-name mentions that felt gratuitous that I don't remember from previous books.) The repetition wasn't so bad, but then the story continuity started breaking indicating, perhaps, major re-writes that didn't get followed up with another thorough proof-reading. There's a whole scene about Lee writing out her Christmas cards that's specific down to the number of cards: 49 which is followed up by a scene the next day where she stands in line at the post office to mail them, along with her Christmas packages. Approximately 50 pages later, Lee is telling her Aunt that she hasn't done her Christmas cards yet, and a scene follows where she goes through the whole process again. Again, annoying but it wasn't until one of the suspects was an electrician, then suddenly he's a plumber, and then he was an electrician and a plumber, and the company names he works for keep getting swapped around. At that point, I lost any and all faith that the book could recover and just finished it because I was trapped in a salon chair for the last bit of the book. I might have one more of this series in the pile, and if so, I'll get around to it eventually, but unless it drastically improves on this one, I may take my leave of this series.
    • 2/5
      At first I had a difficult time getting into the story, so I took a break and that seemed to work.Lee Barrett (scryer) works as an investigative reporter for the local t.v. station. It is christmas and she is out covering the local traditional holiday festivities, when she finds the local philanthropist dead in his office, coshed in the back of the head..... Her visions begin, but leave her confused as she investigates the murder. When a local plumber/electrician is saved from suicide, the subsequent investigation of his fraudulent driver's license & professional certifications leads to a shady construction company that was the major contractor for the local philanthropist.......and then there are all the Santas & the dancing cop, whose "tells" give them away.I really didn't enjoy this one as I did some of the previous books.
    • 4/5
      Bells, Spells and Murders by Carol J. Perry is the seventh book in A Witch City Mystery series and was as good as the rest in this series. There is no sign that this series is running its course. Chang is good in life as well as in books, so in this outing, Lee Barrett is starting her new job as field reporter for WICH-TV. Lee is assigned to interview Albert Eldridge, the organizer of the Holiday Walk and financial supporter of a number of charities in Salem, Mass. When she arrives for her interview, she ends up with a different story, as she finds Mr. Eldridge dead in his office from blunt force trauma. Detective Pete Mondello, Lee’s boyfriend, is assigned the case. Lee begins an investigation of her own, gathering clues and questioning those close to Albert. She is busy with her snooping, assignments for work and getting her home ready for Christmas. Luckily for Lee, with the aid of her visions, and O’Ryan her cat, she hopes to wrap up the case before sleigh bells ring out on Christmas Eve.

      Christmas in Salem was brought alive in this book. Cold weather, shopping, baking, tree decorating, a Christmas play, many Santa’s ringing bells for donations, and the generosity of people around Christmas all add to the setting and ambiance of the story. The mystery was interesting with several suspects, a red herring or two and pointed clues. Even though Pete continually asks Lee to stay out of the investigation, she does not stop, even if it means she puts herself in danger. The characters are the strength of the series. Lee is smart and independent. She lives on the third floor of her Aunt Ibby's house in her own apartment. She has O'Ryan, a cat, who is a real character in the stories, who just happens to have been a witch's familiar before she died. Aunt Ibby, who is sixty something, is a vibrant caring character. She is a retires librarian and does research for Lee. She is also a wonderful cook and they share many tasty meals together. I like that the authors portrays her as a vibrant personalty and there is also a bit of a love triangle for her in this book. There are several characters in this book that have not been in the others, but they all help to flesh out this book. There is a little paranormal in the book as Lee can see images in reflective images (she is a scryer). She doesn't really embrace this and seems to be apprehensive at what she will see. This is one of the ways she gathers information, but it is not overdone. I was not able to figure out the culprit until just before the clues gave it away, which I always enjoy. I will continue to look for more books in this series, as I continue to enjoy them. The publisher, Kensington Publishing, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.
    • 4/5
      Lee Barrett has landed her dream job at Salem’s WICH-TV. As the new field reporter, she’ll be covering events live as they happen. On her holiday checklist is an interview with the chairman of a popular walking tour through Salem’s historic district. Unfortunately, it may be his ghost walking on this snowy Noel season after Lee finds him murdered in his office, his bloody Santa hat askew.

      With her police detective boyfriend working the case and a plethora of suspects—including some bell-ringing Santa’s. Lee chases down leads aided by her wise cat O’Ryan and some unsettling psychic visions of her own. When a revealing clue leads to another dead body, not even a blizzard can stop Lee from inching closer to the truth, and a scoop that could spell her own demise this Christmas.

      --

      Series: A Witch City Mystery - Book 7
      Author: Carol J. Perry
      Genre: Cozy/Witch Mystery
      Publisher: Kensington Books

      Publishing Date: September 28, 2018

      Rating 4-books

      Carol Perry is a talented writer who obviously enjoys her characters and seeks to flesh them out as much as possible. The writing is smooth and balanced with just enough adventure, action and emotion to make the reader care about the characters and thrill at turning the page.

      Bells, Spells, and Murders is the 7th book in the “Witch City Mystery” series. It is a pleasurable read, easy to follow and filled with all the things and characters that make this a great series. There was a little less of River North, and other ongoing characters than most readers would expect but the story overall was enjoyable as always.

      Lee Barrett is a very likable character with issues that plague most people in the world today. Her excitement over her new job is contagious. Yet her compassion for the victim is palpable even though she never met him. Trying to figure out a murder while maintaining her boss’s expectation of her work is a balancing act that Lee pulls off with no problem. However, add in the fact that she and her boyfriend, Pete, have recently moved in together, and it is taking a bit more work than she had thought it would to adjust, makes for a very absorbing story. Aunt Ibby never plays a big enough role in this series, or at least not as much as most readers would like. Unfortunately, this does not change in the new addition to the series.

      When the killer is finally unmasked in this story, it doesn’t come as that big of a surprise to those who know this author's style and the way she structures her stories. This does not detract from the delight of the book, and in fact, helps enhance the reader's interest.

      Bells, Spells, and Murders is a pleasant read that will take the reader away on a trip to Salem, and into a world, most people never get to experience. I highly recommend this book and the series to anyone that wishes to sit down with a book that doesn’t leave them scratching their head or having unanswered questions.
    • 4/5
      Bells, Spells and Murders by Carol J. Perry is the seventh bewitching tale in A Witch City Mystery series. Lee Barrett is starting her new job as field reporter for WICH-TV in Salem, Massachusetts. Lee is set to interview Albert Eldridge regarding the Holiday Walk, but she ends up with breaking news. Albert is dead in his office from blunt force trauma. Detective Pete Mondello, Lee’s boyfriend, is assigned the case which means late nights for him until the killer is apprehended. Lee starts nosing around, gathering clues and questioning those close to Albert. She must work in her sleuthing in between work assignments, shopping for Christmas presents, decorating her tree and participating in a Salem holiday tradition. Lee, with the aid of her visions and O’Ryan, sets out to wrap up the case before sleigh bells ring out on Christmas Eve.I enjoyed reading Bells, Spells and Murders. The author captured the holiday spirit in this merry cozy mystery. While Bells, Spells and Murders is the seventh story in A Witch City Mystery series, it can be read alone. Ms. Perry provides Lee’s backstory allowing you to know her and how she came to live and work in Salem. Christmas in Salem was brought alive in this book. Cold weather, shopping, baking, tree decorating, a Christmas play, Santa’s ringing bells for donations, family flying off for the holiday and twinkle lights are all included. I loved how the bell theme was spread throughout the story (some of the references will have you giggling). The mystery was interesting with several suspects, a red herring or two and pointed clues. I wish the solution had not been so obvious, and I could have done with less repetition of case details. I did tire of Pete telling Lee to stay out of the investigation. He should know by now that she will keep investigating even if her life is in peril (there is no stopping Lee). All the storylines are nicely wrapped up at the end of the book. My rating for Bells, Spells and Murders is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). Bells, Spells and Murders is my favorite book in A Witch City Mystery series. There is love, humor, murder, family, friends and Christmas fun in one festive cozy mystery.