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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2393 KP) rated Essentials of Murder in Books

Sep 11, 2021  
Essentials of Murder
Essentials of Murder
Kim Davis | 2021 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Essential Series Debut
After a scandal in San Francisco sent her packing, Carissa Carmichael has returned home to Oak Creek Valley in Southern California and has decided to open Aromatherapy Apothecary, a store specializing in essential oils. She is planning to work with her neighbor, who owns a candle shop, but the neighbor’s son, Russ, is certain that Carissa is going to steal business from his mom’s store. After a particularly nasty scene with Russ, Carissa enters her shop the next day to find his body in the back of her shop. Already convicted of the crime by local gossip and with the detective in charge of the case determined to find evidence to arrest her, Carissa sets out to prove her innocence. Can she do it?

I always love it when a debut cozy has characters who already feel like old friends, and that’s the case here. As we slowly meet Carissa’s family and friends, they form a great group I can’t wait to hang out with again. The suspects? They are great at keeping us confused. The mystery is good. I had some guesses on part of it, but I wasn’t sure until the end. The climax could have been stronger, but it did answer all our questions. As a Southern California resident, I loved recognizing some of the locations mentioned even if Oak Creek Valley is fictional. This is a fun debut you won’t want to miss.
  
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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Familiars in Books

Apr 30, 2023  
The Familiars
The Familiars
Stacey Halls | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Thriller
9
8.5 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
51 of 230
Book
The Familiars
By Stacey Halls
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 In 1612 Lancaster, England, the hunt for witches has reached a fever pitch . . .

But in a time of suspicion and accusation, to be a woman may be the greatest risk of all.

Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Pendle Hill’s Gawthorpe Hall, is with child. Anxious to produce an heir, she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy.

Devastated, Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds, where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or “familiars” are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.

Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake, Fleetwood must prove Alice’s innocence. Only they know the truth.

Set against the real Pendle witch trials, this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting?

I absolutely loved it! Completely devoured it in 1 day! I’ve always loved the stories that are based on the Pendall witch trials and this was so so good!
The characters and story kept me glued to they book.