When Maralee’s race car driving husband is killed in an automobile accident, Maralee decides to return to Salem, Massachusetts where she was raised by her Aunt Ibby. While staying with her aunt, Maralee hopes to land a job as an investigative reporter, but when she shows up for her interview, she discovers the position has already been filled. However, fate intervenes in an odd way. As Maralee returns to her car, she is hears what sounds like a cell phone ringing. Following the sound, she discovers the very dead body of the television station’s late night movie host and resident psychic. As horrifying as it was to find the body, the fact is the station now needs a permanent replacement for the former late night host. Maralee, who’s professional name is Lee Barrett, is in town and available so she lands the job. The only problem is, Lee knows nothing about the occult and is definitely not psychic-or so she thought.I was a bit skeptical when I first picked this book up thinking that it would be either be a cutsey “good witch’ tale or ridiculously hokey. It is neither. Ms Perry has launched a wonderful new series deemed the “Witch City Mysteries,” and with Caught Dead Handed has introduced a very believable set of characters led by the protagonist Lee Barrett. Her Aunt Ibby and the cat O’Ryan make great companions for Lee. I would hope that in future books the protagonist is called either Lee or Maralee in the entire book. It’s a little confusing having with both names used.The plot was well done with an interesting twist involving a couple of characters. However I suspect most readers figured out the twist way before it was revealed and therefore figured out who the murderer was well before the end of the book. But that’s okay in this case as the book set up the series quite nicely. I look forward to the next Witch City Mystery. The story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts and that’s what intrigued me to pick up the book in the first place. The author grew up in Salem herself and goes into detail describing the city. I have visited Salem myself a few times and I adore it. I love reading about some of the restaurants and shops that I visited on my own trips in the story. It’s interesting following the streets that Lee Barrett is traveling on and really seeing the city come to life again from the author’s images and the memories of my visits.As the book does take place in Salem, there is of course witchcraft. Lee Barrett is returning to her hometown of Salem to interview for a job as a news reporter, but instead finds herself landing the job as a late-night call in psychic. She begins to wonder if she really does have psychic abilities when visions appear to her.One aspect of the book that I did not care for was that it was stated that some of the victims in the Salem Witch Trials were real witches. And not just that they were real witches, but that they were evil. I’m not sure I understand the true point of having made this statement in the book, as it does not seem to be important to the plot – and the one tiny chance the author had at allowing us to know the reasoning for claiming the Salem Witch Trial victims to be evil witches is discarded at the end of the story.I generally take a while when reading mysteries to put all the clues together, but with this story I seemed to solve it rather quickly. And it bothered me that I was putting all the pieces together while Lee Barrett couldn’t understand what the meaning was to the clues she was gathering.I also felt a bit disconnected with Lee Barrett. Considering that we are reading directly from her point of view, I should have felt more of an understanding to who she is, but I didn’t really get that. There were a few lumps of information thrown out randomly, but I didn’t really feel like I got to know who she was. More like she was narrating the story to me, not living it as she told it.While there did seem to be a bit of a romantic relationship budding for Lee, I didn’t feel that there was real chemistry between the characters. Random kisses after small talk? That doesn’t really work for me. And if I don’t feel that Lee is getting those butterflies, I’m certainly not going to get them either.That being said, I did enjoy the book despite the fact that I managed to solve the murders rather early in the story. I will be awaiting the second book in the winter of 2015 to see what is going on with Lee, Aunt Ibby and of course O’Ryan.
What do You think about Caught Dead Handed (2014)?
Even more fun when you know someone related to the author! Thanks, Deb!
—RedWine
