WITCH MYTH: A Yew Hollow Cozy Mystery Book 0 by Alexandria Clarke
I've only recently discovered cozy mysteries and I really enjoy this fun genre. I joined a cozy mystery challenge on Goodreads and while searching for a new book, I ran across this FREE cozy on Amazon. While the story is short, it's a great introduction to a series that seems full of promise. I was initially intrigued by the protagonist's relationship to an ancient coven of witches. Who doesn't find witches fascinating? When I was young, one of my favorite television shows was BEWITCHED. I could've watched Samantha cast her spells all day long. Like Samantha, the main witch in this story just wants to live a normal life, away from magic and witchcraft. Morgan Summers can move to the ends of the world to escape her family of witches but it's impossible to run from the dead and the spirit world where the dead reside.
After an unsuccessful attempt to separate her identity from her family and start her own life in New York City, Morgan must return to her childhood home in Yew Hollow. Back in town, she's immediately engulfed in the mysterious murder of Yew Hollow's beloved historian and librarian. Being the first to discover the body, Morgan unwittingly becomes the prime suspect, especially after evidence at the crime scene points to witchcraft.
For the most part, I quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together but I DID enjoy the storyline. Would I classify this as a cozy mystery? Maybe not. IMO, it was lacking the humor I've come to expect in a cozy mystery. As I mentioned, this is the first book in the series (although it's labeled as Book 0) and I think the author did a nice job of introducing characters and the small town of Yew Hollow. Overall, entertaining and a nice start to a fun series.
*This series must be fairly new because there's only one more book to continue the Yew Hollow series and it shares the same title as Book 0 but is labeled Book 1. (Kind of confusing.) Just to be sure, I checked the synopsis for Witch Myth: A Yew Hollow Cozy Mystery Book 1 and it did offer a different storyline.
5
