Customer Reviews

Charmed To Death

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Librarian Ophelia Jensen and her Grandma Abby reside in Summerset, Iowa. They look like ordinary women but they are witches with Abby training her granddaughter to learn what her gifts are and to use them wisely. They are also psychic with Ophelia having precognitive skills and the ability to find things. Six months ago using her powers she found a murderer and his cohorts. This action enabled her to come out of her shell, the one she retreated into when her friend Brian was murdered, and left in a dumpster.

Ophelia still feels guilty over Brian's murder because she saw his murder in a vision and was too late to prevent his death from happening. At one time Detective Henry Comache considered her a suspect because he believed, rightfully so, she was hiding things from him. Now Abby has a feeling that it is time for Ophelia to find closure over Brian's death which means finding his killer. When Henry comes to Summerset, Ophelia is once again under suspicion when she finds, through her psychic senses, the body of a dead man whom she had a very public fight with. Evil has come to Summerset; Ophelia must find it and bring it out of the darkness before it kills her.

This is a very special mystery in an enchanting series as Ophelia and Abby perform magic in the traditional Bell, Book and Candle methodology. The heroine has gained strength from her brush with death and is finally willing to learn how to use her powers. She also overcomes her hermit like existence to make friends with some of the townsfolk and there is even a hint of romance in the air. Although readers might guess early on who the killer is it won't detract from the enjoyment of this charming who-done-it and why.

Harriet Klausner

This is the second of the Ophelia and Abby mystery series. These books are a delightful blend of mystery spiced up with a dash of the paranormal. I like the fact that the paranormal stuff isn't so much "new age" but is more like something one would read in the Foxfire series on the disappearing Appalachian life. In this story, Ophelia comes face to face with what was likely the most defining moment in her life, the death of her good friend Brian in Iowa City 5 years earlier. Without spooling the plot, Abby is not as influential in this story, Darci is as amusing as ever, and Rick from Witch Way to Murder is out of the picture. Instead, there is an annoying journalist from the city, the cop who investigated Brian's death, a pig farming conglomerate, and a coffee table book photographer from the East Coast. Damsgaard goes light on what I've seen with the politics surrounding these large corporate pig farms. So, it doesn't get preachy on that very touchy subject.

Gotta have my WOO-WOO!!! Book 2 in Damsgaard's series featuring Ophelia and Abby Jensen, following WITCH WAY TO MURDER. Ophelia is a small town librarian who is finally starting to recognize her psychic powers, while her grandmother, Abby, tries to show Ophelia how to adjust to something she's had her entire life but tried to hide. Now Ophelia's haunted past has pushed itself into the present, and Ophelia must deal with both to find out why she is the connection between the murders. A wonderful paranormal cozy that isn't overwhelmingly cozy. I like it.

Ophelia and Abby are at it again. A old murder is coming home to Ophelia and it is all she can do to keep her and Abby safe.
these charactors are well thought out and feel real.
Vivid descriptions of hometown people feel like you could visit these folks and possiably know a few!

Ophelia is a librarian, who also happens to be a psychic and a witch. She inherited this gift indirectly from her Grandmother, Abby, who also lives in the same small town Ophelia does.

Five years ago, Ophelia left her librarian job in Iowa City because she foresaw a friend Brian's murder and couldn't stop it. Now, the murders are coming to her--she knows it and is afraid the same thing will happen again.

Worse, Henry Comancho, the detective who worked Brian's case is in town and suspecting Ophelia of at least knowing something about the crimes.

This is an interesting and well-paced book about modern witches with a lot at stake. I'm looking forward to the next installation in September.

This second installment of the Abby & Ophelia series is a decent follow-up to the debut, Witch Way to Murder. I'm really, REALLY picky about my mystery novel heroines, and for the most part I like Ophelia. The only thing I can see myself becoming really disappointed with is that the story seems to be moving towards a romance between Ophelia and the cop, Comacho. It's just so trite. Just ONCE I would like to read a mystery series written by a woman and featuring a female protagonist that doesn't stoop to the 'romance with the sexy cop' schtick. It's so overdone. Comacho is not at all likeable in the first place, despite the author's attempts to showcase him as some sexy Latino muscleman with a secret soft spot for kids (gag, vomit, hurl). If anything turns me off this series in the end, it will be that. I'll invest in the 3rd one when it comes out, but I have a feeling I might drop it after that. We'll see; maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised!

Entertaining but you'll need to suspend your critical faculties when your reading it. First of all the killer is identified halfway through the book to anyone with the brains to catch it, which excludes Ophelia. The characterizations are weak and sterotypical. Expecially Comacho. He's every stoney-faced Latino police detective, with a heart-of-gold, character you've ever seen, and not as finely drawn as most. See Gabe in Earlene Fowler's Benny Harper series. The psychic and paranormal aspects ring the truest.

An enjoyable second entry into the series. It's fun to see Ophelia embracing her magic a bit more this time.

Ophelia is starting to show off her mettle in this book as she takes on the issue of Brian's death, something that has haunted her for years. She's beginning to come out of her shell, thanks to Darci, Rick, and Abby, but unfortunately still finding dead bodies. The mystery involving the pig farm is great to me, I don't know why I liked it so much. As for the rest of the mystery, I found the villian's backstory as somewhat outlandish but it works and I like his methods for the story so I'm not going to nag about it. The information about the witch trials and runes was also really cool to learn. I felt like Comacho was just a red herring as a possible love interest for Ophelia, especially since she dislikes him with such vehemence in the beginning and Rick is out of the picture. Bill is as funny as ever as he threatens Ophelia with jail time for her "bumbling". Can't wait for the next!

I love this author and her writing. I reccomend her books to anyone interested in Wiccan or paranormal studies.