Charmed to Death (Ophelia & Abby Mysteries, No. 2) (An Ophelia and Abby Mystery) [Kindle Edition]

Shirley Damsgaard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Shirley Damsgaard has created a sassy, savvy librarian who just happens to be a reluctant witch haunted by her past.

Product Description

Ophelia Jensen's good witch granny Abigail revels in her paranormal powers. But Ophelia never asked for her bothersome psychic abilities -- especially since they proved worthless when the thirty-something librarian's best friend Brian was murdered by a still-unknown assailant.

Now, five years later, another friend is gone, killed in almost identical fashion. Even dear old Abby isn't safe, distracted as she is by her fight to prevent a massive, mega-polluting pig-farming operation from invading their small Iowa town. And Ophelia can't count on her snarling, scoffing nemesis, police detective Henry Comacho, to get the job done, so she'll have to take matters into her own hands. Because a common thread to the crimes -- and a possible next victim -- is suddenly becoming troublingly apparent . . . and it's Ophelia Jensen herself!

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 210 KB
• Print Length: 302 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0060793538
• Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (October 13, 2009)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000R3NN86
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,857 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Shirley Damsgaard, author of numerous published short stories, resides with her family in small-town Iowa, where she has served as Postmaster for the last twenty years. She is currently working on the next Ophelia and Abby mystery, which again touches delightfully upon the paranormal.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars charming who-done-it, March 29, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charmed to Death (Ophelia & Abby Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

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

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another good book, April 16, 2006

By 

moria2 (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Charmed to Death (Ophelia & Abby Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars more, please, June 24, 2006

By 

Elizabeth Slater (North Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Charmed to Death (Ophelia & Abby Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.