Customer Reviews

Hex Marks the Spot (Bewitching Mysteries, No. 3)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The third installment of "The Bewitching Series" is the best one thus far. The mystery itself does not dominate the book but allows Maggie room for personal growth. The only negative that I could give the book would be that the main mystery starts off strongly in the first few chapters, but we don't hear about it again until much later. We also get to see a side mystery with Stony Mill's library ghost, Boiler Room Bertie, which was interesting as it helped to develop some minor characters.

Overall, the real story is Maggie's burgeoning belief in the paranormal, which mirrors her personal growth & has been a delight to follow throughout the series. She seriously questions her feelings for two romantic interests in this book, which is a twist that I did not see coming in previous books. When I started this series, I did not expect the books to have so much heart, but Maggie's personal journey has made "The Bewitching Series" a worthwhile read.

Madelyn Alt has come across a winning combination with characters who are magic on the pages as well as a delight to read.
Stony Mill, Indiana...In mainstream Indiana there are all types of folks.
Nice folks, and murderers...
Maggie O'Neill found a wonderful job at Enchantments - a store that has many things - antiques, books, crystals, New Age things - The owner of Enchantments, Liss Dow, is a practicing witch - Maggie finds she has gifts that are blossoming in this environment -
Her sometime boyfriend, Tom, is a cop in Stony Mill, and he is as not too thrilled to have Maggie delve into the paranormal - He reminds me of the ROTC guy in Animal House - that's my visual picture of him. Although Maggie and Tom have been going out for some months, the relationship isn't blooming - There is Liss' friend the hunky and most sexy Marcus...he is in Liss' group and Maggie thinks that Mark and a considerably older Liss are an item - so to Maggie, Marcus is forbidden territory...at least in the romance department.
This outing has a dark feel to it - As Liss and Maggie go to a fair, they see an ornate armoire, that surprisingly was made by a very 'unplain' Amish man, Luc...when Luc is brutally murdered, and strange markings are found, the group of friends associated with Enchantments go in and try to decipher the mystery -
This is a delightful series that educates the reader in alternative religions, that there are people who practise wonderful rites that celebrate the earth and are good people who do good things.
This book moves the characters forward in interesting directions - and Alt has created well rounded characters that you care about and want to read more about.

"Hex Marks the Spot" was like catching up with a dear friend -- our time together flew by, and was over far too soon. The development of the characters and romance(s?) is every bit as fascinating as the actual mystery of Luc Metzger's death. I do wonder if we will see his widow, Hester, in any future books.

Although it is helpful to have read the previous two books by Ms. Alt, "Hex Marks the Spot" can easily be read as a stand-alone volume. The death of Luc Metzger offers an interesting look into the Amish society. Why he had been killed, and by whom, is not at all what I would had thought at the very beginning of the book...and I appreciate being led astray before given an opportunity to solve the mystery on my own.

Cannot wait for the next one!

This series just gets better and better. Ms Alt's writing is easy to read, the mystery satisfying, and the 'witchy' part a delight. From my own research into the Wiccan/Pagan philosophy, I found that aspect of this book to be both accurate and convincing. Maggie O'Neil seems to breathe real life and have an actual heartbeat. I'm looking forward to her next adventure.

We join Maggie O'Neill back in Indiana, in the mystical gift and antique shop Enchantments, where she works for a witch, Felicity Dow aka Liss. And Liss really is a witch - a practicing witch in an established community that is blithely aware of the paranormal happenings around them. At least, most of them seem to be immune, but many are starting to notice the increase in crime and accidents that are plaguing the community. When a local Amish craftsman is found dead next to his bicycle with his head bashed in, residents are shocked. Not only was this gentle and talented man killed, but his was the third murder in six months in their small community. Are there supernatural forces at play, or has the town simply run out of luck?

Maggie is quite excited to be attending the annual craft fair put on by the county. Normally Liss attends alone, but this year Maggie is getting a break from running the store to help find some new merchandise. While browsing, they visit the stall of an Amish woodworker they are friends with, and Liss falls in love with an armoire decorated with patterns and bright colors not normally seen on the shaker style furniture normally produced. The armoire had been donated to the auction taking place later that day, so the two women plan to attend in hopes of winning. But the armoire's decoration is credited to another Amish craftsman, Luc Metzger; one like Maggie has never before seen. His craft work is just a beautiful as the man himself, an uncommon trait among the simple Amish people whose faith is foremost in their community. And when the ladies' man is found dead after supposedly doing `one more job' to help earn money for a farm for his wife and children, Maggie can't help but wonder where he'd been.

Maggie and hunky friend Marcus come upon the nighttime scene of buggies that have discovered the body on a darkened stretch of road, and Maggie has to decide whether or not she is comfortable with the paranormal side of her life in order to help discover why there was a strange hex tacked to a tree not far from the body - on Amish property. Maggie's sometime boyfriend, Tom the detective, is also having a difficult time with the peculiar aspects of the crime, but mostly with Maggie's involvement with people he considers questionable because they are not considered mainstream. So we are able to follow Maggie's personal journey into unfamiliar territory that is considered taboo to her Catholic religious background, and also her journey on how to trust her heart and instincts.

I am really enjoying the Bewitching series by Alt. We are seeing characters develop with the paranormal aspect - especially some who are new to the subject or fear reprisal if outed, which I think are normal reactions people would have in real life. The cozy series is engaging, and there is enough mystery to keep you guessing throughout the story. I eagerly await the next in the series, but I have one question: How does Abel charge his cell phone?

I highly enjoyed this book. She continues to successfully develop the relationships of all the characters within the book, and I'm glad to finally see things heating up with Marcus. I could definitely see the attraction starting in the second book.

As for the murder mystery portion of this book, it was interesting to see how she illustrated the different Amish cultures; and how the culture clashes created another obstacle to solving the case.

All in all, I have enjoyed all of the books in the series, but I'll have to agree that they just keep getting better.

The third installment in the Bewitching Mysteries series was definitely my favorite thus far. Maggie is finally growing as a character and even though I rate Ms. Alt's book at a nonstop 4, it doesn't seem like a sort of half-hearted chick lit to me. This book's storyline was much more involved and rounded.

Winter has come and gone, with two murders under it's belt, in Stony Mill Indiana. It;s the opening day of the country fermer's market/craft bazaar and the main item of interest in the auction is a gorgeous hand carved cabinet made by Eli Yoder (You've met him before) and his newly acquired assistant, Luc Metzger. After the auction, when the handsome Amish craftsman, Luc, turns up dead, Stony Mill now has another murder to it's credit.

Hex Marks the Spot, again to it's credit, deals a lot with the character's personal lives as well as the story and I am grateful for that. I feel like in other stories, except for Felicity Dow, the character's were lacking some in that aspect. Maggie's attraction to Marcus, even though she is quasi-dating Tom, heats up as they exchange a very passionate kiss. The problem is, no matter how Maggie says she loves Liss, her employer and dear friend, at the time she thinks Marcus is Felicity's boyfriend. That was a little disturbing.

Boiler Room Bertie, the library's resident ghost, also makes an appearance in this book. In fact, the side story going on along with the murder investigation, is investigating him. His back story is explained and you finally find out who he is and his history there, which much to my surprise was more interesting than I had first thought.

Back to Luc Metzger; the Amish in the area have been victims of random violence, so of course that is where the police have been focused in their investigation. Maggie, however, takes a different route getting a feeling that the answer my lay with Hester Metzger, Luc's wife. The investigation into Luc's murder isn't the whole book, just actually a small part as the author tried to cram in a lot of different elements in just a little over 200 pages. However, be that as it may, the book is not a disappointment in the slightest nor is it a whirlwind of confusion.

The book also still has all the same elements of Paganism some of the readers have come to love and expect. A lot of the clues found have to deal with Folk Magick and symbolism, so there is a new element brought into the mix just for the sake of the storyline which is really sort of interesting. All in all, the whole book is really good and I don't have many complaints about this one at all.

This is the third book in the Bewitching Mystery series by Madelyn Alt, following The Trouble With Magic (Bewitching Mystery, Book 1) and A Charmed Death (Bewitching Mystery, Book 2). Actually, I have liked each book in turn better than the one before it, and I think that is a great sign of things to come with this series!

Maggie loves her job in a nice gift store in a small town in northwestern Indiana. The store is called Enchantments, and not only carries charming gifts, but is also a local center for Wiccans and others interested in the paranormal. Since it is in a conservative area, this can lead to tension with some of the other townspeople from time to time.

In this novel, Maggie and her boss Felicity, go to a big craft fair where they meet a handsome Amish craftsman named Luc. Luc soon thereafter turns up murdered, with a strange magik symbol near his body. Maggie and her friends decide to investigate.

This book is a bit darker than the previous two - a crime against an Amish person is pretty disturbing, given their peaceful philosophy and close knit communities.

Maggie shows quite a bit of character development in this book - she has to start to comes to terms with herself and her own abilities.

I am really looking forward to any books to come in this series!

As the third book in the series, Madelyn Alt has managed to show you characters that grow and you start to feel attached to them. This is the key to good story telling and Ms Alt has it down.

There is a natural progression, since Maggie is hesitant to jump into Wicca and everything paranormal, this story shows Maggie, and the reader, that even "wholesome" folks such as Amish may have sides we don't understand and thus are afraid of. Bringing us back to the fact that any spiritual path is only as good as the individual's intent. So Maggie has more to contemplate by the end concerning her spirituality.

The characters are truly delightful and the plot is credible. The romantic tension that begun in book 1 has been developed and continues in this one, making me scream for the next installment to find out how this and that turns out!

"Hex Marks the Spot" plunges the reader into the world of the Amish as Maggie and Liss visit a craft fair in Pennsylvania Dutch country. Madelyn amps up the romantic tension in more than one way as Maggie and Liss follow the clues to solve an Amish craftsman's death.

It's been fun watching the growth of the characters within the series, and Maggie is finally coming into her own as she discovers who she really is as a person and becomes more comfortable with her gifts. There are plenty of twists and turns and in the end, Madelyn managed to surprise me.

With every book, her stories just get better and better. This third book really showcases Madelyn Alt's growth as a writer.

I read a lot of books (Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction and Fantasy) and Madelyn Alt is definitely someone to watch. I can't wait to see more of Maggie and company.

If you've enjoyed Shirley Damsgaard, Victoria Laurie, or Yasmine Galenorn, be sure to try Madelyn Alt, you won't regret it.