Witch Hunt (Ophelia & Abby Mysteries, No. 4) [Mass Market Paperback]

Shirley Damsgaard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 2007

Small-town librarian Ophelia Jensen is finally starting to embrace her lot as one of the "chosen"—a psychic and folk magick practitioner, a.k.a. a witch. Expert loving guidance from her magickally adept grandmother Abby helps—and adopting Tink, an exceptionally talented teenage medium, has given Ophelia's life new purpose . . . until a brutal murder clouds the sunshine of their days.

Ophelia's co-worker and best friend, Darci, is distraught when her cousin is implicated in the small Iowa town of Summerset's most recent murder—the violent death of a biker. Unfortunately for Darci's cousin, it's her fingerprints all over the murder weapon. She claims she's innocent, but it'll take Ophelia and Abby more than a good incantation or two to get to the bottom of this crime—what with ghosts, crooked cops, secret identities, and a small army of outlaw bikers thrown into this devil's brew.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Four installments into her paranormal mystery series (after The Trouble with Witches), Damsgaard delivers a scattershot whodunit that's more tedious than tricky. When her friend's cousin is charged with murdering a member of a motorcycle gang, librarian and returning heroine Ophelia Jensen reluctantly agrees to use her psychic gifts to help clear the woman. It's no easy case, however: the suspect, Becca, was found in bed with the dead man, her fingerprints all over the knife that killed him. A reading of the runes persuades Ophelia that the answers lie in the victim's past, and soon she's spinning theories and digging into an old crime that may have involved other gang members. At the same time, Ophelia has more personal concerns to deal with, including her foster daughter, budding medium Tink, and her own long-ignored abilities, which she's hoping to hone with the help of her gifted grandmother, Abby. Although the psychic elements are fresh and well handled, the heroine's habit of leaping to erroneous conclusions and brushing off obvious clues may frustrate mystery fans. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Shirley Damsgaard has created a sassy, savvy librarian who just happens to be a reluctant witch haunted by her past. (Jo Dereske, praise for WITCH WAY TO MURDER )

“Shirley Damsgaard brings us a wonderful second paranormal mystery...beguiling.” (Mary Alice Gorman, Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Oakmont, PA, praise for CHARMED TO DEATH )

“Ophelia and Abby have Charmed me To Death. I love this series.” (Pat Frovarp, Once Upon A Crime, Minneapolis, MN, praise for CHARMED TO DEATH )

“Ms. Damsgaard has proved that her talent is solid and her characters are ones you’ll come to know and love.” (Fran, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Seattle, WA, praise for CHARMED TO DEATH )

“A Golden Broomstick to the season’s most unusual sleuths, a septuagenarian witch and her psychic granddaughter. Inventive and imaginative.” (Carolyn Hart, praise for WITCH WAY TO MURDER )

“[C]omplex and likable characters...a bit of romance and suspense. Definitely worth trying.” (Amarillo Texas News, praise for CHARMED TO DEATH )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Avon (May 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061147117
• ISBN-13: 978-0061147111
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars witch hunt, May 30, 2007

By 

Sarah Banks "sarahlen1980" (Madison, MS) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Witch Hunt (Ophelia & Abby Mysteries, No. 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't think this series could get any better after the third installment, "The Trouble with Witches," but "Witch Hunt" is the best so far. We see growth in Ophelia and Abby's relationship and within Ophelia herself. Now that she has an adopted daughter, Tink, Ophelia's life is completely different. She seems to understand her estranged mother better than before, and I hope we might get a bigger glimpse of that relationship in the future. I'm also glad that Darci has become a strong, minor character. She acts as Ophelia's foil, yet they are the best of friends at this point in the series.

The mystery came to a truly shocking end. I had no idea who the killer was, and some of the characters had mistaken identities that I didn't expect. As usual, Ophelia uses her "talent" to help solve the murder, but the magic in this series is much different than any other series I've read. The magic here is very much tied to the earth, seeming to resemble folk magic. I enjoy the use of runes as well. With the addition of Tink and her ability as a medium, I can't wait to see what this series has in store.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ophelia is at it again, September 24, 2007

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Witch Hunt (Ophelia & Abby Mysteries, No. 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

Ophelia Jenson, smalltown librarian, is doing her best to settle into her new life as a surrogate mom to Tink (Tatiana) the 11 year old girl she and her grandmother rescued.

Unfortunately, just a mile from her home, The Vipers Nest has opened. The bar caters to motorcycle riders--and not the rich urban biker types. Everywhere she looks, she's seeing leather clad bikers and she, like the local newspaper editor, suspects trouble.

Trouble comes in the form of Becca, cousin to Ophelia's employee and friend, Darci and a failed California actress wannabe. On her first night in town, Becca takes up with Adder, one of the cyclists and ends up drugged and sleeping with his corpse. Everyone believes Becca committed the murder but Ophelia and Darci. The situation gets dangerous, because there are people with a vested interest in keeping things quiet.

Overall, the Ophelia and Abby series are great tea cosies. The characters are interesting and engaging and have become very real throughout the books. The small town seems like a lot of the little places you could go through, too. This particular novel is the fastest paced of the series so far. Some of the fans who like cosies may object to kicking up the danger a bit, but I found the book to be enjoyable and a good can't-put-down read.

One serious character gaffe in this novel is Ophelia musing after a breakin destroys photos that the printed pic which was destroyed had been on the memory stick of her digital camera and now was lost to her. Hello! That photo had to be processed through a PC, where she should have kept a backup. I'm a librarian and most others I know are quite careful to make sure they have backups of important documents, photos, etc.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honestly...3 1/2 Stars..., August 8, 2007

By 

bookaholic - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witch Hunt (Ophelia & Abby Mysteries, No. 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

It was good, but not as good as the others.
I had a hard time getting into the story. The first 3 books just pulled you in from the first page; this one was a little work. For such a quick read, it took me a long time to finish it.

I was glad of the growth in the characters, but there was just too much hemming and hawing (the story stalled) about motherhood and bad boyfriends. The ending was not a surprise for me. I thought the clues throughout the story made the "bad guys" obvious. In fact, I knew who they were at their first appearance.

I will continue to read this series, because it is a good one. The characters are usually well developed, the mystery engaging, and the story well told. I recommend it.