Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused by Marcy Blesy

Item: Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused
Rating: 4
Author: karenbaron

Posted May 5, 2026 by karenbaron in Blog Tour, Contest - Giveaway, Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused

by Marcy Blesy

Series: Empty Nest Mystical Cozy Mysteries #1
Series Rating:

Published by Independently Published on February 27, 2026
Setting: Michigan
Genres: Cozy Paranormal Animal Mystery
Pages: 187
Format: Kindle, Paperback
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon

The Empty Nest Retreat was supposed to help Juli find herself. Not question her sanity—or reality.

When Juli Tully’s kids fly the coop and she takes early retirement, the silence in her house is deafening—and not in a calming, spa-music kind of way. At her mother’s not-so-subtle urging, she signs up for the Empty Nest Retreat at the Sand Bur Estate, a stately mansion perched on the windswept dunes of Lake Michigan.

Juli nearly bolts when she learns the retreat is phone-free. No texts. No doom-scrolling. No emergency updates from her kids. Instead, she’s stuck with an unusual group of fellow empty nesters: Nelle, a perpetually cheerful optimist; Kimmie, a bubbly influencer convinced the estate is magical; and Jedd, an arrogant dad who fancies himself Parent of the Year—and takes an instant dislike to Juli.

Then things get… strange.

Temperatures swing wildly. Lights flicker. Objects float. Juli can’t tell if her menopausal symptoms have gone off the rails or if rumors about the estate’s supernatural past are true.

Between meditation sessions and awkward financial-planning talks, one of the estate’s employees dies under suspicious circumstances. Thanks to Juli’s increasingly unpredictable “episodes,” she becomes the prime suspect.

With a murder to solve, a reputation to save, and a sarcastic talking cat who knows more than she’s letting on, Juli must uncover the truth—before this empty nest lands her in handcuffs.

If you love:
Empty nest reinvention
Midlife amateur sleuth
Retreat gone wrong
Isolated estate near Lake Michigan
Light paranormal elements
Self-help retreat chaos
Haunted (or is it?) mansion
Sarcastic talking cat
Humor with heart
Found family friendships
Wrongly suspected heroine
Cozy whodunit

You’ll adore this humorous cozy mystery set under along the shores of Lake Michigan!

Empty nests bring new beginnings… and unexpected secrets.

Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused by Marcy Blesy brings Juli to a retreat for empty nesters set in Michigan by Lake Michigan.

Will Juli and her newfound friends find out who actually killed one of the retreat’s employees?

Juli Tully

Julianna “Juli” Tully is going through too many changes at once. Her two sons have left the home, and she is a retired elementary school teacher. Juli’s mom thought that this retreat would be good for her and encouraged her to sign up. She is definitely in need of some relaxation that this retreat promised until the death happened, and she seems to be the prime suspect to some people.

I like Juli and her gumption in seeking out the truth while actually maybe enjoying herself at the retreat. Juli shows promise, and I can’t wait to see what the other books are like for her.

The Mystery

Juli is the last person to see the retreat employee alive. Well, besides the murderer, of course. I have to say that this one stumped me a bit, but I actually did figure out who did it. Ms. Blesy almost stumped me on this one. The clues and some of the red herrings had me guessing for a minute.

Four Stars

My rating for Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused by Marcy Blesy is four stars. Ms. Blesy did an awesome job of transporting me to Michigan during the fall time at Lake Michigan. I love the concept and world-building she did for this novel, as well as the “hocus pocus” part. Juli and her newfound friends, fellow empty nesters, were a hoot to follow along. I can’t wait to see what else Ms. Blesy has planned for this ragtag group of empty nesters.

Giveaway

Prize: One Paperback Signed Copy of: Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused (The Empty Nest Mystical Cozy Mystery Series) by Marcy Blesy

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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused by Marcy Blesy.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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About Marcy Blesy

Marcy Blesy is the author of over thirty books including the popular cozy mystery series: The Tucson Valley Retirement Community Cozy Mystery Series. Her adult romance mystery series includes The Secret of Blue Lake and The Secret of Silver Beach, set in Michigan. Marcy’s children’s books include the best-selling Be the Vet series along with the following early chapter book series: Evie and the Volunteers, Niles and Bradford, Third Grade Outsider, and Hazel, the Clinic Cat. Her picture book, Am I Like My Daddy?, helps children who experienced the loss of a parent when they were young.

Marcy enjoys searching for treasures along the shores of Lake Michigan. She’s still waiting for the day when she finds a piece of red beach glass. By day she teaches creative writing virtually to amazing students around the world.

Marcy is a believer in love and enjoys nothing more than making her readers feel a book more than simply reading it.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges: