I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Cozy Mystery Book Club. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Of Murders and Mages
by Nikki Haverstock
Series: Casino Witch Mystery Series #1
Series Rating:
on August 17, 2017
Genres: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Pages: 174
Format: ebook
Source: Cozy Mystery Book Club
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: The Case of the Exploding Luck Pumpkin , Which Mage Moved the Cheese?
Three ways that Ella's life is totally messed up: __ her new coworker is as cranky as he is attractive __ a mischievous cat has decided she needs a familiar __ she just found out she's a witch who can read the emotional hologram of a magical death (and isn't that a mouthful) And oh yeah, there's five dead bodies, and no one knows how they are connected. Now she’s drawn into a madcap investigation at the casino where she's managed to snag a job. She must navigate learning her new mage abilities, a topless burlesque show, a jealous girlfriend, gamblers of all varieties, and magical chocolate cake, all while not setting herself or others on fire before the murderer makes her the next victim.
A humorous adventure!
Of Murders and Mages by Nikki Haverstock is an exciting spin on a magical world with gambling, murder, and possible love.
Will Ella find the murderer with the help of magic and her new friends before she becomes the next death?
Ella Ramono
Ella has had strange things happening to her since her father’s death. Now she is living in Rambler, Nevada. It is like Las Vegas, except this one is for mages or witches. Ella knows nothing of this world until she takes a job auditing the financials at the biggest casino in town.
I think Ella is spectacular. She is thrown into things that she has difficulty understanding, but she is giving it her all. Ella and Patagonia, her familiar, make a fantastic team. I enjoy seeing how Ella reacts to all the magic and the rules governing it.
The Mystery
The casino’s owner recently died, and his daughter Olivia is trying to figure out what happened. She hires Ella to review the accounts to see if anything is out of place. However, Ella turns out to be a mage herself, and Olivia, Auntie Ann, Vanessa, and Vin end up taking on her training. First, Ella needs to decipher the paper Mr. Santini died with and figure out why there is an ‘accidental’ death every few weeks at the casino. Along the way, Ella learns a few things about her magic, the magical world, magic items, and how all people can be deceptive.
So far, my favorite character is Patagonia. Yes, Ella’s familiar. She is spunky, attentive, and doesn’t take no for an answer. I know, just like a cat. But she is also extremely intelligent and is there when Ella needs her for magic and comfort when Ella is sad.
Four Stars
My rating for Of Murders and Mages by Nikki Haverstock is four stars. The story is well put together, the characters are lovely, and the magical world is fantastic. I would have liked a bit more background into Ella’s family, but since she doesn’t know them either, it makes sense. I recommend Of Murders and Mages by Nikki Haverstock to anyone who likes cozy paranormal mysteries.
Casino Witch Mysteries
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Of Murders and Mages by Nikki Haverstock.
Until the next time,
About Nikki Haverstock
Nikki Haverstock is a writer who lives on a cattle ranch high in the Rocky Mountains. She has studied comedy writing at Second City and has published 9 cozy mysteries that are heavy on the humor.
Before fleeing the city, she hosted a competitive archery reality show, traveled the world to study volcanoes, taught archery and computer science at a university and now works on her family’s ranch herding cattle. Nikki has more college degrees than she has sense and hopefully one day she will put one to work.
Nikki likes to write comedy pieces that focus on the everyday humor of one-uppers, annoying family members and strange behavior of the ultra-rich. She tried stand up but the cattle weren’t impressed.
Bio and picture taken from author’s website.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
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