Murder, Take Two - Cozy Mystery (And Year of the Series) Review

Goodreads:  Murder, Take Two (A Witch City Mystery #10) by Carol J. Perry

Rating: Liked It
Source: Publisher

Description:  As a Salem, Massachusetts, native, WICH-TV field reporter and amateur sleuth Lee Barrett is well versed in the region’s lore. So when the murder of revered local professor Samuel Bond resembles a killing from almost two centuries ago, everyone is on edge. Especially assistant professor Cody McGinnis . . .

Not only did Cody have differences with Bond, he even taught a course on the historic murder. And when his fingerprints and ladder are found at the crime scene, the police are certain of his guilt. Cody’s family, however, believes otherwise and asks Lee for assistance. Now, with the help of her clairvoyant cat, O’Ryan, her tech-savvy librarian aunt and housemate Ibby, and Pete Mondello, her handsome detective beau, Lee will delve deeper than ever into Salem’s past—and into her own psychic gifts—to find the real killer—before someone else is history . . .

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I really love this series and am trying to catch up on this series (which I pretty much have!  There's one more that's due out at the end of the month that I have to read but then I'm officially caught up!)

My Impression:  This is without a doubt one of my very favorite cozy mystery series.  I love the characters and enjoying spending time with them.  I love that there's frequently a "team" element to the investigation and usually a research one as well.  I love the supernatural element and that it doesn't overshadow the basic investigation.  And how can I resist a Salem setting AND a big orange cat?

That said, this is probably my least favorite in the series so far.    There's a lot of promise here - the murder that closely mirrors a historical murder, a team of investigators, and a Clue party based off the board game.  However, it didn't really feel like all of these different threads really came together.  It kind of feels like Lee ping pongs between all the different threads without really picking one and fleshing anything out.  The Clue party is fun but seems a bit random and the tie to the past murder is mentioned enough that I'm aware of it but I wanted more from that particular plot point.  It wasn't bad and I did enjoy it but this is a series I expect a lot from and if you weren't already a fan of the series I don't think this one would keep you interested.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  I'm already looking forward to picking up the next book and I'm hoping it's more what I expect from the series.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a touch of supernatural then I definitely recommend this series but I don't recommend starting with this book.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *