To Conjure a Killer is the 4th Witch Cats cozy mystery by Clea Simon. Released 21st Nov 2023 by Polis Books, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents.
This is a simply written, moderately engaging paranormal cozy full of intelligent witchy cats, an appealing young(ish) female protagonist, and a largely unlamented ex-boyfriend who is -really- permanently an ex, after being stabbed in an alleyway. The cats set about finding the solution to the murder when police suspicion turns toward MC Becca since she's the victim's ex.
This is a very simple and whimsical book. Readers should bring a prodigious suspension of disbelief to the read. The prose is rough in places, it's written in 3rd person PoV and the cats refer to Becca as their "person" or their "human" about 20 times per page. The book is indie published and would've likely benefited from a thorough editing process.
It is lighthearted and quite readable and enjoyable. The "witchy" aspects and informational tidbits about wicca and nature magic are handled respectfully.
Three and a half stars. It works well as a standalone; there are references to things which happened in earlier books in the series, but they don't affect the plot of this book.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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