A Spell of Murder (A Lost Maidens Loch Mystery #1)

A Spell of Murder is the first book in a new paranormal mystery series by Kennedy Kerr. Released 3rd Oct 2019, it's 165 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. The ebook version includes an interactive table of contents Possibly worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is a nicely written engaging cozy murder mystery with a paranormal twist, the main character does psychometry (occasionally for the police and more often for antiques authenticators) and her sister deals in antique books and scrying. When a local schoolteacher dies from poisoning, main character Temerity helps the local law enforcement (complete with dishy new constable Angus) sort out the less logical aspects of the case.

The plotting is well managed, the characterizations are distinct and obey their internal motivations. I had no trouble keeping track of who was who. Since it's a paranormal cozy, it requires a healthy suspension of disbelief, but the author doesn't abuse that trust. I found it charming and entertaining. The accents for some of the characters  (especially Inspector Hyland and Muriel, the local tea-shop owner and gossip) are distracting, but after a while I got used to them and didn't find them so distracting as written.

It's always fun to find a new author and series to read. I would recommend this one to fans of paranormal cozies with romantic subplots.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.