“Bell, Book & Candlemas,” by Jennifer David Hesse

FM’s ratings:

1. Premise 10
2. Prose 8
3. Plot 8
4. Characters 9
5. Overall 8

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

Another rewarding Cozy Mystery by yet another quite talented writer. How many of these writers can there be!? One hates to pigeon-hole them into a class, because they really are superb at what they do, but they seem to be coming out of the woodwork! My favorite examples of these books seem to be those, like this one, that include an element of witchcraft. I'm not at all a believer in such things, but the topic seems to make for fun fiction. I guess it's the "what-if" element that drew me to Science Fiction for so many years. The protagonist is almost always the "practitioner" of the Wiccan arts, and telling the story in first-person lends it a believability it otherwise might lack. This particular one assumes perhaps a little too much open-mindedness on the part of the reader, and I can't help but feel many readers might be really turned off by the casting of spells and the details thereof depicted here. These passages are almost as obligatory as the "love-making" passages sprinkled throughout other types of novels. Skim and move on. Otherwise, this one might merit an Overall "9". The literary device of a system of tunnels connecting various points around town is intelligently introduced and utilized - not over-used. The atmosphere of this story is nicely palpable - a huge plus. And there's a cat. Points for the cat.




Here’s the December line-up!

"Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff..." by Christopher Moore [12-2-17]
"Santa Clawed," by Rita Mae Brown [12-9-17]
"Hark! The Herald Angel Screamed," by Mignon Ballard [12-16-17]
"When Elves Attack," by Tim Dorsey [12-23-17]
"The Alpine Christmas," by Mary Daheim [12-30-17]