A set of 3 mysteries about Bast, a wiccan who is confronted with various crimes. The books have a common theme of justice and morality vs the real world that spoke to me much more than the mystery format they are presented in. ( )

Some of my favorite books ever. I was in my young 20s living in Queens, working in the Upper East Side in the early 90s, chasing Hip Hop and eclectic religion. This series puts me back there. I can taste and smell Bast's experiences. Will read again in due time. ( )

More reviews at: http://www.onstarshipsanddragonwings.com/2011/04/15/bellbookandmurder/

This collection is proof that I do like mysteries sometimes! It was recommended to me by a teacher from high school, so it must be good right? It is, don’t worry.

Title: Bell, Book, and Murder
Author: Rosemary Edghill
Length: 448 pages (paperback)
Setting: Modern day, New York, our universe as far as I can tell
Premise: Bast is a normal person, but in suspicious about the death of a friend in the first book, then people start relying on her to solve mysteries for them. She’s also Wiccan, which isn’t really relevant, but is done quite accurately and therefore deserves praise.
Strengths:
Very interesting plot twists, you’ll never see them coming
Accurate portrayal of Wicca
Well rounded characters, including the main character, who definitely was also duped at one point
Weaknesses:
It’s a little grisly a few times
It does have the classic problem that books involving normal people solving mysteries do, in that it seems highly improbable that this would ever happen :-)
There are no more books past these three :-(
The second one might have taken some liberties with history, but I am no expert
Apparently according to mystery readers these books aren’t that hard to figure out (proves how many mysteries I read… I was stumped :-) )
Summary: These stories are a little hard for me to classify, since they aren’t fantasy, but they aren’t really that strong of mysteries, but there is the Wicca element. I guess it’s a fiction that is a bit mysterious? Oh well, they are good stories with a delightful character and I recommend them. They can also be instructional about the Wicca religion if you’ve ever been curious, since they are quite accurate. ( )

Full review located at http://paganbookreviews.com/2009/03/06/bell-book-and-murder-by-rosemary-edghill/

Well written by an insider with lots of wry humour and good pacing. ( )