I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
Merry Little Mystic Murder
by
Patti Larsen
cozy mystery, paranormal fantasy in a Kindle edition that was published by Patti Larsen Books/Mayhem and Murder Ink on February 8, 2021 and has 131 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Drawn to Death
First in the Phoebe Monday cozy paranormal mystery series revolving around an amateur sleuth and sketch artist.
My Take
Larsen uses first person protagonist point-of-view from the very insecure Phoebe’s perspective. You simply can’t miss it what with all the thoughts Phoebe “voices”. The insecurity is because she’s the second child of what is traditionally a one-child only family. A family in which all the attention goes to the Crone, the Mother, and the Maiden.
Phoebe’s luck magic does have its downside. If she gives good/bad luck to someone, she gets hit with the opposite for 24 hours. She always figures the trade-off is worth it and is so accepting of the mostly bad she suffers. But it sure doesn’t help with her insecurities.
Larsen does catch my interest with that comment about Phoebe getting joy and peace in uncovering things people thought hidden. I wonder if it’s because she doesn’t feel a part of her own family, so she wanders around in the thoughts of others?
Yes, Phoebe does a lot of thinking at us, part sarcasm and part criticism of herself. I do appreciate how accepting she is of her klutziness, all due to how she throws around luck.
Grandma Isolde is quite quirky with that game she plays with Phoebe. And the inside of her closet is a Tardis — I want one on my apartment! Mom, now she’s a sweetheart and definitely motherly. Mom does sound pretty amazing with the foods and candies she creates — had me hunting for my own chocolates! As for the gorgeous yet childish Selene, she too is a fountain of support. It’s amazing how loving and supportive they are of Phoebe and yet she still feels so excluded. It’s got to be the magical society’s perception of her that has thrown her off.
Phoebe makes me crazy in her interactions (and thoughts) about Coop. All these hints about the tragic relationships between Monday women and men are so depressing! Of course, there is her grandfather’s, Humphrey’s, state of life to consider. Eek!
She’s also fascinating in her approach to the mind and to her deep absorption in others’ minds.
It’s a witchy world full of rules, laws, politics, and envy. It’s a stark contrast with the Mondays and how they were raised, their compassion and need to save those around them. It’s that concern for others that leads Phoebe to learn about the evil that has been holding her back.
The inciting incident is that murder in the Monday home that reveals those tainted wards, for it sends Phoebe on a dedicated effort to discover the truth and save her family.
The Story
Phoebe Monday’s unusual birth into a triunity of wonderworkers always left her feeling a bit like an outsider. At least the unusual power she (sort of!) controls makes working as a sketch artist for the police department the perfect fit.
Still, diving into memories of victims while altering the luck of those around her seems trivial in comparison to what her Maiden, Mother, and Crone family are capable of. But when homeless victims come under attack and a normal human’s murder puts the Monday magic at risk, it’s up to Phoebe and her odd talents to save the day.
The Characters
The insecure and klutzy Phoebe “BeeBee” Monday has a gift that is both welcome and not — she sees visions of the past in the minds of others; can bestow luck, good or bad; and, sees the pathways of the future. Oh, and she’s terrible at flying. Elegant Grandma Isolde, the Crone; the voluptuous Mom is Morgade, the Mother; and, Selene, Phoebe’s older sister, is the Maiden; the three are the wonderworkers of the Moon, the triunity serving the Great Mother, and a highly respected family. The Heathenry is the herbalist and spiritualist dispensary (and magic) store run from the front of their house. Jinks is Phoebe’s house fox, whom she rescued when he was a kit and his mother was run over. Humphrey is Phoebe’s teeny tiny grandfather. There’s a question of what crime he pulled to end up this way.
Pickle is Phoebe’s best friend.
Silas Gael, a Druid, has been an old family friend. The smarmy Elian Gael is Silas’ orphaned nephew. Ganymede had been Elian’s mother and Silas’ sister.
Crescent PD in Washington state
Detectives Anna Morales, the gorgeous Amazonian, and her slobby partner, Nathan Sallow, frequently work with Phoebe. The amazingly wonderful and handsome Officer Cooper Hudson is enthralled by Phoebe. The mean Dr Ian Percy is the medical examiner. Mirabelle Whitehall, a necromancer witch, is his assistant and a friend of Phoebe’s.
One of the witnesses Phoebe encounters include the unlucky and elderly homeless man Unk Jay-Jay.
Richmond House is . . .
. . . located on the Pacific coast and the home of Dominion and Saraphella Richmond, the dual heads of the Academy of Adepts who rule the witches. Jericho Richmond is the gorgeous, jerk, son of the house. Dominion has a law firm that represents the Mondays.
Mad Martie lost her hearth and is homeless. Inquisitor Fallview, one of six inquisitors, is prejudiced against the Mondays. Niall Shermer was the “ringleader” of the kidnappers.
The Cover and Title
The cover is very busy and Christmasy with its hazy background of greens. It’s the text that really gets crazy with the title at the top in a combination of fonts and fills — all the text is outlined in black. The first word is a solid red, the second word is a pale yellow, the third word is red with Christmas lights, and the fourth word of the title is striped in red and white like a candy cane. Immediately beneath the tile is the series info in red. A gap allows for Jinks, Phoebe’s house fox to sit atop the author’s last name . . . in red. Her first name is in the pale yellow.
The title is true enough, for it is a Merry Little Mystic Murder at Christmastime involving magic.
