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
Murder Under a Mystic Moon
by
Yasmine Galenorn
cozy mystery, paranormal fantasy in a Kindle edition that was published by Nightqueen Enterprises LLC on November 1, 2016 and has 292 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Hexed, Witchling, Changeling, Never After, Darkling, Demon Mistress, Dragon Wytch, Bone Magic, Night Huntress, Harvest Hunting, Blood Wyne, Courting Darkness, Shaded Vision, Shadow Rising, Haunted Moon, Night Myst, Night Veil, Night Seeker, Autumn Whispers, Night Vision, Night’s End, Priestess Dreaming, Panther Prowling, "Flight From Hell", Flight From Death, Souljacker, Legend of the Jade Dragon, Darkness Raging, Fury Rising, Ghost of a Chance, Once Upon A Curse, A Harvest of Bones, One Hex of a Wedding, Starlight Hollow
Third in the Chintz ‘n China cozy paranormal mystery series and revolving around Emerald O’Brien, a tea room owner, and her two kids set in Chiqetaw, Washington. It’s fall.
My Take
It’s a psychic story for sure that involves Native American myths, which does provide a bit of a niggle, which is Galenorn’s treatment of the Klakatat monster. It was annoyingly obtuse for the first half of the book. I’m curious if Galenorn will incorporate the visions Em receives from the lore-keeper?
The overall theme is doing the right thing with a minor one about not judging a book by its cover. As for Galenorn’s first person protagonist point-of-view, it’s handy that it’s from Emerald’s perspective, as it keeps us informed of all that’s going on around Em and her thoughts and emotions.
That George is somethin’ else! What. A. Loser. How does one go about learning how to be a psychic? Sounds fake right off the bat. And he is so incredibly obnoxious!! I think Galenorn is introducing Maeve as a new character in the series, and she sounds fascinating, especially in her acceptance of Emerald’s abilities.
There are some interesting events in here relationship-wise — Murray has several surprising surprises, lol. And Em gets some back when Andrew returns. The kids have their own character arcs that advance and retreat. Their father’s character (in all ways *grin*) creates dramatic moments. Sutton’s character arc is dramatic as well…hoo, boy.
I’m also curious about that statement that Em will “wail on his head for spacing out on us”. So, is Em going to cry and cry and cry or is she planning to hit Jimbo? And Galenorn may want to check those Murreys sprinkled in there.
So, it was a little bit annoying but a whole lotta cozy and warm with me looking forward to reading A Harvest of Bones.
The Story
Medium Emerald O’Brien looks into the disappearance of a missing biker — only to stumble upon his dead body in the woods. The police want to believe a wild animal killed him, but Emerald and Murray are convinced the killer has a human nature.
The Characters
The divorced Emerald O’Brien runs the Chintz ’n China Tea Room where she reads the tarot. Her daughter, Miranda “Randa”, is fascinated by astronomy. Kipling, Em’s nine-year-old son, has second sight with a crush on Lana. Nanna is Em’s ghostly grandmother who taught her how to work folk magic. Rose is Em’s sister. Grandma McGrady. Nigel is their orange tabby, Noël and Nebula are the other kittens from Samantha‘s litter. Tenzing is what Em names her new car.
Miranda and Kip’s dad, Roy, married Tyra who is having a baby. Em doesn’t hold out much hope for their marriage.
The Chintz ’n China Tea Room is…
…located in Chiqetaw, Washington. Cinnamon and Lana work for Em. Larry makes all the food the tea room sells. Darren is the father of Cinnamon’s children…and in jail. Elvira Birmingham; Mrs Purdy Anderson and her daughter Trisha love Em’s readings; Maeve Elliston raises llamas and sells blankets, caps, and sweaters made from their wool; and, Tansy Brewer are some of the customers.
Captain Joe Files is Em’s ten years younger boyfriend and in charge of the EMTs (Legend of the Jade Dragon, 2). Margaret Files is Joe’s retired aunt. Leticia and Iris are friends of Margaret’s who play cutthroat pinochle. Roger White works with Joe at the firehouse.
Jimbo Warren is a biker and self-proclaimed mountain man who became friends with Emerald in Legend of the Jade Dragon. Sugar is his chopper. His grandma had also worked folk magic in the Louisiana bayous. Roo is his three-legged dog, Snidely and Whiplash are his cats, and Billy and The Kid are his nanny goats.
There’s a biker enclave in…
…Klickavail Valley run by Clyde where things are turning up missing. Terry-T is Clyde’s right-hand man. Scar, a.k.a., Scott Anderson, a good friend of Jimbo’s, lives with his pregnant old lady, Traci, in the enclave. Bear is something of a recluse in the enclave.
Chiqetaw PD
The warrior-like Detective Anna Murray is Em’s best friend and has two pet boa constrictors, Sid and Nancy. The lazy, paunchy Coughlan is head of detectives and hates Murray; Laura is Coughlan’s wife and Stryker’s sister. Chief Tad Bonner is a good cop and supportive of Murray. Deacon Wilson (with a wife and two kids) and Sandy Whitmeyer are a couple of the best cops on the squad. Bob Stryker is the coroner and medical examiner.
Cathy Sutton is the local pain-in-the-butt anchorwoman at KLIK-TV who painted Em with a target. Tom is her deceased husband. In this particular case, she’s aimed her cousin, George Pleasant, who is interning at the TV station, at Em. Royal is Cathy’s cameraman. I think Jack Sullivan is an anchorman.
The Klakatat Monster is the lore-keeper and a local legend protected by the Warriors of the Mountain.
Harlow is the second of Em’s best friends. A former supermodel…and pregnant…she recently closed her spa. She’s still working for Professor Abrams from Western Washington University as a telecommuting research assistant. James is her supportive husband, a professional photographer on a shoot in Africa. Horvald Ledbetter, a retired security guard, is one of Em’s neighbors. A prolific gardener, he’s been spending a lot of time with Ida Trask, a local legend, still shook by her experiences in Legend of the Jade Dragon. Both babysit Miranda and Kip as needed. Some of Miranda’s friends include Lori Thomas (the only one who is a schoolmate) and members of the Chiqetaw Stargazers Society, which includes Naomi French. Sly is Kip’s best friend…and not a good influence. Rasta is Sly’s bizarre-looking dog. White Deer is Murray’s aunt, a Native American medicine woman.
Tina Gaylord is a yoga instructor. Margie Wilcox owns the Corner Street Café. Davida owns the Choco-hol Bakery. The Barry Boys and the Don Wan Kodo Drumming Group are local bands. And Don’s wife makes the best egg rolls. Ingrid Lindstrom writes a gossipy advice column, “Buzz About Town”. Mrs García de Lopez works for the school system and will be making the final decision. Andrew is Emerald’s regretful ex-boyfriend, back now that his movie has been scrapped and Zia Dane, an actress, has dumped him (Legend of the Jade Dragon). Suzy Warnoff and her cousin Tyler made a dubious purchase; Farrah is Suzy’s mom. Wilber Perry deeded his house (now used as a meeting hall) and his land to the city for a park, Perry Field. Ian Hannigan has been released from jail. The Bread & Butter House helps homeless people and hosts a food bank.
Back in the day
Luke and Jake Wiley were brothers and prospectors who kidnapped Indian girls to be their brides.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with a central focus on one of the O’Briens’ cats who’s exploring the contents of a box that includes Em’s new scrying ball. There are blue flowers scattered on the brown wood floor with a couple of white flowers standing up. There’s an info blurb at the very top in lime green while the same green is used in the author’s name just below that. A testimonial is in a much paler green to the right of the aster-like white flower to the right of the cat’s head. The title is in white at the bottom of the cover.
The title is more metaphysical in terms of Murder Under a Mystic Moon, but just as effective in rendering death.
