Deadly Magic

In Elisabeth Crabtree's Deadly Magic, the first installment in the Grace Holliday cozy mystery, she told us a gripping tale about hidden secrets and deadly twists. It was on Halloween night, when Grace was called on stage for the crystal chest act for the magic show. And that's when things took a turn for the worse, when her boss's wife was late found killed. That had turned everything topsy-turvy, which had changed things for Grace at the toy company and store she worked at. When she was relocated to a new position and others had quit, Grace was put in charge of finding out who killed Lily Straker along with everyone else. With a new assistant and Belle Dragovich to add to the team, she received anonymous phone calls, when more people had gotten in the way and ended up killed. In the end, she didn't expect to be double-crossed by the two people she trusted the most with a drastic ending.

This was a great new cozy series with a hint of magic for the plotline. I liked Grace and cared about her, while the jury was still out on some characters. I did feel bad for Belle and Kyle, and a little bit about Louisa.  There were some plot twists I didn't see coming, especially at the end. I loved the New York City location for the settings, when it dealt with toys and magic. This would make you stay at the edge of your seat, right until the end. Great drama, good action and lots of suspenseful intrigue for the mystery.

Will you be wary of the deadly magic? If so, pick up a copy today!