Date published: August 2006
ISBN: 978-0-06-079358-6
Cozy Mystery with Paranormal overtones
Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Despite her inclination not to do so, Ophelia Jensen agreed to take a look at some photographs of a missing man Henry Comacho has brought to her. Try as she might, all she picks up are a few odd images of a field and some crows. What she doesn’t tell Comacho is about the bones beneath the crows. Her disappointment at not being able to help Henry is quickly set aside when Rick Delaney re-enters her life after months of silence.
Rick hasn’t shown up in her life just because he’s missed her though. He’s got a missing teen he wants Ophelia to use her psychic skills to find. This one Ophelia feels a connection to—a sensitive teen who doesn’t fit in. The more Ophelia hears about the missing Brandi, the more drawn to her she becomes. With Abby in tow, Ophelia heads off to the lake where Brandi was last seen. Despite her telling Darci she cannot join in this investigation, the indomitable blond follows Ophelia and Abby to Gunhammer Lake where her friendly style and outgoing personality lead the group from Summerset into situations they never dreamed of including the release of a demon. As each stone is unturned, a deeper mystery unfolds – is young Tink a truly spooky young lady or is someone manipulating her? Who is the man with the shocking orange hair who haunts the woods around the cabin the Summerset women are staying in? Is Ophelia ill or is there something in the air that is causing her to crumble? The longer they stay, the more desperate the killer becomes.
THE TROUBLE WITH WITCHES is the third book in the Ophelia and Abby Mystery series by Shirley Damsgaard. Taking the women out of their home base in Summerset is an interesting twist, enabling them to rely more on their psychic skills than picking up news from the neighbors. Henry Comacho was such a powerful force in CHARMED TO DEATH, his brief appearance left me missing him and wanting more of a story for him. Rick Delaney, who now has a fiancé by the way, is a fun character, but not necessarily the steamy sort of hero I see in Henry. There is just something compelling about Comacho that I hope we see more of in future books.
That said, how rude of Rick to go and get himself engaged! Although his reference to having you re-evaluate your life after almost being killed leads me to think maybe the unseen girlfriend may soon disappear. Will Ophelia one day be called upon to decide between the two? And I don’t mean in a romantic way, but that one will live and one will die?
I found it an interesting character study that Ophelia could pickup more than a few basic impressions on both Tink and Brandi, while the man Comacho searches for gave her only bones and crows. It is yet another layer of the growth and development Ms. Damsgaard gives to the younger heroine in her series. Her care for Abby and their friends is an integral part of the character that fleshes Ophelia out.
The lake, despite the deaths and tragedies that occur around it, seems like the kind of place I’d like to head off to enjoy. Peaceful, quiet, relaxing, a blissful environment away from daily cares and woes. The way Ms. Damsgaard entwines the mysteries of the murders and missing Brandi with the energy of the lake and environs is well done.
I had a bit of a struggle with the demon aspect of the story. Up until that thread was introduced I could believe each psychic event that occurred. Even Walks Quietly’s astral projecting is a credible aspect.
The Ophelia and Abby series is quickly becoming a favorite.
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