Arthur Miller (no relation to the playwright) and his beloved, Salvatore Conte, are settling into their (para)normal lives in Trident Falls. But when a pet psychic is felled by a poisoned potion she (somehow) didn’t see coming, Arthur’s investigation takes an enchanting turn – and not in a good way. It turns out the psychic was a member of the Celestine Coven, a powerful group of witches who sell their charms for a price. Did the pet psychic find herself on the wrong side of the coven? Or did she trigger someone’s pet peeves with her predictions?
If you’re looking for a cozy paranormal murder mystery series, this is a great option! The series follows Arthur Miller (no relation to the playwright) and Salvatore (an absolute drama queen), a married vampire couple who’ve recently opened a bed and breakfast in the small town of Trident Falls.
In the first book, Dead and Breakfast, Sal is accused of killing the mayor. While Sal alternates between hysterics and dramatics, Arthur works with several other residents to solve the murder. In the second book, Summer Coven, Sal’s theatrics continue when he has a heated conversation with a pet psychic regarding his cat, Rumble. The pet psychic relayed what she’d learned from Rumble, Sal didn’t agree, words were exchanged, and the interaction ended with a very agitated Sal potentially threatening her life. So when the psychic is found dead hours later, Sal is the obvious suspect.
Despite the high-stakes storyline, this book, just like Dead and Breakfast, is packed full of every kind of humor, from witty to tongue-in-cheek to irreverent to a punishing amount of puns. While Arthur pushes the plot and general development forward, Sal’s charming dramatics bring all of the silly humor to soften the edges, creating a classic cozy murder mystery series with just a sprinkle of the paranormal.
If you’ve been looking for a cozy B&B series that has a little more to it, this is my top recommendation. There’s only so many books you can read about a 24-year-old inheriting her family’s B&B and finding out everyone’s a witch before giving up. This series is a fresh and fun take that is incredibly memorable!
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
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