REVIEW: Murder Go Round

Murder Go Round
Author: Carol J. Perry

Maralee Barrett and her Aunt Ibby go to a storage locker auction. They win the contents of one locker, finding all sorts of treasures including a silver samovar, a beautiful quilt, and a faded but beautifully carved carousel horse. Almost as soon as they take the items home, strange things start happening. Someone takes their trash. Strangers show up at Goodwill to rifle through the boxes of items they donated. And, after being taken to a local craftsman to be restored, the carousel horse is broken into pieces at the man's shop by an unknown intruder. Maralee's strange ESP visions start warning her of murder and danger, and her cat O'Ryan starts dropping clues to the mystery as well. Soon they discover that the mystery dates back to 1915 when six Russian immigrants came to the United States with some items entrusted to them by Czar Nicholas himself. Maralee and her aunt must sift through the clues, along with Maralee's policeman boyfriend, Pete, to discover the truth behind the items in the storage locker. It's a secret worth killing for in the past and the present, putting them all in danger.

Murder Go Round is the fourth book in the Witch City Mystery series. I enjoy this series because each book is so different. This time the mystery revolves around Russian history and relics from the last days of Czar Nicholas and his family. The mystery was intriguing, well-paced and very interesting. Maralee's ESP visions are a vital part of the plot, but not presented in an over-the-top cheesy manner. And the cat, O'Ryan's special qualities are also understated, not over-done. I enjoy Maralee as a main character, and the supporting cast (Aunt Ibby, O'Ryan, Pete, River) are all wonderful, interesting, eccentric characters. The books are always a nice mix of humor and mystery with a touch of supernatural.

A 5th book in the series, Grave Errors, is coming out this fall.

All in all, an enjoyable, fun cozy mystery. I highly recommend the Witch City Mystery series for mystery lovers who enjoy cozies with a touch of supernatural and cute humor. Fun read! It isn't necessary to read the books in order. A reader could jump in and start with book 4 and not have a hard time figuring out the characters.