Death of a Neighborhood Witch

DNF @ 5%

The cover on this book drew me in... and taught me a very important lesson about not judging books by their covers. What lies inside is not necessarily ugly - I'm sure there are plenty of people who might enjoy this - but rather deeply unappealing to me on a personal and borderline triggering level.

From the very first page, I knew I was going to have a bad time. The way the main character spoke of her own choice to eat Halloween candy made me feel icky. She shamed herself strongly, and then the author chose to add a nasty cashier who added to the shaming... without even challenging such disgusting treatment of another human. (In fact, it's played for laughs.)

I heard her whisper to the bag boy as I walked away, ???Ten to one she???ll be breaking into those Snickers at the first stoplight.???

How utterly ridiculous.

I didn???t break into them until the third stoplight.

Halloween candy

where she and her cat had no right to be in the first place

???I know it???s small consolation for the loss of your beloved pet, but I hope you???ll accept this colorful Halloween pumpkin as a token of my apology.??? I held out Pumpkin Face.

???Get the hell out of here!??? she shrieked.

Only too happy to oblige, I grabbed Prozac and scooted off to freedom, leaving the pumpkin behind, just in case Cryptessa changed her mind.

soul mate potential

in the first chapter

This was my first Jaine Austen mystery, but surely not the last. When her cat Prozac causes the death of the local witch's (or rather the actress who played one on tv) parrot, Jaine finds herself in a lot of troubles. Troubles that get even bigger when the witch is found dead. And, since it seems that it is not enough problems, she enters into a bet with her neighbor Lance to find out which of them will get a date with the new beau of the neighborhood. Throughout the books, there are funny “comments” from Prozac and emails from Jaine's parents. It was a funny and easy read.