Book Rating: ★★★★✰ (3.75 / 5 stars)
Bay Winchester has recently moved back to Hemlock Cove to be with her family – her abrasive Great Aunt Tillie, her mother and aunts, and her annoying cousins Clove and Thistle. If that wasn’t bad enough, she comes from a long line of witches that grant her the ability to communicate with ghosts. When two ritualistic type of murders occur in town though, rocking the otherwise quiet atmosphere of Hemlock Cove, Bay and her family are put to the test. Can they figure out who is committing these crimes? Or will they be the next victims?
I actually started reading Any Witch Way You Can a couple years back. At the time I wasn’t reading as much, and I put it down after 20%. Not for lack of interest – just lack of motivation to read. Recently I was going through my Kindle Library and saw I still had it checked out on Kindle Unlimited. Despite the long break, the beginning stuck with me, so I picked it up right where I left off.
Overall, Any Witch Way You Can is a fun read that is more about family and snarky comebacks then about murder. The Winchester family will remind anyone of how they bicker with their siblings or parents or grandparents. It’s natural and amusing, and it really makes the characters pop.
The murder mystery itself in this story is somewhat predictable. Less of the story was about solving the crime, and more about the “witchiness” – which is all fine, really. But, I did figure out who was responsible a few chapters before Bay, Clove, and Thistle did. I think ultimately, I wanted more of the witchcraft and more of the murder, and a bit less bickering. That is what would have made this story pop.
Overall though, I’m glad I returned to this story. I might pick up one of Bay’s other adventures someday. So if you like cozy mysteries with a bit of witchcraft…it’s definitely worth the read!
What’s it about?
Bay Winchester is having a tough week.
As the local editor of Hemlock Cove’s only newspaper, she just happens to be present when a body is found in an area corn maze. To make matters worse, the police believe the murder may have something to do with the occult.
This wouldn’t be a problem for a normal reporter, but since Bay is descended from a well-known line of actual witches, the town is understandably on edge.
Between the suspicious townspeople, the befuddled police presence and that random hot biker guy that may or may not have something to do with the murder — Bay has her hands full.
When you add the typical family problems, multiplying ghosts — and one monster of a zit that she’s sure came from her aunt’s curse — Bay is just struggling to make it through the week.
Of course, when the killer sets his sights on Bay, things could get a whole lot worse.
E.S. Barrison 