In My Attic: A Magical Misfits Mystery by Lina Hansen

April 02, 2020

In My Attic: A Magical Misfits Mystery by Lina Hansen

In My Attic: A Magical Misfits Mystery by Lina Hansen

Publisher: Literary Wanderlust

Published: July 2020

Genre: Cozy Murder Mystery, Witchcraft

Available: Paperback, ebook

Sex: 💗 none

Violence: 😲very little

Author Bio: (Scraped from Amazon) LINA HANSEN has been a freelance travel journalist, teacher, bellydancer, postal clerk and science communication specialist stranded in the space sector. Numbed by factoid technical texts, she set out to write the stories she loves to read-- cozy and romantic mysteries with a dollop of humour and a magical twist. After living and working in the UK, Lina, her husband, and their feline companion now share a home in the foothills of Castle Frankenstein. Lina is a double Watty Award Winner, Featured Author, and a Wattpad Star. In My Attic is the first of the Magical Misfits series of mysteries.

Plot in Brief: No Spoilers! School teacher Myrtle Coldron gets a chilling phone call, her aunt/adopted mother has been found dead; foul play is suspected. Myrtle returns to her aunt's home, an Avebury B&B called the Witch's Retreat. When the police rule out homicide, Myrtle decides to go it alone and solve the mystery of her beloved aunt's death. Helping and hindering her are a cohort of oddball characters and a farting cat. In order to crack the case, Myrtle must dig deep into her family's past and come face to face with her own true nature.

The Characters: Well drawn, funny and lovable, Myrtle and her misfits are a gang you can get behind and cheer on. With two handsome men to choose from and a wide cast of potential murder suspects the reader will turn the pages in nervous anticipation. Who will the culprit be? What was their motive? And then there's Myrtle herself, will she continue to deny her witchy heritage or embrace her magical powers?

The Writing: The writing is great! With a face paced story, this well edited book zips along. I don't think I skipped a single page! There is lots of great descriptive passages which set the scene without going overboard. Hansen does a good job of balancing dialogue and narrative.

Overall Opinion: I really enjoyed reading this book. I especially liked the setting. (see picture down below) I visited Avebury and its ring of stones a long time ago and I thought it was an ideal place to set a Witch story. I've read a few books recently with plot points similar to In My Attic: woman from a magical family, parents killed, raised by a family member, doesn't know they're a witch or denies it. I don't know if this is a coincidence or its a popular trope with this genre. In any case, it did not in any way hinder my enjoyment. Although the book falls into the cozy murder mystery genre, there is enough of an edge to the story line that it isn't cheesy. I liked that romance did not get in the way of solving the murder or Myrtle's exploration of her heritage. I expect that we will hear more from Myrtle Coldron and her coven of witches.

Recommendation: If you love cozy paranormal/witch murder mysteries, you'll love this one!

Rating: I give this book: 4 1/2 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ✯