The Divine Circle Of Ladies Making Mischief

Cass Shipton #3

by Dolores Stewart Riccio

Five spirited women--Cass, owner of a herbal products business; Heather, a wealthy benefactor of no-kill animal shelters; Phillipa, a witty poet; Deirdre, an anatomically correct dollmaker; and Fiona, a librarian--wreak havoc in their quiet New England town. Original. 30,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Witches, Chick Lit, Paranormal, Cozy Mystery

312 pages, Trade Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

AKA Dolores Riccio
AKA Dolores Stewart


Dolores Stewart Riccio was born in Boston and grew up in Pembroke, a small New England town on the South Shore of Massachusetts. She lived in Duxbury which is located near the town of Plymouth, the setting for her Circle novels.

Dolores wrote: "As a poet, I'd always signed my maiden name, Dolores Stewart. For cookbooks, I preferred my married name, Dolores Riccio; after all, it was my loyal husband who got to try all those experimental dishes. Not wanting to abandon either chapter of my past, I'm using both names for fiction."

She began her writing career as a poet (Dolores Stewart), and continued to write poems between other writing projects.

In the '80s, she began to write cookbooks (Dolores Riccio) with a health theme, of which Superfoods for Time-Warner is the best known. The success of Superfoods gave her the encouragement to "quit her daytime job" as a greeting card editorial director and enjoy the precarious profession of full-time freelance writer.

In the meantime, she also co-authored two volumes of stories about famous haunted houses in the United States--Haunted Houses U.S.A. and More Haunted Houses.

Sometime in the 1990s, she threw out her food files and her ghost files, and turned at last to fiction.

Reviews

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were so many different plots in this book that it was hard to keep track. I found it made the book drag on and on and similar to Dolores' first two Cass Shipton books, it did not really pick up until near the end.

[Lisette · Rating 3 out of 5]

June
A book whose author goes by three names

[Cathy Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A murder mystery, with food, wine and Wiccan practices as a background. Funny sometimes, but sometimes lacking the tension a mystery should have.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one has a good mystery, some interesting Wiccan information, and a cute backstory.

[Kitty Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed earlier books in this series, so I was looking forward to reading "Divine Circle of Ladies Making Mischief," but I found it difficult reading.

There were quite a few subplots, which I thought would lead somewhere but most just fizzled, and only a few actually had to do with the main plot. In fact, though, there are actually three main plots:
the pig farm, deaths at the rehab hospital, and a young woman, her son Hari and her abusive Saudi husband. These are all introduced near the beginning of the book, but the resolutions are spaced out (pig farm first, then hospital, and finally abusive husband). I kept expecting there to be more to the pig farm story & to have the subplots tie in more to the main story.

I'll probably read the next in the series to see if this is a continuing problem with the series, or if it was just this one book.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently there is a series of these “Divine Circle” books. Five ladies in modern Massachusetts who have formed a wiccan where they follow the old ceremonies of the ancient Wiccan way. They are the “good witches” and each has her specialties. Cas (main character) is somewhat clairvoyant and can talk to her dog Scruffy. Anyway, the ladies only use their “powers” for good…. But of course they get caught up in interesting cases. The there are two in this book: 1. A young woman with a son is hiding from her abusive Arab husband who wants to take his son back to Saudi Arabia and 2. A number of strange deaths have been occurring at a local convalescent hospital. I’m undecided between 2 & 3 stars

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! The story comes back to the Circle of Five, and I adored it as much as the first two! A lot of laughs, sniffles, panic and outrage when reading this book. You get so into the characters, you can't help it. You may learn who the 'bad guy' is, thanks to Cass, but it's getting to the end and how it all goes down that keeps you reading. The plot is subtle, and has an easy flow, and your own heart-rate kicks up at the climax of the story. I know mine did! The ending was perfect and sweet. Couldn't ask for better!

[Kelly Kobriger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read! The ladies in the story are incredibly sweet, and I loved the mix of mystery and romance. It did take a little time to get into the story as I learned about all the different characters, but once it picked up, I couldn’t put it down. The slow burn was worth it. I was also intrigued by the spiritual aspect of the story, as the characters are Wiccan, which added a unique layer to the narrative. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more books in this series!

[Mary-Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say, the book has a cute premise and very likable characters, but do all her books have THIS MANY PLOT lines? YIKES! It was a nightmare keeping track of all the mystery, intrique and chaos in the book - and unfortunately just the sheer speed and quantity of craziness made it hard to keep track of anything.

I liked it, but it was a relief to finish it!

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is cute. It is about a group of crime fighting witches. Found it at a book sale, paid like a quarter for it, so it was a quarter well spent. Looks like she has a series, so I would be interested in reading those.

[Nicole Diamond · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it has one star I liked it a lot
If it has two stars I liked it a lot and would recommend it
If it has three stars I really really liked it a lot
If it has four stars I insist you read it
If it has five stars it was life changing

[Shelley]

Amazing as are all of Dolores Stewart Riccio's books. She has a quirky, friendly, thoughtful style and her characters are all people I would love to know, especially Fiona! I treasure her books, and eagerly await the next one. Shame on any publisher who doesn't buy her manuscripts!

[Saille · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like these books - except - how whiny Cass is with Joe. She whines like a teenager whenever he leaves for work. I just feel like smacking her (gently, of course) and telling her to get over herself. She knew what he did for a living when she married him.

[Erica Conklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

i can just imagine me and my friends as old lady's doing this one day... or something close to it.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series of books. Light easy reads. Love their creative side, gardenings, crafting, friendship.....

[Rexanna Ipock-Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novel of five amazing ladies and their magical adventures. I like novels with strong women.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series with each book I read, for me the books are a lighthearted read with a nice mystery tossed in among the witchcraft. What more can a Witch wish for.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, easy read, but geez- if you don't adopt all dogs and feed them the highest-quality people food, you deserve to be shot.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

love this series

[JJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like is mess of a book. Too many characters with back story, goofy plot, hocus pocus, blah, blah.