Murder by Magic

Libby Sarjeant #10

by Lesley Cookman

Murder by Magic - Book Ten in the Libby Sarjeant Murder Mysteries
'With fascinating characters and an intriguing plot, this is a real page turner' - Katie Fforde, author of The Rose Revived
Libby Sarjeant and her friend Fran Wolfe are asked to look into the sudden and unexplained death of a devoted churchgoer. The police appear to have lost interest, but the villagers are certain that their new lady vicar has something to do with it!
But if it is murder, how was it done?
Could it be - magic?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Amazon, Audiobook, British Literature

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2012

Reviews

[Les Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seamed like a touch of déjà vu to me. It felt as though I was reading a rewrite of another book. Still enjoyed it.

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second read by Lesley Cookman and it was an enjoyable cosy mystery featuring Libby Sarjeant and Fran Wolfe. Libby cannot resist a mystery and there seem to be a lot of those in Steeple Martin and the small villages in the surrounding area; not only does Libby get involved but she also gets her good friend Fran to help her because Fran gets 'feelings' about things, she does not really call herself psychic but she does have some sort of gift that is helpful in solving the crimes that the two women tackle. Their help is reluctantly accepted by Detective Chief Inspector Ian Connell and they have become friends over the course of time.
Libby is very involved in the local theatre The Manor and after rehearsals, the cast usually goes to the local restaurant The Pink Geranium run by Libbys friends Harry and Peter.
In Murder by Magic Libby and Fran put themselves at risk of being killed by a group of supposed satanists who meet at the Willoughby Oak, an old tree with a history of ancient witchcraft. There is, however, much more to it than that and as the bodies start to pile up Libby and Fran have to take action.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells of two friends, Libby and Fran who are asked by a friend to help her vicar who has been accused of witchcraft in the aftermath of a death in her church. Lots of investigating and sleuthing is carried out, sometimes aided and abetted by their respective husbands and the people in the theatre group. This was a very easy book to read and although, I have read none of the previous nine books, I feel this did not hinder me in my enjoyment

[Mary Byrnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the series

This was a good story. Not as much history as in previous books but a fun read nevertheless. Always enjoy the descriptions of the countryside around Steeple Martin. The story was good. I did not figure out the mystery in this book but was more distracted while reading this book.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery and murder are alive and well in this Kent village. And a certain inquisitive woman doesn't know when to keep her nose out.

[KAREN SPANG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review

Hate the 20 word requirement. Enjoyed the book,great story line but felt it went on too long. Hate this format

[Sarah Goodwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very slow and completely misrepresents witchcraft AND wicca.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the characters - comical and cute sticking theirs noses in ....

Gonna have to check out more by this author !

[Ros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early on in the book I thought: "At last! Here's an author who has made me want to read her other books! I *love* this! You mean - there are more? This is actually a series? Hooray!" and compared it to some Agatha Christies. After all, at least it is set in a small English village, with a non-police female sleuth who always gets it right (although in this one, the police seem rather more awake and alert, and generally nicer and affable).

Later on in the book, I revised my view slightly, and made it 'Midsomer Murders'. A jolly good mystery, and I could see it as a TV series, but...

Then, near the end of the book, the f-word crept in. Only once, and then it was being used by the bad guy, but as far as I am concerned, once is one time too many.

There were rather a lot of obviously well-known characters (who I did not well-know) and references to other books. I think it would be better served if read as part of the series, starting with #1.

So my 'final answer' is: I really liked it, BUT...

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libby Sarjeant and her friend Fran Castle are asked to look into a suspicious death at a nearby village church. Patti, the vicar, is being blamed for the death and is receiving poison pen letters accusing her of all sorts of things including being responsible for the death of her parishioner. It seems there could be a black magic element as well.

This is a fascinating and well written story which shows how the prejudice against female vicars can lead to totally unwarranted conclusions. I enjoyed the picture of village life and the way rumours can grow out of all proportion. It also shows how ordinary people can hide things from the police for no real reason.

This is a well written and enjoyable crime series featuring some lovable and interesting characters. If you like crime novels set in rural areas with little on the page violence then you may enjoy this book and this series.

[Maureen Vincent-Northam · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best things about a book series is getting to know, and revisiting, familiar characters. The Libby Sarjeant whodunits are no exception. Murder by Magic is the tenth in the series and, although I can’t claim to have read them all yet, Libby et al are already like old friends and the fictional village of Steeple Martin is a place I’m getting to know well.

When someone is found dead in the church, Alice, Libby’s acquaintance, asks her to investigate. With more suspicious deaths and the local female vicar suspected by many of the congregation to be mixed up in the dark arts, Libby and her friend, Fran, have their work cut out when they attempt to unravel the mystery.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series. I especially like that characters introduced in previous books show up and become involved in the next book. This book dealt with the use of black magic to harass a female vicar and two murders. Again, the characters and their reactions make the story. Even though Libby finds herself in trouble, I find that it's not the eye rolling "oh for heavens sake, why would she do that" action on her part. While she typically ignores the command to stay out of it, when the police are on the case, and they warn her of danger, she usually backs off... just too late. Still, it's fun to read.

[Nancy]

The tenth book in the Libby Sarjeant series of British murder mysteries which feature a retired actress as the female sleuth and are based in the picturesque village of Steeple Martin.

Libby Sarjeant and her friend Fran Wolfe are asked to look into the sudden and unexplained death of a devoted churchgoer. The police appear to have lost interest, but the villagers are certain that their new lady vicar has something to do with it! But if it is murder, how was it done?

Could it be - magic?

The murderer is the person who picked her up to take her to church. He was also involved in smuggling.

[Tammy Kenney · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of characters that I couldn't keep track of. The author kept referring back to previous solved mysteries/books. Possibly I would have liked it more if I had read these other books, but not as a stand alone. Too many theories and side stories to follow that were unnecessary. In the end the murderer was exactly who I suspected from the very beginning.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cozy mystery, not my genre, which starts off with the murder of an elderly church flower lady during mass. The method used to kill her is interesting. However I found the characters bland and the forays into amateur sleuthing based on conjecture, a bit of psychic intuition, and local gossip. Will stick to my preference of facts based on systematic investigative techniques.

[Nell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable cosy crime - there were a lot of characters which at times made it very confusing but I suspect this is what comes of reading out of order. I have a feeling this series could become very addictive.

[Jakenv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adventure from a crafty mystery writer. Cookman just keeps moving her characters from one murder to next with ease and a bit of fun along the way. Lots of drinking keeps characters well oiled in move to solution. Series may be read out of order as each mystery stands on its own.

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

another fun book from Ms Cookman.

[Mary Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly good read.

[NVTony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another with a touch of black magic but nothing offensive. Great mystery can already anticipate another in series with characters and story only improving my delight with author.

[Cláudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh gosh, this was a hard one to read. It is so boring, full of dialogues and the action is so slow you feel pain everytime you turn the page. I don't think I'll read something from her again.

[Rowena Onions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to on Audible