WBI: Witches Bureau of Investigation

Witches Bureau of Investigation #1

by Richard Capwell

By chance, eleven-year-old twins Nate and Herman Howe meet Mrs. Weatherby, a retired member of the Los Angeles branch of Witches Bureau of Investigation. The boys ask her to help find their mother, who has been missing for six months. Reluctantly, Mrs. Weatherby agrees, though all of her licenses to work magic have expired. She reaches out to her old colleagues, for information and assistance, but they soon uncover a dangerous plot that threatens the safety of the entire world. The Bureau may be compromised, so it's up to Mrs. Weatherby's band of old agents to follow the clues and keep the horrors of history from resurfacing.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Magic, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Amazon

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2012

About the author

My paternal grandfather, George Lewis Capwell, was raised near Salamenca, New York. His father, John, was an engineer during the construction of the railroad while the canal was being built in Panama. George moved to Ecuador and became the president of the power company there and later in Panama. My father, George "Spike" Capwell, was raised in Ecuador and Panama. When my family (six boys and a girl) was transferred to the Canal Zone in 1974, we became the fourth generation of Capwells to live in Panama. My sister Michielle's son, David, was born while we were there, making him the fifth generation. Like my mother, my sister married an American raised in Panama.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

WBI: Witches Bureau of Investigation (Witches Bureau of Investigation #1) by Richard Capwell is a real hoot of a story! It is made for kids but I am a senior and I loved it too! It is about these retired witches and twin eleven year boys and their search for the boy's mother. But the search turns into more than they bargained for. Bad witches, powerful magic, an orangutan witch driving cars, a chauffeur that turns into a wolf, and so much more fun. It never gets dull and always has more surprises and twists. A great book with complex plot, great characters that are well developed and very intriguing! Well done! Can't wait to read the next ones!!!

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute!

[Trudi Jorda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit I have a new guilty pleasure--- I read a book about a pair of 11 yr old twins who lost their mom mysteriously 6 months prior-- who meet an elderly retired witch who investigated bad witches and the evil things they do. She takes the case of helping them find their mom and they help her find the bad witch that well-- read it and laugh your pants off! Its a fast fun read that I really enjoyed! Made my day! :)

[Doreena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fast read, which is a bummer because I was not ready for this story to be over! I absolutely adored this book! It was fun, gripping isn't quite the right word. It does however, suck you in and keep you there until the end! It's great for all ages, there was nothing gory, just pure entertainment!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

a cute fun read.

[Rachel Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good read. It really reminded me of the adventure books I read when I was a kid and was interesting enough to hold my attention as an adult. I have to agree with some others who have read this book that this would be a good one for grandparents to read to their grandkids. Mrs. Weatherby's personality is a great balance to the 11-year-old twins'. They're each reflective of their generation without it being insulting or overly silly to either party.

The magic of this world was very interesting. It integrated easily with technology and was usually meant more for practical things. I definitely want my own version of Mrs' Weatherby's license plates, "they're very special plates...There's always a parking spot exactly where I need it." And Doris' ability to mix her crystal ball with the Internet was a wonderful blending of science and magic that I'd love to read more about. I also liked that there were different animals as familiars with different strengths of their own. One of them was a giant praying mantis! I'd never heard of a praying mantis as a familiar before!

I really enjoyed this book and will be looking to get the second one. It's a book of clean fun that's good for all ages. If you like light-hearted stories about magic in the real world, pick this up and enjoy!

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant - fun, action packed for all ages

When the two boys are waiting for their bus (on the last day of the summer term) they come to the aid of an elderly woman. Who proves to be a witch and she gives them her card, telling them to call if they ever need anything as they have refused to take money from her. The only thing the boys want is their mother back. She disappeared 6 months ago and there has been no sign of her. Phoning the number they had been given leads them to an adventure of a lifetime. Wicked witches, familiars that turn into people, people that have transformed into animals, senior witches that have been farmed off as too elderly to do their jobs, malignant orbs and of course the WBI (that tries to stop evil magic users). Can they find their mother? Are the senior witches as useless as they are being told they are? Who has stolen the malignant orbs and why? Does everyone survive intact? A brilliant plot - fast paced, humorous, filled with magic and suitable for any age. Wonderful characters that just brim over with life.

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great little read for the young and the young at heart!

This story turned out better than I thought. This is a very good young adult mystery story I recommended for all ages. It’s fast pace and holds your attention.


The characters are delightful. My favorite is Beauchamp mrs. Weatherby‘s servant/chauffeur. This reminds me of the live action, Disney films. I watched as a kid. (Like Mary Poppins, and bed knobs and broomsticks.)

[Astrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nette Urlaubslektüre.

[Dawn Ireland · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a romping great read

Hats off to author Richard Capwell for such a wild ride. There were a couple of bloopers, but nothing serious. I enjoyed this story immensely.

[David Lowry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witches Bureau of Investigation is the first of two books by Richard Capwell in the series the first one at least, featuring young Nate and Herman Howe. Richard Capwell has self-published 10 books including “The Domain of Dragons” series of fourbooks from what I can tell based on goodreads.com. As stated in the intro book blurb at the top of this review. Young Nate and Herman Howe accidentally (or was it?) run into literally, Mrs. Weatherby outside a coffee shop spilling her latte everywhere. Through the boys chivalry, Mrs Weatherby hands the boys her business card that reads that she is the retired Director of the Witches Bureau of Investigation, tells them if they ever need anything to call on her then drives away. It just so happens the boys mother has been missing for six months under mysterious circumstances, at least to those who knew Mrs. Howe. The police have closed the case, tying her disappearance to a man who embezzled some money from the company they both worked for during her vacation and her having an affair and running away with him. The boys don’t believe this for a second, neither does their father who tirelessly looks for her and takes care of the boys with the help of his mother.

After discussing it together that evening while trying to do research on the WBI, the boys decide to call Mrs. Weatherby. They meet up the next morning and soon begins the adventure the boys could never have imagined. The boys, Mrs. Weatherby, her Chauffeur Beauchamp illicit help from other former WBI investigators to help find the boys mother. All along the way, the boys have to hide what is going on from their father, deal with a very nasty neighbor lady who is always watching them like a hawk and Mrs. Weatherby’s daughter is trying to have her put in a nursing home and have her declared incompetent so she can get at Mrs. Weatherby’s money. The team find them selves in for more than they bargained for as it looks like there maybe corruption at the WBI, some very powerful missing magic artifacts, at least one rogue witch and no one is sure who they can trust.

Capwell does a formidable job with light romp of a story that shows he can create a depth of character, tell a story and leave the reader wanting more. The Witches Bureau of Investigation was extremely well written in the sense that you feel like you got to know a lot about the characters in a very short time. The book itself is only 179 pages long. The description and the dialogue was all very unique for each character. The story plot while yet a bit predictable was still very entertaining and a few twists and turns kept me guessing all along the way.

I have to admit, I was surprised by how much I liked this book. It was very well written in terms of characterization, pace, action and humor. Capwell did a great job of bringing the characters to life in this light weight novel of paranormal adventure. It is written so people of any age can enjoy it and feel like the got not only an easy read, but a very good one at that. One of the other things I loved was the editing was very good in my opinion. So often with self-published works, the editing is not done very well and that can make the book very hard to read or at least enjoy.

So in conclusion, Witches Bureau of Investigation is a recommended read for those that love a bit of fun, humor, action, paranormal and wit in the books. The only issue I have is, it could have been a bit deeper and a bit more mystery to it if it had been a longer book. But that is a small issue considering what came out of it.



Club Fantasci Scoring (Based on scale of 10):

Cover Artwork: 8 Editing: 9 Re-readability: 7

Club Fantasci Overall Score: 8

I am giving Witches Bureau of Investigation 4 out of 5 stars because it was a solid read full of characters, action, humor and a solid plot but also because it was a bit short. It might have been five other wise.

This book is Club Fantasci Certified!

Club Fantasci Certified

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[Amy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book one day, and thought i would give it a try... And i was not disappointed


This is a great children's book. It is based for children in the middle school grade.


Nate and Herman are twins. They are currently out of school, and trying to enjoy their summer vacation. Well, one day while they were out and not supposed to be they spotted a old lady where a long fur coat and lots of jewelry. They stopped and helped her. They even saved her from being plowed by a business man in a hurry. Nate and Herman were shocked when this old lady used magic to get even with this business man.

This old lady's name is Mrs. Weatherby. She drives in an expensive car with a driver with a funny name. Mrs. Weatherby tell them that she is a witch and that was their little secret. She gave them her card and told the boys if she can help them that to call that number. The boys were so shocked that they ran home and were trying to figure out what they could do with this Mrs. Weatherby.

Nate and Herman's mother went missing over 5 years ago. the police have stopped looking for. They told Nate and Herman's father that their mother ran off with a co-worker who stole thousands of dollars. the boys new that their mother didn't run off to a different country with another man. Once they saw a website that stated that this old lady was in a witch investigation they knew right then and their what she could do for them.
Mrs. weatherby told them that she was retired and couldn't be any help because she was expired. When and old friend stops by things started to get interesting. The boys found out that their mother was alive and not with her co-worker, but kidnapped by a evil witch. now the boys will team up with Mrs. Weatherby and her friends in the witches bureau of investigation to stop this evil witch and save their mother...

this book has tons of witty remarks and child humor.

[Janette Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate and Herman's mother had been missing for six months when they stumbled across Agnes Weatherby searching for her silver Phantom Rolls Royce limousine. Mrs. Weatherby was the former director of the Witches Bureau of Investigation. The eleven-year-old twins asked her to help them search for their missing mother.

Mrs. Weatherby was retired so she was hesitant but did agree to help and contacted some old friends to assist in the search. The old friends were a wacky bunch including a shape shifting butler, an orangutan, a nervous praying mantis, and a mechanic who worked on more than just cars. Nate and Herman were introduced to the little-known world of the WBI.

The boys discovered that there were big problems at the WBI. The whole world could be in danger because of a rogue witch. The boys went to the new director of the WBI, but she was no help because the rogue witch had her fooled. They were going to have to do this on their own. With the help of their new friends, Nate and Herman must find this bad witch and their mother before it's too late.

WBI was a quick and easy read. It was written with a younger audience in mind, but is a lot of fun for adults also. The adventure started in the first chapter and continued throughout the book with no lagging parts. Capwell even took the time to add a bit of education, teaching nice vocabulary words and quotes from history. If you enjoyed the Harry Potter series or the Percy Jackson series, I believe you will also find this book appealing. I will definitely pick up the next book in the series.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My inner child loved it!

Very cute book. As an adult I found it entertaining and amusing. The characters are easy to like. Looking forward to reading the next one

[Cheryl Landmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, delightful read! This little gem was full of humour and quirky characters, including Mrs. Weatherby, the retired director of the WBI and a rather absentminded old dear, Clementine, the witch who transmorgified herself into an orangutan, Gladys, the mechanic who could fix cars and just about any spell around, and Beauchamp, the chauffeur/butler shapeshifter. The twin boys, Nate and Herman, were sweet, charming youngsters, who took it upon themselves to try to find their missing mother with the help of Mrs. Weatherby and her unique band of companions. What ensued was a fast-paced adventure that was dangerous and thrilling, but not overly terrifying.

I believe this book would appeal to young people and adults alike. It's a lighthearted, enjoyable romp through the world of witches.

[C.S. S Bernhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book. I really enjoyed reading this.
Nate and Herman's mother has been missing for 6 months. The twins and their father are coping the best they can. Then one day the twins meet Mrs. Weatherby a witch. Not any old witch but one who has retired from the Wiches Bureau of Investigation. Mrs. Weatherby after realizing there is something else going on that smells of the paranormal agrees to help, along with some of her old retired friends including a witch who jinked herself into an orangutan.
This is a delightful enjoyable read for young people as well as older people. I loved it and I'm no spring chicken. The charcters are full of life and charisma.
Great read. I highly recommend it

[Elaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it. Original concept, well written and loved the characters. This was a bit of fun. It was very original, a complete find and I enjoyed it. It's probably meant to be a kid's book but I consider myself a big kid anyway.

The story consists of two young boys who have a problem. They encounter a strange old woman one day and believe her to be a witch. It turns out, she is. The boys ask the old witch to help them with their problem and in doing so, encounter a whole new world in the WBI and a secret that has kept their family apart.

[Maria Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent middle grade book. Nice plot, great characters. I could have done without the "definitions" of the various "big" words, but that can be standard in some books of this nature. With instant dictionaries in ebooks these days, I'm not sure that technique is as warranted as in the past, but the key is: Great story. I enjoyed it. I don't generally read middle grade books, but this one works on several levels and was entertaining! The world building was well-done and there were enough suspects to keep things interesting.

[Alex Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, zany book geared towards a younger audience, but surely fun for the adults as well. The kids were funny, and the supporting cast of characters quirky, "real" and should make for interesting plot lines in the future. (I'm assuming this is a series, or will be).

The magic is of the Samantha Stevens / Nanny McPhee variety and not too scary or heavy for the younger kids either. Off to see if there is another book out yet :-)

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect escape!

I wanted a light and fluffy book to read as a distraction from my crazy workload ... And this is definitely that!
Twin boys bump into a crazy old lady and the adventure begins ... Witches, werewolves, praying mantis, Cleopatra's anti-aging cat, magic orbs, an orangutan driving a Ferrari ... What else could you wish for.
Sweet, clever, funny, intriguing. The perfect escape.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was a very quick read, and so much fun - only complaint is I wish it were longer! The characters are charming, and I loved all the little quotes sprinkled throughout by Mrs. Weatherby. And while I guessed early on who the villain was, it was extremely entertaining seeing how the story progressed and the villain was defeated. Very cleverly done - will definitely be reading #2 soon!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great. It was such an enjoyable read. The talking orangutan was my favorite character. I found myself smiling at her description from the twins' POV every time. Mrs. Weatherby is just as lovable as Mary Poppins, but sneakier and sassier. I never saw the ending coming until it all started unwinding. I just knew who the bad guy was...and then WOW was I wrong! I'm saving this in my favorites folder to reread again later.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the e-version *(kindle) of this book. SPOILER ALERT I thought this was a nice choice for a pre-teen reader. Capwell introduces many characters, but he does it well and they will come in handy in subsequent books in the series. Interesting plot twist with the mom's situtation. I can see how he will develop this story into her new job and the boys hanging out @ WBI.

[Sharon Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little tale, aimed at the older children's market, as two of the characters are 11 year old twins, but it didn't labour the youth part, and so would be great for any age. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm way past 11!!
Great little story, and looking forward to more in the series.

[Tehila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book; can’t say much about it without a spoiler alert. But I can say the heroes are youngsters and oldsters. Definitely planning to read the rest of the series.

It was a quick read for me, but would probably take longer for a young reader. A fun read even for kids who claim to not like reading.

[Karen Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kid friendly, but entertaining to adults as well. Old-fashioned magic, powdery potions in bottles, etc. not the scary/ hexing kind. Funny group of odd-ball characters and at the center of it all is the boys. I like this so much I've loaded it onto both of my children's e-readers!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I am an adult and read this for my own pleasure, it would have been fun to read it aloud to older children. I have put the sequel on my wish list!

P.S. I loved that one of the characters is named Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara on Bewitched).

[Daniell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book...it has charming characters and an interesting story line. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it especially to my young readers. It was a light but exciting read perfect for a summer day. I will be looking for the next one!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. My kids might enjoy this one

You can tell this was written for a younger reader, but I thought this was a well written and engaging story for young readers, but older readers would enjoy this short easy read as well.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick thoughts: Easy, amusing read. Nothing too deep and the twins could've used some more character development, but that's not really the point of the genre. Does a nice job keeping both protagonists and antagonists competent without being perfect and fallible without being stupid.