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Sage Poe is having a hell of a week.Sage Poe is in for a wild ride when her small town's Halloween festival turns deadly. As a descendant of a well-known line of witches, Sage is no stranger to the supernatural. But when her childhood friend Tara is brutally murdered in the corn maze, Sage finds herself at the center of a dark mystery.

With her sisters Lovage and Angelica by her side, Sage must navigate the increasingly suspicious townspeople, an overwhelmed Sheriff, and the enigmatic Ezra Hawthorne, who may hold the key to unlocking the town's haunted past. As if that wasn't enough, Sage also has to deal with her Aunt Hecate's worsening magical dementia and the lurking shadows of an ancient cult.

Sage has to use all her wit and magical prowess to unravel the twisted web of secrets and lies threatening to tear Bone Gap apart. Can Sage catch the killer before it's too late, or will she be the next victim of the mayhem in the maize?

This book has a bit of an edge. So, only read it if you like to laugh at stuff you aren't really supposed to laugh at. You've been warned. This is the first book in the Wicked Witches of Bone Gap mystery series. This book does not contain a cliffhanger.

373 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2024

854 people are currently reading
197 people want to read

About the author

Sara Bourgeois

228 books341 followers
Sara Bourgeois is a Midwesterner through and through. She spends her time writing, reading, herding cats, and standing in her driveway during tornado warnings. (You can't see them from the basement.)

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5 stars
224 (48%)
4 stars
132 (28%)
3 stars
78 (16%)
2 stars
21 (4%)
1 star
11 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
483 reviews4 followers
July 18, 2025
Mayhem in the Maize
Wicked Witches of Bone Gap, Book 1

By: Sara Bourgeois
Narrated by: Meghan Kelly

Sage Poe! I love your style! Yes!

Overall: 5 of 5 stars Performance: 5 of 5 stars Story: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed: 07-17-25

When the corn maize at the annual Halloween festival turns into a crime scene, Sage Poe has a full cauldron! Delightfully narrated, AND packed with suspense, surprises, and a “culprit” I didn’t suspect, “Mayhem in the Maize” is an engaging and entertaining series starter! This unique, beautifully executed storyline really captured my interest AND held it throughout! What really stands out for me though are the characters! I absolutely adore Sage! To say why would make this review twenty pages long - just listen and you’ll see why Sage rocks! Then there’s Angelica, the spoiled, snarky younger sister who delights in aggravating her … uh “energetically challenging” Aunt Hecate, Sheriff Quill, a prickly lawman more than a few clues shy of a solution, AND those nefarious ne’er do wells … ones ya might want to pop! While THEY could teach a masterclass in nasty and bad, I’ll have to hush for fear of giving up spoiler’s! Speaking of masterclasses … the narration is STUNNING! Simply, positively, stunning! The use of subtle vocal nuances PERFECTLY conveys emotion and strikes the right note EVERY time! Character voicing perfectly suited to each characters profile AND personality, remains consistent throughout. The result - an absolutely flawless, perfectly timed presentation that gives fabulous life to the authors vision! A true masterclass! I loved this one and I can’t wait for more! Five fantastic stars across all categories!
Profile Image for Ed.
125 reviews1 follower
October 24, 2025
When the annual harvest festival is interrupted by a murder, the Poe sisters find themselves in the middle of everything. Sage Poe has been friends with the deceased and wants to figure out exactly what happened to her, especially since it seems supernatural, and Sage is a witch. When the Sheriff asks Sage not to stick her nose into things, she does what any good amateur detective does: she ignores him.

A cozy mystery that skirts the occult and supernatural, Mayhem in the Maize explores the world through Sage and her sisters without dragging us readers too deeply into it, preserving the coziness. While told from Sage's POV, we also see how her two sisters differ from each other and from her, and the struggles of caring for family, juggling life, and dealing with grief.

159 reviews
August 31, 2024
A town with history both good and sinister

This book is not your typical lately written book on witches. There is less drama and much more info about witchcraft. The story lets us know how a town can have witch history, but also non witch people. There is much more about how witches think and learn, how they evolve. It also points out that there are good and evil practitioners of witchcraft. The story delves into herbs and other aspects of witchcraft.
A book that is well worth the read, because of the knowledge it brings.
340 reviews3 followers
April 30, 2025
Interesting Read

I was drawn to this story because I've been to Bone Gap! There's a small town in Illinois named that. A corn maze is a fall tradition with us, so I was excited to read this. It was a decent read, but we couldn't solve the mystery with clues given to that point. An editor was needed because there was too much internal dialog. Readers can figure things out themselves! I also found some silly grammatical mistakes the proofreaders should have caught. Those take me right out of a story. I would recommend it though!
7 reviews
June 22, 2024
Sorta of good

This story is more of a dark mystery than a light one. There are a lot of holes in the plot lines, a lot of repetitive sentences AND paragraphs. The heroin is...ok, the use of magic is limited, the romance is non existent, and the mystery central to the plot would be fantastic with a bit more fleshing out. I'm sad as the potential of this story is amazing, but it isn't there. I won't be reading the next one
Profile Image for Frances.
228 reviews1 follower
October 17, 2024
An interesting start to a new series.

There was a lot of information given to us in this book, not only about Bone Gap but also about it's many quirky citizens.

The story itself feels a little clunky and weighed down at times, but it all comes together.

All of the information we wade through doesn't feel necessary to understand where we end up.

I felt like there were a few too many red herrings, but I enjoyed it anyway.

Can't wait to see what happens next with the Poe sisters.
300 reviews
December 31, 2024
The quest for truth isn’t always in the direction you thought it was

Sage and her sisters have their own drama, they didn’t need to add any more. Unfortunately, that’s not how their world seems to develop. A fun and simple festival turns the town upside down and Sage with her sisters she dragged into the mess whether they Ike it or not.

This is definitely an enjoyable reading experience so check it out.
Profile Image for ERICA YOUNGS.
15 reviews
August 26, 2025
Three sister witches, an eccentric aunt, magic, murder, and a mystery! This book has it all.
When a family friend is found murder in a corn maze at a festival, something is not right. Why are there signs of a sacrificial ritual? Her friend was not a witch. Sage Poe, with the help of her sisters, Lovege and Angelica, Aunt Hecate, and the townspeople of Bone Gap, must uncover who is behind this grisly murder. Its clear things are not what they seem.
Definitely recommend 👌.
Profile Image for Rachel Puckett.
1 review
July 18, 2024
Very hard to stay interested

I was expecting a fun read but it took me over a week to finish because I just couldn't get engaged in the story or characters. It seemed like there was no direction or purpose and then the author just decided to end it. There were no clues or guessing who dun it. It was just meandering through a town to show scenery and no real story.
28 reviews
August 13, 2024
Good mystery that holds up over the length of the book.

This is the first story within the context of a series so there is a lot to set up, but the story holds it’s own and does not get lost in the narrative. The characters are interesting but not overly complicated making the storyline fluid.
330 reviews2 followers
June 19, 2024
Friendships for forever

This book is very good at suspense and keeping the solid story going, bringing in family and friends and community! Great story and looking forward to the next great book!
1 review1 follower
August 10, 2024
I am a big fan of the paranormal genre, and I have a pretty decent vocabulary. This was a difficult read for me. I felt like I was slogging through an overabundance of descriptive adjectives and found myself doing so many eyerolls I gave myself a headache. The only way I'll move on through the series is if I run out of other things to read.
Profile Image for Doris Stillings.
249 reviews1 follower
September 7, 2024
Death in a corn maze

Tara a young woman is murdered in a corn maze. Her death was done in a dark ritual. There are many twists in this well written murder witchy mystery. There is a lot of wacky humor thrown in. Loved the book.
Profile Image for Jodi Sweet.
1,769 reviews9 followers
January 19, 2025
Twisted

This murder was so twisted and messed up. Once you read the book, you’ll understand. This book left me feeling sad for the life that was lost. Especially for the reason why she was killed. I was so surprised by who the killer was too.
Profile Image for Delores.
56 reviews
February 24, 2025
Why use six words when you can use 26 to convey the same exact idea, scene or character thoughts? I've enjoyed other books by this author, but this one just left me lost in the over-the-top writing style.
231 reviews2 followers
July 1, 2025
Mayhem in the Maize

A lovely witchy book, filled with good and dark magic, where the good prevail. The characters are spunky and the are humor, action and even traces of romance. A good book to while away some time.
Profile Image for Linda.
1,257 reviews24 followers
Read
September 22, 2025
I'm sorry, but I DNFed this in the first chapter I hated the narrator so much. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard to me. Your mileage may vary but be sure to listen to the sample as I did not & am regretting it. Luckily it's just going back to the library.
69 reviews
May 18, 2024
A cliffhanger!

Loved the character development and interactions! The characters are numerous but well-developed, and the story kept me guessing to the very end! Highly recommended!
691 reviews1 follower
May 20, 2024
Mayhem in the maze

Very dark and very spooky. More light please. All this dark magic isn’t for me. Looking for something different now.
358 reviews1 follower
Read
May 30, 2024
Interesting

Captivating reading the book had good twists and turns. The chapters were funny, the family dynamics real life, and the ending very surptisong!
Profile Image for Stephen Levesque.
2,747 reviews
June 18, 2024
Totally enjoyed it! This is a well written and has well developed characters. The story is catching and with the strong characters makes for a very enjoyable read. Great Reading Everyone!
158 reviews
July 17, 2024
Interesting

3 sister witch’s avenging the ritual death of a friend who yearned to be a witch. I simply had trouble catching the flow. Kept putting it down.
132 reviews
August 26, 2024
Good book

This book started quickly and kept on going. I enjoyed the characters and the story! Looking forward to reading the next one
339 reviews7 followers
September 11, 2024
Paranormal cozy

It took awhile to get there. At first, the characters were a bit flat, but they seemed to be fleshed out as the story continued.
Profile Image for Carrol Chap.
57 reviews2 followers
November 19, 2024
A new favorite book series!!!

A new favorite book series and author to follow! I love all of the characters and can't wait to find out what happens next!
6 reviews
May 7, 2025
Mixed Feelings

The plotting and characters were very good, but the dialog was very stiff and the narration was heavy on adjectives and adverbs.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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