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.
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.)
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!
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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 👌.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!