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The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society
A librarian with a knack for solving murders realizes there is something decidedly supernatural afoot in her little town in this cozy fantasy mystery.Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies—and solving murders. But she's concerned by just how many killers she's had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count...but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural. But when someone close to Sherry ends up dead, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by what seems to be an ancient demon, Sherry begins to think she’s going to need to become an exorcist as well as an amateur sleuth. With the help of her town's new priest, and an assortment of friends who dub themselves the "Demon-Hunting Society," Sherry will have to solve the murder and get rid of a demon. This riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers Never mess with a librarian.
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2024
979 people are currently reading
35223 people want to read
About the author
C.M. Waggoner
4 books707 followersC.M. Waggoner grew up in rural upstate New York, where she spent a lot of time reading fantasy novels in a swamp. She studied creative writing at SUNY Purchase and lived in China for eight years before moving with her husband to Albany, NY. In her spare time, she volunteers, performs kitchen experiments, asks if she can pet your dog, and gardens badly. You can voice your complaints to the management (or sign up for her mailing list) at cmwaggoner.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,655 reviews
April 17, 2024
Murder, She Wrote with a supernatural vibe. At its core, this book is mostly a murder mystery, as Sherry's investigation into her boyfriend Alan's death is the main focus of the plot. There are some paranormal elements at play, however, including demonic possession and a talking cat named Lord Thomas Cromwell (also possessed). But if you're not into horror, no worries – The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is much more Sabrina the Teenage Witch than The Exorcist. There's really nothing frightening about it at all … well, unless you count a cat being able to verbally harass you into filling its food bowl, in which case okay, yeah, you have a point. (I, for one, would very much not like for my cats to gain the ability to speak because they would be absolutely insufferable.)
But, anyway, this was a largely enjoyable and entertaining read. Multiple references are made to Agatha Christie's novels in this story, and while I wouldn't say this one is quite to the level of Dame Agatha's mysteries (it certainly doesn't have nearly as many twists and turns), I could kind of see Hercule Poirot tackling this case of the bludgeoned antique dealer (although I think his “little grey cells” would be slightly perplexed by the demon-y bits).
Even without a quirky Belgian detective, however, the members of the (not-really-a) society are pretty fun characters. You have the librarian-turned-detective, Sherry, the ever-so-slightly bumbling priest (who isn't really so sure he wants to deal with this whole demonic possession business), the “grieving” rich widow, and the skeptical best friend. Oh, and Lord Thomas the possessed cat, of course. They're really all quite amusing and likeable.
My one minor complaint about this book is that it feels very much like a sequel. I checked the author's Goodreads profile multiple times just to make sure I hadn't missed something, because there are so many references to prior events that I was sure this was number three or four in a series. But, nope – that's just the way the book is written. It's not a big deal and I can see why the author wrote things the way they did, but it was a little confusing at first. I wouldn't be surprised if this book is a start of a series, however – the ending is set up perfectly for a continuation.
My overall rating: 3.75 stars, rounded up. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a fun, lighthearted, and humorous read that'll likely appeal to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries of the supernatural variety.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Ace for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. The expected publication date is September 24, 2024.
But, anyway, this was a largely enjoyable and entertaining read. Multiple references are made to Agatha Christie's novels in this story, and while I wouldn't say this one is quite to the level of Dame Agatha's mysteries (it certainly doesn't have nearly as many twists and turns), I could kind of see Hercule Poirot tackling this case of the bludgeoned antique dealer (although I think his “little grey cells” would be slightly perplexed by the demon-y bits).
Even without a quirky Belgian detective, however, the members of the (not-really-a) society are pretty fun characters. You have the librarian-turned-detective, Sherry, the ever-so-slightly bumbling priest (who isn't really so sure he wants to deal with this whole demonic possession business), the “grieving” rich widow, and the skeptical best friend. Oh, and Lord Thomas the possessed cat, of course. They're really all quite amusing and likeable.
My one minor complaint about this book is that it feels very much like a sequel. I checked the author's Goodreads profile multiple times just to make sure I hadn't missed something, because there are so many references to prior events that I was sure this was number three or four in a series. But, nope – that's just the way the book is written. It's not a big deal and I can see why the author wrote things the way they did, but it was a little confusing at first. I wouldn't be surprised if this book is a start of a series, however – the ending is set up perfectly for a continuation.
My overall rating: 3.75 stars, rounded up. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a fun, lighthearted, and humorous read that'll likely appeal to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries of the supernatural variety.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Ace for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. The expected publication date is September 24, 2024.
October 11, 2024
**Many thanks to Berkley and C.M. Waggoner for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**
Of all things you'd think of when someone mentions Lord Thomas Cromwell, a talking cat who BECOMES a version of Lord Thomas Cromwell (via demonic possession...OBVIOUSLY 😉) probably isn't one of them.
But here in Sherry Pinkwhistle's world...it's just another lovely, sunny, murder solving kind of day!
You see, rather than just the fastidious and stereotypical elderly librarian your mind's eye can conjure up in a split second, THIS slightly sassy, always inquisitive, and unfailingly kind lady has a special gift: she has a knack for solving murders in her tiny town of Winesap, NY (and as a side note, the author frequently mentions 'nearby' Albany, which is near and dear to her heart, and mine too, as a nearly life long New Yorker!) But when she ends up losing not-quite-a-boyfriend-but-more-than-a-friend Alan, Sherry realizes that maybe the murderer is trying to stop HER from intervening...or even worse, wants her to keep GOING...as the body count rises.
Sherry finally decides it is time to call in reinforcements...and now, enter the motley crew that becomes fondly known as the "Village Library Demon-Hunting Society", which consists of Sherry, her best friend, the local priest, and a few selected others. As Sherry encounters the demon more frequently (and let's face it, she never really got used to the CAT talking to her to begin with!) the stakes get higher, the suspect list grows, and time seems to be running out to get to the bottom of the mystery. And there's also the small fact that there is ONE name on the suspect list that wannabe Miss Marple herself can't quite reconcile...her own. Could the demon have targeted HER to take down her beau? Or is this particular demon relentless enough to make Winesap its PERMANENT home...where NO resident can ever truly feel safe again?
It's a bit strange to say, but if I'd jumped the gun and written a review for this book anywhere prior to about oh, halfway through, it would have been a pretty solid, glowing 4 star review. I liked the character of Sherry immediately, the setting felt cozy and familiar (I do love you, NY!) and there was plenty of humor and heart in the early pages. I truly felt for Sherry when she lost Alan, thought some of the ancillary characters were pretty accessible and lovable enough, and the introduction of Lord Thomas Cromwell was pretty hilarious in and of itself.
But as time wore on and references to Sherry's past murder investigations multiplied, the beautifully woven and intricate thread art of the first half started to look more like the back side of the cross stitch...you know, the part where all of the string looks like a knotted, jumbled mess. 🧶
At first, the mystery was sort of cheeky and fun, and I bought Sherry as a fairly thorough yet somewhat amateur investigator...sort of a Miss Marple meets Jessica Fletcher (which was pretty clearly the author's intention, as several references to Christie are made throughout) and I was pretty much on board, despite this being a bit outside the norm in terms of preferred genre for me. But when it got to the point where I was sort of praying that she would just GET to the conclusion already, the tide had most certainly turned. There's also the small fact that for a while, the demon is the MOST important part of the story (and Sherry sees it frequently) but then it sort of fades into the background until the very end of the third act. For a 'character' that was so important it is part of the TITLE of the book, I just wanted the demon to sort of maintain the same intensity throughout...and to be honest, it was a little bit bizarre that it didn't.
But the part that perhaps tripped me up the most along the way is the fact that this is book one in what seems likely to become a series...and yet, we were supposed to feel a level of familiarity and kinship with characters and a town, not to mention Sherry's crime-solving history, that just wasn't possible in the context of this one book. While these characters had the potential to be enchanting, quirky, and fun...I just didn't feel like I really got to KNOW them as well as I would have liked. Sherry ultimately gets so wrapped up in her never-ending sleuthing quest that I started to forgot who SHE was too, outside of this 'hobby', and the sort of emotional gravitas I felt at the beginning over the loss of her beloved Alan was all but gone by story's end. There are plenty of quippy and silly moments in the opening sections, but these too petered out towards the end and just left me missing everything that had sort of 'hooked' me in the first place.
And while this author was aiming for to write something along the lines of a cozy mystery with a dose of demon hunting and a splash of "Murder, She Wrote"...I think instead Waggoner ended up inadvertently murdering most of what she wrote.
3 stars
Of all things you'd think of when someone mentions Lord Thomas Cromwell, a talking cat who BECOMES a version of Lord Thomas Cromwell (via demonic possession...OBVIOUSLY 😉) probably isn't one of them.
But here in Sherry Pinkwhistle's world...it's just another lovely, sunny, murder solving kind of day!
You see, rather than just the fastidious and stereotypical elderly librarian your mind's eye can conjure up in a split second, THIS slightly sassy, always inquisitive, and unfailingly kind lady has a special gift: she has a knack for solving murders in her tiny town of Winesap, NY (and as a side note, the author frequently mentions 'nearby' Albany, which is near and dear to her heart, and mine too, as a nearly life long New Yorker!) But when she ends up losing not-quite-a-boyfriend-but-more-than-a-friend Alan, Sherry realizes that maybe the murderer is trying to stop HER from intervening...or even worse, wants her to keep GOING...as the body count rises.
Sherry finally decides it is time to call in reinforcements...and now, enter the motley crew that becomes fondly known as the "Village Library Demon-Hunting Society", which consists of Sherry, her best friend, the local priest, and a few selected others. As Sherry encounters the demon more frequently (and let's face it, she never really got used to the CAT talking to her to begin with!) the stakes get higher, the suspect list grows, and time seems to be running out to get to the bottom of the mystery. And there's also the small fact that there is ONE name on the suspect list that wannabe Miss Marple herself can't quite reconcile...her own. Could the demon have targeted HER to take down her beau? Or is this particular demon relentless enough to make Winesap its PERMANENT home...where NO resident can ever truly feel safe again?
It's a bit strange to say, but if I'd jumped the gun and written a review for this book anywhere prior to about oh, halfway through, it would have been a pretty solid, glowing 4 star review. I liked the character of Sherry immediately, the setting felt cozy and familiar (I do love you, NY!) and there was plenty of humor and heart in the early pages. I truly felt for Sherry when she lost Alan, thought some of the ancillary characters were pretty accessible and lovable enough, and the introduction of Lord Thomas Cromwell was pretty hilarious in and of itself.
But as time wore on and references to Sherry's past murder investigations multiplied, the beautifully woven and intricate thread art of the first half started to look more like the back side of the cross stitch...you know, the part where all of the string looks like a knotted, jumbled mess. 🧶
At first, the mystery was sort of cheeky and fun, and I bought Sherry as a fairly thorough yet somewhat amateur investigator...sort of a Miss Marple meets Jessica Fletcher (which was pretty clearly the author's intention, as several references to Christie are made throughout) and I was pretty much on board, despite this being a bit outside the norm in terms of preferred genre for me. But when it got to the point where I was sort of praying that she would just GET to the conclusion already, the tide had most certainly turned. There's also the small fact that for a while, the demon is the MOST important part of the story (and Sherry sees it frequently) but then it sort of fades into the background until the very end of the third act. For a 'character' that was so important it is part of the TITLE of the book, I just wanted the demon to sort of maintain the same intensity throughout...and to be honest, it was a little bit bizarre that it didn't.
But the part that perhaps tripped me up the most along the way is the fact that this is book one in what seems likely to become a series...and yet, we were supposed to feel a level of familiarity and kinship with characters and a town, not to mention Sherry's crime-solving history, that just wasn't possible in the context of this one book. While these characters had the potential to be enchanting, quirky, and fun...I just didn't feel like I really got to KNOW them as well as I would have liked. Sherry ultimately gets so wrapped up in her never-ending sleuthing quest that I started to forgot who SHE was too, outside of this 'hobby', and the sort of emotional gravitas I felt at the beginning over the loss of her beloved Alan was all but gone by story's end. There are plenty of quippy and silly moments in the opening sections, but these too petered out towards the end and just left me missing everything that had sort of 'hooked' me in the first place.
And while this author was aiming for to write something along the lines of a cozy mystery with a dose of demon hunting and a splash of "Murder, She Wrote"...I think instead Waggoner ended up inadvertently murdering most of what she wrote.
3 stars
September 29, 2024
This was a bizarre but fun cozy paranormal book (that I hope turns into a series) that is a is of Miss Marple and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but this was not it (but in a good way I think, at least mostly). Sherry is a librarian with a knack for helping to solve murders. She doesn’t stop to think why there are so many or why it seems to be her who catches all of the suspects. When Sherry’s boyfriend is killed and she doesn’t want to investigate the reaction is not what she was expecting at all. It soon becomes clear to Sherry and a small group of friends and the town’s new priest that they have some sort of demon problem in their tiny town. This book was full of mystery, fun, and humor. A weird but fun ride.
October 16, 2024
The author so clearly wanted this to be the next Finlay Donovan and when it wasn’t interesting enough, they tossed in a demon to every 30 pages to try to save it. Spoiler alert: it definitely didn’t.
Bullet point thoughts because I can’t be bothered to write full sentences:
- Lord Thomas wasn’t even COOL
- The demon felt like such an afterthought
- How are you a society when none of your friends participate?
- The only two gays magically getting together…how original
I found the reveal at the end to be bland, as well (I’m not fond of that type of reveal, very Agatha Christie, which I guess is what the author was going for). It just wasn’t a hit for me. That being said, there were several moments I did laugh because the comments were so out of pocket.
Why was this not discussed? Another random addition to make this book be worth something with no pay off or explanation.
If my friends bully me maybe I’ll read the sequel, but I’m not interested on my own.
Bullet point thoughts because I can’t be bothered to write full sentences:
- Lord Thomas wasn’t even COOL
- The demon felt like such an afterthought
- How are you a society when none of your friends participate?
- The only two gays magically getting together…how original
I found the reveal at the end to be bland, as well (I’m not fond of that type of reveal, very Agatha Christie, which I guess is what the author was going for). It just wasn’t a hit for me. That being said, there were several moments I did laugh because the comments were so out of pocket.
Why was this not discussed? Another random addition to make this book be worth something with no pay off or explanation.
If my friends bully me maybe I’ll read the sequel, but I’m not interested on my own.
May 14, 2024
Well that was interesting.
Not entirely sure I didn’t just get possessed by a demon and forced into an acid trip for the last 265 pages.
Ending leads to a nice sequel of which I have to admit sounds way more enticing than this one.
I liked the concept. Execution was a bit iffy.
Characters felt like random scrabble pieces picked at random. Everything was very all over the place. It was hard to interpret the authors intent at times.
Cute, but bizarre.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC as always.
3 ⭐️
Not entirely sure I didn’t just get possessed by a demon and forced into an acid trip for the last 265 pages.
Ending leads to a nice sequel of which I have to admit sounds way more enticing than this one.
I liked the concept. Execution was a bit iffy.
Characters felt like random scrabble pieces picked at random. Everything was very all over the place. It was hard to interpret the authors intent at times.
Cute, but bizarre.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC as always.
3 ⭐️
December 17, 2024
2.5/5 This book was just OK, but I can’t help but feel disappointed by how forgettable much of it was. I was really excited to dive in, but as I kept reading, my interest started to wane. The story centers around a small village and an older librarian who has somehow been involved in solving cases for a while now. Right from the start, we see her solving a few murders, then her lover is killed, and soon she discovers that the people in her village are being possessed. She teams up with a priest and a widow to get to the bottom of it all.
At first, I was intrigued. I thought I was getting a dark thriller with a balance of suspense and maybe a touch of satire or comedy. But instead, it’s more like a cozy mystery with possession thrown in. The structure reminded me a lot of books like How To Age Disgracefully or Queen of Poisons, where a group of people come together to solve something in their small towns, and the main characters are mostly older.
It feels like the publication was very careful not to mention the characters’ ages, and maybe that’s because books told from an older perspective tend to be softer in their approach. The author tried to blend humor, suspense, and thrills, but it didn’t quite work for me. It felt like the story was straddling genres without fully succeeding in either.
Another thing: I felt this book should’ve been number two or three in a series. We don’t get much background on our main character’s past. While I usually love being thrown straight into a story, I think it would’ve been more compelling if the book started from the librarian’s first involvement in solving cases. Imagine watching her romance develop, her friendship with the priest grow, and seeing her realize something is off in her village. By the time we got to this book, we would’ve already known her backstory and felt more invested in her loss and her fight against the possession.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite deliver in either category it was aiming for. I still love the title, cover, and the concept’s potential, but I would’ve much preferred a darker take on this story.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, Ace, and Berkeley Publishing for this digital ARC.
At first, I was intrigued. I thought I was getting a dark thriller with a balance of suspense and maybe a touch of satire or comedy. But instead, it’s more like a cozy mystery with possession thrown in. The structure reminded me a lot of books like How To Age Disgracefully or Queen of Poisons, where a group of people come together to solve something in their small towns, and the main characters are mostly older.
It feels like the publication was very careful not to mention the characters’ ages, and maybe that’s because books told from an older perspective tend to be softer in their approach. The author tried to blend humor, suspense, and thrills, but it didn’t quite work for me. It felt like the story was straddling genres without fully succeeding in either.
Another thing: I felt this book should’ve been number two or three in a series. We don’t get much background on our main character’s past. While I usually love being thrown straight into a story, I think it would’ve been more compelling if the book started from the librarian’s first involvement in solving cases. Imagine watching her romance develop, her friendship with the priest grow, and seeing her realize something is off in her village. By the time we got to this book, we would’ve already known her backstory and felt more invested in her loss and her fight against the possession.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite deliver in either category it was aiming for. I still love the title, cover, and the concept’s potential, but I would’ve much preferred a darker take on this story.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, Ace, and Berkeley Publishing for this digital ARC.
March 23, 2025
3.5✨
This was silly! It was entertaining and not serious. I really loved that our FMC (Sherry) was a 63yo woman. It was unique and fun!
This was silly! It was entertaining and not serious. I really loved that our FMC (Sherry) was a 63yo woman. It was unique and fun!
January 5, 2025
3.5 stars
What an odd book! In some ways, it was a cozy mystery as our librarian main character, Sherry Pinkwhistle, solves the numerous murders that take place in her small town. To begin with, I was satisfied to go with the flow. After all, we often laugh about how many of these crimes happen in small fictional towns. Why should Winesap be any different? Even when the demon showed up, I didn't take it very seriously. After all, possessing a cat named Sir Thomas Cromwell isn't really very impressively evil, is it?
My opinion changed when Sherry's boyfriend Alan is killed. This is the point when Sherry realizes that she's been treating people's deaths as a game or entertainment, not as the tragedies that they are, and knowing that she has an influential supernatural audience doesn't let her off the hook. The demon tells her in no uncertain terms that she must investigate. Attempts to leave town are thwarted and assistance from outside is deflected.
Waggoner sets Sherry up as a Poirot figure, but she was closer to Jane Marple in my opinion. She's not nearly as nice as everyone around town seems to think. She's actually quite calculating when evaluating those around her. We eventually discover her secret past, however, differentiating her from either Christie detective.
Once the audience is aware that this is a serious matter, things move along briskly. As paranormal crime books go, this one didn't stir up any of my usual reluctance to read after dark. I didn't find it spooky or eerie, despite my tendency to be affected by such things. I took the murders seriously but not the supernatural aspect of the story, I guess. The last bit of the last chapter seems to leave room for another adventure for Sherry in the future and I'd be willing to take it for a spin.
What an odd book! In some ways, it was a cozy mystery as our librarian main character, Sherry Pinkwhistle, solves the numerous murders that take place in her small town. To begin with, I was satisfied to go with the flow. After all, we often laugh about how many of these crimes happen in small fictional towns. Why should Winesap be any different? Even when the demon showed up, I didn't take it very seriously. After all, possessing a cat named Sir Thomas Cromwell isn't really very impressively evil, is it?
My opinion changed when Sherry's boyfriend Alan is killed. This is the point when Sherry realizes that she's been treating people's deaths as a game or entertainment, not as the tragedies that they are, and knowing that she has an influential supernatural audience doesn't let her off the hook. The demon tells her in no uncertain terms that she must investigate. Attempts to leave town are thwarted and assistance from outside is deflected.
Waggoner sets Sherry up as a Poirot figure, but she was closer to Jane Marple in my opinion. She's not nearly as nice as everyone around town seems to think. She's actually quite calculating when evaluating those around her. We eventually discover her secret past, however, differentiating her from either Christie detective.
Once the audience is aware that this is a serious matter, things move along briskly. As paranormal crime books go, this one didn't stir up any of my usual reluctance to read after dark. I didn't find it spooky or eerie, despite my tendency to be affected by such things. I took the murders seriously but not the supernatural aspect of the story, I guess. The last bit of the last chapter seems to leave room for another adventure for Sherry in the future and I'd be willing to take it for a spin.
October 20, 2024
I think this is a classic case of a great idea with just okay execution. The premise was fun, with a nosy librarian solving small town murders. She gets a bit too big for her britches and it isn’t until an investigation becomes personal for her that she starts to question why there are so many crimes in such a small town, or why she has been able to solve all of them better than the police. It felt a bit of a combination of Miss Marple + any small town cozy mystery, with the addition of a talking cat and some light demon possession.
The execution was messier though, and this is where it went downhill for me. For the first half of the book, much of the interesting action happens off page. The pacing was quick, but the story felt like it was all over the place. I had to go back and check more than once to make sure this wasn’t the second or third book in a series, because references kept being made that felt like nods to previous books.
The second half did pick up for me, but overall the book felt like a cozy mystery with an added possession. It did not feel at all like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or have any of the darker vibes of Murder She Wrote, both of which were comparisons in the book’s official blurb. The mystery itself fell flat for me, because it was almost immediately obvious who committed the crime we spend the bulk of the book reading about.
I’ll be the first to admit that cozy mysteries aren’t really my jam, but if they’re yours you’d probably enjoy this one! It definitely doesn’t fit the billing in the blurb though, so if you’re actually looking for Buffy + Murder She Wrote, you may be disappointed.
Thanks to Berkley for the advanced copy!
The execution was messier though, and this is where it went downhill for me. For the first half of the book, much of the interesting action happens off page. The pacing was quick, but the story felt like it was all over the place. I had to go back and check more than once to make sure this wasn’t the second or third book in a series, because references kept being made that felt like nods to previous books.
The second half did pick up for me, but overall the book felt like a cozy mystery with an added possession. It did not feel at all like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or have any of the darker vibes of Murder She Wrote, both of which were comparisons in the book’s official blurb. The mystery itself fell flat for me, because it was almost immediately obvious who committed the crime we spend the bulk of the book reading about.
I’ll be the first to admit that cozy mysteries aren’t really my jam, but if they’re yours you’d probably enjoy this one! It definitely doesn’t fit the billing in the blurb though, so if you’re actually looking for Buffy + Murder She Wrote, you may be disappointed.
Thanks to Berkley for the advanced copy!
June 30, 2024
This book started out SO strong but got a little lost in the middle and only meandered from there. I was so enamoured of the “small town Gilmore girls solves a murder” setting of winesap within the first 50 pages or so. Then the cat started to talk. By the time i reached the middle i think the author had really lost the plot: there was actually a motive for every murder? But also there was a demon causing the murder? But also the protagonist did a Hercule poirot style takedown of the real life reasons for the murder that didn’t actually involve the demon? This book would have been better served just sticking to the real world, sadly! What could have been an excellent fantasy was ruined by trying to do too much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2025
From the book jacket: A librarian with a knack for solving murders realizes there is something decidedly supernatural afoot in her little town in this cozy fantasy mystery.
My reactions:
Waggoner seemed to throw every idea she had at the wall, hoping something would stick. There’s the whole “small town librarian as amateur sleuth” trope, check. A cat with a cute name who “helps” with the investigation, check. A sheriff who is inept at best and relies on the amateur sleuth to solve the case, check. A cast of eccentric friends and neighbors to populate the town (and story line), check. And of course, the touch of supernatural, in this case a demon puppeteer pulling the strings to drive the plot. What was missing, was the promise of a “demon-hunting society” which the title promised.
It sounded like it might be a fun, slightly different, kind of cozy, however, the result was dreadful. The plot was thin, the character development completely lacking. I finished only because it fit a specific challenge.
My reactions:
Waggoner seemed to throw every idea she had at the wall, hoping something would stick. There’s the whole “small town librarian as amateur sleuth” trope, check. A cat with a cute name who “helps” with the investigation, check. A sheriff who is inept at best and relies on the amateur sleuth to solve the case, check. A cast of eccentric friends and neighbors to populate the town (and story line), check. And of course, the touch of supernatural, in this case a demon puppeteer pulling the strings to drive the plot. What was missing, was the promise of a “demon-hunting society” which the title promised.
It sounded like it might be a fun, slightly different, kind of cozy, however, the result was dreadful. The plot was thin, the character development completely lacking. I finished only because it fit a specific challenge.
May 29, 2025
Cute... but a ton of substance.
An easy read with some good one-liners, interesting characters, and a bit of chaos.
One of my favorite quotes
"The problem with you is that it's hard to tell if you're a rude person or an ordinary cat."
Solid 3 Stars
An easy read with some good one-liners, interesting characters, and a bit of chaos.
One of my favorite quotes
"The problem with you is that it's hard to tell if you're a rude person or an ordinary cat."
Solid 3 Stars
November 26, 2024
3.5 stars. This was a cute book! I read it for one of my book groups. It's a cozy small town murder mystery, with a paranormal twist. Sherry is in her 60's and the local librarian in the town of Winesap. She has a simple but nice life with her cat Sir Thomas Cromwell. She also has a knack for solving murders and uses her skills to help out the local sheriff. An unusual amount of murders seem to occur in the quaint little town, but it's like the townspeople aren't registering them--as if something is making them forget. Sherry puts on this "book" personality, trying to act how a book character might. Her real personality is actually really blunt and straightforward. Sherry and a group of friends from town, work together to figure out what is really going on in town.
A short synopsis, but I don't want to give anything away. Like I started out saying, it was cute. I really enjoyed following an older main character, which is unusual for the books I usually read. I do feel like there were a lot of different components all jammed into one story and maybe got to be a little too much? But overall I enjoyed it--a simple, fun, easy-to-follow story. Sometimes a lighter story is just what you need!
A short synopsis, but I don't want to give anything away. Like I started out saying, it was cute. I really enjoyed following an older main character, which is unusual for the books I usually read. I do feel like there were a lot of different components all jammed into one story and maybe got to be a little too much? But overall I enjoyed it--a simple, fun, easy-to-follow story. Sometimes a lighter story is just what you need!
November 13, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up.
IN A NUTSHELL
This wasn't the cosy scooby-doo meets 'Murder She Wrote' that the cover and the title led me to expect.
It was clever, complex and focused not on a demon-hunting society but on Sherry's struggle to find out why so many people in her small town are murdered and why she, the village librarian, is always the one who works out who killed them.
Sherry was well-drawn and relatable. Her friends were fun. The demons were a little disappointing,
The mysteries were entertaining. I loved the central conceit of the story. The ending was satisfying but for me, the pacing in the middle of the book was a little slow.
Sometimes, when I'm reading cosy mysteries, I'm aware that part of what makes them cosy is that people are nicer than I am. Sherry Pinkwhistle, the librarian at the heart of this story, wasn't nicer than me. She was someone I could relate to and believe in. She's more like Jane Marple than Jessica Fletcher. Her thoughts about herself at the start of the book made me smile and want to know her better:
"she could watch someone crying or laughing or rocking back and forth in a corner and feel curiosity instead of either suspicion or sympathy."
"She spent so much time pretending to be a nice old lady from a book that her actual, somewhat strange and ghoulish personality tended to take her by surprise."
The first 40% of the book carried me along quite happily. I was enjoying Sherry and I was amused by her misfit gang of allies. As I watched Sherry solve a murder, it was obvious that something bigger was going on. The mystery worked but the murder felt... staged. That was intriguing but not entirely satisfying. I knew this was a cozy supernatural mystery but I had expected a little more tension. This had all the threat of playing a game of Cluedo
Sherry's first unambiguous encounter with the supernatural was underwhelming. Instead of cranking up the tension and moving the story forward, it felt like an arms-length experience and it slowed everything down. I couldn't see the point of having two demons: a minion demon who presents as Lord Thomas Cromwell (Why? What does he have to do with a small town in upstate New York?) and the big bad that he's working for who doesn't manifest until much later The Lord Thomas Cromwell demon didn't work for me. He wasn't interesting and he kept the supernatural threat at a distance.
The action in the middle of the book was slow. The Village Library Demon-hunting Society members barely featured in the story. The focus was on Sherry, who was being plagued by a demon and her own guilt. At that point in the story I wasn't being pulled along by the plot but by Sherry's dry wit.
As I entered the last third of the book, the plot started to take on a new and surprising shape but there still wasn't much tension. The demon element gave the murder investigations an odd spin - making them more abstract - the puzzle being not who killed whom and why but figuring out what the demon got out of it.
Then, in the last fifth of the book, everything came together very quickly and in quite a satisfying way. The big bad was front and centre. Sherry had finally worked out what was going on (but not what to do about it), the plot came into focus and the threat level finally rose. I liked that the ending was clever and that it moved Sherry forward personally.
IN A NUTSHELL
This wasn't the cosy scooby-doo meets 'Murder She Wrote' that the cover and the title led me to expect.
It was clever, complex and focused not on a demon-hunting society but on Sherry's struggle to find out why so many people in her small town are murdered and why she, the village librarian, is always the one who works out who killed them.
Sherry was well-drawn and relatable. Her friends were fun. The demons were a little disappointing,
The mysteries were entertaining. I loved the central conceit of the story. The ending was satisfying but for me, the pacing in the middle of the book was a little slow.
Sometimes, when I'm reading cosy mysteries, I'm aware that part of what makes them cosy is that people are nicer than I am. Sherry Pinkwhistle, the librarian at the heart of this story, wasn't nicer than me. She was someone I could relate to and believe in. She's more like Jane Marple than Jessica Fletcher. Her thoughts about herself at the start of the book made me smile and want to know her better:
"she could watch someone crying or laughing or rocking back and forth in a corner and feel curiosity instead of either suspicion or sympathy."
"She spent so much time pretending to be a nice old lady from a book that her actual, somewhat strange and ghoulish personality tended to take her by surprise."
The first 40% of the book carried me along quite happily. I was enjoying Sherry and I was amused by her misfit gang of allies. As I watched Sherry solve a murder, it was obvious that something bigger was going on. The mystery worked but the murder felt... staged. That was intriguing but not entirely satisfying. I knew this was a cozy supernatural mystery but I had expected a little more tension. This had all the threat of playing a game of Cluedo
Sherry's first unambiguous encounter with the supernatural was underwhelming. Instead of cranking up the tension and moving the story forward, it felt like an arms-length experience and it slowed everything down. I couldn't see the point of having two demons: a minion demon who presents as Lord Thomas Cromwell (Why? What does he have to do with a small town in upstate New York?) and the big bad that he's working for who doesn't manifest until much later The Lord Thomas Cromwell demon didn't work for me. He wasn't interesting and he kept the supernatural threat at a distance.
The action in the middle of the book was slow. The Village Library Demon-hunting Society members barely featured in the story. The focus was on Sherry, who was being plagued by a demon and her own guilt. At that point in the story I wasn't being pulled along by the plot but by Sherry's dry wit.
As I entered the last third of the book, the plot started to take on a new and surprising shape but there still wasn't much tension. The demon element gave the murder investigations an odd spin - making them more abstract - the puzzle being not who killed whom and why but figuring out what the demon got out of it.
Then, in the last fifth of the book, everything came together very quickly and in quite a satisfying way. The big bad was front and centre. Sherry had finally worked out what was going on (but not what to do about it), the plot came into focus and the threat level finally rose. I liked that the ending was clever and that it moved Sherry forward personally.
December 31, 2024
This one is 3.5/5 rounded up because a 3 is just too low.
This was fun! I am always down for a cozy mystery, and The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society did not disappoint! I mean, the title alone is an attention grabber!
Sherry doesn't seem to notice that she's always there to solve the small town's many murder cases. That is until she becomes a suspect.
With demons, a talking cat, and some surprising small town connections, this librarian proves she should not be underestimated!
This was fun! I am always down for a cozy mystery, and The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society did not disappoint! I mean, the title alone is an attention grabber!
Sherry doesn't seem to notice that she's always there to solve the small town's many murder cases. That is until she becomes a suspect.
With demons, a talking cat, and some surprising small town connections, this librarian proves she should not be underestimated!
November 1, 2025
The premise of this book is utterly charming, and the story quickly draws you into its world. While the writing at the beginning felt a bit awkward and almost made me put it down, it became more enjoyable as the story progressed. I especially liked the found family dynamic and the humor that arose as small details snowballed into bigger plot points. Discovering these connections alongside the characters made for a genuinely fun reading experience. Overall, it’s an enjoyable book, though not one I’m likely to recommend.
thank you to the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book.
September 22, 2024
A fun start to a new supernatural cozy mystery series involving a small town librarian who likes to play amateur detective and gets wrapped up in her boyfriend's murder investigation thanks to the behest of a demonic spirit. Mrs Marple for the modern age, this was fun with twists I didn't see coming and I look forward to reading more in this series! Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
January 9, 2025
I was really looking forward to this book and wow was it a confused mess. Maybe it was me but … what was that???? The bones of a great story was there but I think the plot got lost along the way and leaves the reader trying to catch up. There’s a murder mystery with demons and family drama, and someone pulling the strings and 😳🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️
- what was the purpose of the demons
- you form a society but only ONE person does the investigation? It’s not a club/society
-Alan?
- what was the purpose of the demons
- you form a society but only ONE person does the investigation? It’s not a club/society
-Alan?
October 25, 2024
Lekker cozy maar ook moord en demons
Read
December 13, 2024RTC
August 30, 2024
Murder She Wrote with a splash of the supernatural. Our main character Sherry, a librarian, finds herself, or rather inserts herself, into the middle of a murder investigation. She loves solving murders and making suspect lists. After her cat becomes possessed by a (friendly?) ancient demon, she starts to wonder if something supernaturally foul is afoot. She creates a “Demon Hunting Society” with fellow friends and locals and attempts to solve the mystery.
The supernatural element was a bit unnecessary and I found myself asking why, but my question was answered towards the end of the book, and I chuckled at the reasoning. At the end of the day, the supernatural element was fun and added a bit of pizzazz. The final chapter hints at a sequel with additional supernatural intrigue. I liked our main character and following her about as she disarms and charms people with her unassuming elderly librarian ways. I look forward to reading the next adventure.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
The supernatural element was a bit unnecessary and I found myself asking why, but my question was answered towards the end of the book, and I chuckled at the reasoning. At the end of the day, the supernatural element was fun and added a bit of pizzazz. The final chapter hints at a sequel with additional supernatural intrigue. I liked our main character and following her about as she disarms and charms people with her unassuming elderly librarian ways. I look forward to reading the next adventure.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2024
well, i don’t think this was marketed correctly… at all. aside from the fact i was hoping this was a story about a kitschy, alt miss frizzle sort of librarian with her ragtag group of millennial friends with mystery incorporated vibes, this was nothing you’d expect from the cover or title.
where are the demons and supernatural elements as well as the hunting part of it all? they were barely sprinkled in. this was much more of a murder mystery than anything else, which is fine and dandy, except when you’re being sold otherwise ??? then, “society”? this was just an old lady investigating a murder while barely keeping her friends in the loop.
also, not to mention the several plot holes and lack of explanations. waggoner had a lot of great ideas, yet they weren’t fleshed out or just made the entire story much more convoluted than needed for something as silly/cozy as this read was, and intended to be.
positive note: the dialogue did make me laugh at certain points with how out of pocket they were
where are the demons and supernatural elements as well as the hunting part of it all? they were barely sprinkled in. this was much more of a murder mystery than anything else, which is fine and dandy, except when you’re being sold otherwise ??? then, “society”? this was just an old lady investigating a murder while barely keeping her friends in the loop.
also, not to mention the several plot holes and lack of explanations. waggoner had a lot of great ideas, yet they weren’t fleshed out or just made the entire story much more convoluted than needed for something as silly/cozy as this read was, and intended to be.
positive note: the dialogue did make me laugh at certain points with how out of pocket they were
October 18, 2024
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Cozy Mystery / Paranormal
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society, by C.M. Waggoner, is a riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers alike: Never mess with a librarian. In a rural village in Upstate, New York called Winesap, there lives a woman named Sherry Pinkwhistle (63) who happens to be a librarian. Sherry, it seems, is a cross between Poirot, Jessica Fletcher, and Miss Marple. Sherry is an unofficial consultant to the local Sheriff, as she is always investigating and solving the murders.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Cozy Mystery / Paranormal
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society, by C.M. Waggoner, is a riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers alike: Never mess with a librarian. In a rural village in Upstate, New York called Winesap, there lives a woman named Sherry Pinkwhistle (63) who happens to be a librarian. Sherry, it seems, is a cross between Poirot, Jessica Fletcher, and Miss Marple. Sherry is an unofficial consultant to the local Sheriff, as she is always investigating and solving the murders.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
September 30, 2024
I absolutely loved the fat marmalade kitty Lord Thomas Cromwell! Regardless of the fact that he was, yes, possessed by a demon, he was a fun type of demon 😈 if there ever was one!
This book was described (per Amazon) as a humorous fantasy but it was definitely a Cozy Mystery Fantasy as a genre type, although, there were definitely funny parts to this book, you should know that it's a slow to medium paced cozy mystery.
I really enjoyed this book!
This book was described (per Amazon) as a humorous fantasy but it was definitely a Cozy Mystery Fantasy as a genre type, although, there were definitely funny parts to this book, you should know that it's a slow to medium paced cozy mystery.
I really enjoyed this book!
November 8, 2025
2.5/3 stars
-Kate really said it best- I was waiting for a girl gang to "squad up and hunt them demons" and was truly disappointed when it didn't happen
- do enjoy a hot priest trope
-what really was the point of Caroline's character? I felt weird about Sherry turning her in
- wtf was the ending. The demon plot point felt chaotic. sorry book club but I came to no further conclusions than any of you
- I will note I am biased bc I'm just not a cozy book person
-Kate really said it best- I was waiting for a girl gang to "squad up and hunt them demons" and was truly disappointed when it didn't happen
- do enjoy a hot priest trope
-what really was the point of Caroline's character? I felt weird about Sherry turning her in
- wtf was the ending. The demon plot point felt chaotic. sorry book club but I came to no further conclusions than any of you
- I will note I am biased bc I'm just not a cozy book person
May 6, 2025
2.5⭐
I didn't think that a murder mystery with "demon-hunting" in the title could bore me, but here we are...
I almost DNFed this book halfway through, but managed to power through it in the end. I'm gonna be honest, I feel very meh about this book. The demonic aspect of the story really didn't interest me, and I didn't care about the mystery at all. The characters were the only part that remotely caught my interest.
The ending of this leaves a lot of room for this to continue as a series, but I won't be continuing.
I didn't think that a murder mystery with "demon-hunting" in the title could bore me, but here we are...
I almost DNFed this book halfway through, but managed to power through it in the end. I'm gonna be honest, I feel very meh about this book. The demonic aspect of the story really didn't interest me, and I didn't care about the mystery at all. The characters were the only part that remotely caught my interest.
The ending of this leaves a lot of room for this to continue as a series, but I won't be continuing.
January 29, 2025
ridiculous, but so fun
September 22, 2025
3.5/5, rounded up
I liked this one: a nice cozy, supernatural mystery for autumn. I feel like the prose could have been tightened up a bit, and with life stuff going on, it took me longer to get through it. Led to the book feeling a tad like a slog, but I did want to finish it. I'd be interested in a sequel as I did like Sherry's character and development.
I liked this one: a nice cozy, supernatural mystery for autumn. I feel like the prose could have been tightened up a bit, and with life stuff going on, it took me longer to get through it. Led to the book feeling a tad like a slog, but I did want to finish it. I'd be interested in a sequel as I did like Sherry's character and development.
September 9, 2025
A very fun cozy murder mystery meets demons book that does not take itself too seriously. Somehow because it was demons and murder and it's currently September I kept imagining the setting to be around Halloween times, and then kept being reminded by the mentions of snow that it was very much mid-winter.
November 20, 2024
Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle is known in her small village as the one who does the murders. Solves them that is.
This is built on the bones of the cozy murder mystery genre and starts off in the same bland footsteps—complete with a nosy old lady who's somehow better at solving murders than the police—but soon enough its real bones start to poke through: Why does this tiny town in upstate New York have such an incredibly high murder rate? And why is Sherry always in the middle of it?
I really enjoyed this, both in the ways it plays up the absurdities of the genre and the ways it confronts them, and I dug Sherry's style. Sherry on Sherry:
Particularly good reading for the current times as it's absolutely removed from reality.
Contains: a small amount of demon possession, or, as Auralee Wallace puts it on the cover blurb, "just the right amount." No harm comes to Lord Thomas Cromwell, the fat marmalade cat.
This is built on the bones of the cozy murder mystery genre and starts off in the same bland footsteps—complete with a nosy old lady who's somehow better at solving murders than the police—but soon enough its real bones start to poke through: Why does this tiny town in upstate New York have such an incredibly high murder rate? And why is Sherry always in the middle of it?
I really enjoyed this, both in the ways it plays up the absurdities of the genre and the ways it confronts them, and I dug Sherry's style. Sherry on Sherry:
She was sometimes shocked by herself, too. She spent so much time pretending to be a nice old lady from a book that her actual, somewhat strange and ghoulish personality tended to take her by surprise.Sherry's the kind of protagonist who's always thinking about the way stories work and how things look from the outside, making this one of those meta murder mysteries, only this one has a twist, which you will cunningly deduce from its title. And also from the inconsistencies that fill the early chapters, all of which are all intentional and addressed by the end, though there was one big thing Sherry didn't confront that I think she should have, and the question of agency—were the murderers accountable for their actions?—was left frustratingly vague.
Particularly good reading for the current times as it's absolutely removed from reality.
Contains: a small amount of demon possession, or, as Auralee Wallace puts it on the cover blurb, "just the right amount." No harm comes to Lord Thomas Cromwell, the fat marmalade cat.
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