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The Witches of Holiday Hills Cozy Mystery #25
The Witch is Back
Cat familiars have nine lives, but their witches don't.
You’d think after solving a few murders, I’d get a break to enjoy the small-town life I cherish.
You’d be wrong.
Between writing my next bestseller at The Enchanted Bookstore and Café and keeping my snarky cat familiar, Cooper, from causing too much trouble, I thought I had enough on my plate. But when a witch’s familiar—normally a loyal, magical companion—turns on its owner then and vanishes, I get roped into tracking it down.
Easy enough, right? Wrong.
I find the little furball acting seriously strange. And not just cats are jerks strange—more like I might be possessedstrange. Then its owner turns up dead, and suddenly, the whole town is in an uproar.
With dark magic stirring, whispers of curses flying, and Cooper offering his usual unhelpful commentary, I must figure out whether this familiar is a victim, a suspect, or something much worse.
Can I crack the case before another witch meets a deadly fate? Or is my luck about to run out—along with my coffee supply?
You’d think after solving a few murders, I’d get a break to enjoy the small-town life I cherish.
You’d be wrong.
Between writing my next bestseller at The Enchanted Bookstore and Café and keeping my snarky cat familiar, Cooper, from causing too much trouble, I thought I had enough on my plate. But when a witch’s familiar—normally a loyal, magical companion—turns on its owner then and vanishes, I get roped into tracking it down.
Easy enough, right? Wrong.
I find the little furball acting seriously strange. And not just cats are jerks strange—more like I might be possessedstrange. Then its owner turns up dead, and suddenly, the whole town is in an uproar.
With dark magic stirring, whispers of curses flying, and Cooper offering his usual unhelpful commentary, I must figure out whether this familiar is a victim, a suspect, or something much worse.
Can I crack the case before another witch meets a deadly fate? Or is my luck about to run out—along with my coffee supply?
174 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2025
41 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
150 books544 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson writes cozy mysteries, thrillers, and paranormal women's fiction featuring strong female leads. Her stories shine through her dialogue, which readers have praised for being realistic and compelling.
A multiple number one bestseller on Amazon, her first novel, Unfinished Business, was a five-star Reader's Favorite, a Rone Award finalist, as well as a number one bestseller on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. In 2021, she introduced readers to detective Rachel Ryder in Damaging Secrets, also a number one bestseller on Amazon. Overkill, the third book in the Rachel Ryder series, was one of Thrillerfix’s best thrillers of 2021.Reviews have praised her work as ‘compelling, and intense,’ and ‘read through the night, edge of your seat thrillers. Carolyn’s most recent Rachel Ryder novel, Deadly Means, has been submitted for an Edgar Award by her publisher, Severn River Publishing.
Prior to publishing, she worked as a journalist in the suburbs of Atlanta where her work appeared in multiple newspapers and magazines. She wrote a monthly featured column in Northside Woman magazine.
Writing is only one of Carolyn's passions. She is an avid dog lover and currently spoils an American Staffordshire terrier boxer mix. She lives in the mountains of North Georgia as an empty nester (who misses her kids terribly but loves having a lower grocery bill) with her husband, a cantankerous cat, and her very spoiled pup.
Connect with Carolyn via carolyn@carolynridderaspenson.com
A multiple number one bestseller on Amazon, her first novel, Unfinished Business, was a five-star Reader's Favorite, a Rone Award finalist, as well as a number one bestseller on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. In 2021, she introduced readers to detective Rachel Ryder in Damaging Secrets, also a number one bestseller on Amazon. Overkill, the third book in the Rachel Ryder series, was one of Thrillerfix’s best thrillers of 2021.Reviews have praised her work as ‘compelling, and intense,’ and ‘read through the night, edge of your seat thrillers. Carolyn’s most recent Rachel Ryder novel, Deadly Means, has been submitted for an Edgar Award by her publisher, Severn River Publishing.
Prior to publishing, she worked as a journalist in the suburbs of Atlanta where her work appeared in multiple newspapers and magazines. She wrote a monthly featured column in Northside Woman magazine.
Writing is only one of Carolyn's passions. She is an avid dog lover and currently spoils an American Staffordshire terrier boxer mix. She lives in the mountains of North Georgia as an empty nester (who misses her kids terribly but loves having a lower grocery bill) with her husband, a cantankerous cat, and her very spoiled pup.
Connect with Carolyn via carolyn@carolynridderaspenson.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 25, 2025
This is a quick, entertaining read! Once again Holidays Hills is a hotbed of magic, mischief and murder. Abby is drawn into investigating to protect the innocent and find the guilty party. This is such a creative, fun series filled with characters that longtime readers have come to love and new readers will want to get to know.
May 1, 2025
Abby Odell, local author and witch, enjoys investigating what happens in Holiday Hills, especially murders! She and her cat familiar, Cooper, heard when Lily, a witch, expressed concern for her cat familiar, Bramble. Later that night, Abby finds Bramble who is ill and Lily’s dead body. Who could have killed her and why? Abby learns that Lily, who worked as a home organizer, had been accused of stealing from the homes. Abby decides to question the customers beginning with Cassie and Silas who accused Lily of stealing their genie bottle; Albert Winslow who Lily refused to pay for the garage shelves that he built for her; Opal Clementine who accused Lily of stealing her mother’s pendant and Endora Darkmere who said that Lily had stolen money from her. When Albert Winslow is arrested, he swears that he is innocent, and asks for Abby’s help. If the killer wasn’t Albert, then she needs to question the others again. The danger is not over for Abby as it seems she has become a target. Will she find out who the killer is before they try to take her out too? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)
May 1, 2025
How can you not love Holiday Hills? Plenty of mischief and mayhem to go around, and this series and this book are just so dang entertaining! Familiars that will capture your heart, characters that keep you entertained throughout, and of course, the story is great. If this is your introduction to the series and the characters, you'll love this so much you'll want to go back and read the rest. The best part of all: you can jump right in and not feel like you're missing anything. I highly recommend this book and series.
May 20, 2025
This series is such good fun! A witch’s familiar is acting strange, and then his witch is found dead. Soon Abby and her snarky cat are on the case. This series is full of enchanting characters and nice twisty plots. Extremely well crafted and highly recommended. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.
May 3, 2025
Join Abby while she solves yet another murder in Holiday Hills. Several odd things happen in the story- an odd version of the emperor’s new clothes, a cat named Bramble who is missing his familiar, and someone found in a trash can. Do you think you can solve this before Abby? Good fast read.
August 10, 2025
The Witch is is back: The Witches of Holiday Hills cozy mystery book 25
A witch is dead but how no evidence and then her familiar has lost most of his legs source. As Abbie and Cooper try to figure this out there are slot of red herrings. Great read.
A witch is dead but how no evidence and then her familiar has lost most of his legs source. As Abbie and Cooper try to figure this out there are slot of red herrings. Great read.
May 1, 2025
I received an ARC of this book. Great story with lots of surprises. I love the characters especially the animal familiars. I look forward to each new mystery. One of my favorite series!
May 9, 2025
wicked witch
This is a really fun series. I enjoyed reading the latest book. A lot of twists and turns leading up to the truth. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
This is a really fun series. I enjoyed reading the latest book. A lot of twists and turns leading up to the truth. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
May 11, 2025
I love a happy ending, with a twist!
Always fun to read these books. Really good characters, great story, and the murder plots are usually a surprise. Well, at least for me.
Always fun to read these books. Really good characters, great story, and the murder plots are usually a surprise. Well, at least for me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews