Wish of Death

Kara Hilder Mysteries #17

by Jenna St. James

A Valkyrie with Haphazard Magic

A Fallen Angel Seeking Redemption

An Unlikely Crime-Solving Duo

***Cross-over series from the A Witch in the Woods series with Shayla Loci and Alex Stone!


It’s Kara’s birthday, and Zane is whisking his new fiancée away for a romantic weekend in Glacier Peak... a paranormal small town tucked in the Alaskan wilderness. With glass domes to watch the Northern Lights and hot springs to soak away their worries, it should’ve been the perfect getaway. Too bad someone forgot to mention the dead bodies. Now, instead of birthday cake and champagne, Kara and Zane are chasing a killer through the snow… and their romantic weekend is about to get murderously cold.

135 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2026

About the author

Jenna writes in the genre of traditional cozy, paranormal cozy, and romantic comedy. Her humorous characters and stories revolve around over-the-top family members, creative murders, and there's always a positive element of the military in her stories. Jenna currently lives in Missouri with her fiancé, step-daughter, Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever dog, Brownie, and her tuxedo-cat, Whiskey. She is a former court reporter turned educator turned full-time writer. She has a Master’s degree in Special Education and an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She also spent twelve years in full-time ministry.
When she’s not writing, Jenna likes to attend beer and wine tastings, go antiquing, visit craft festivals, and spend time with her family and friends. You can friend request her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjennas... or catch her on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/authorjennas.... Check out her website at http://www.jennastjames.com/. Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter so you can keep up with the latest releases!

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good!

It's Kara's birthday and Zane is taking her away to celebrate. But when they arrive in a different supernatural town, a murder has just happened.

Now Kara, Zane, and Savage the cat have to figure out who the killer is.

A must read series!

[Margery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glacier Heart. A special talisman enchanted to keep Glacier Peek snowy and comfortable for it's residents. It attracts visitors from all over for various winter sports and the Northern Lights. With out the Glacier Heart it is said Glacier Peek will fall back to its original freezing weather that would destroy their lifestyle. Two men went exploring and found the hidden heart. The towns folk are upset that the sale of the Heart has been mentioned. They know it is not meant to be in anyone's hands. Kara and Zane have traveled to Glacier Peek to have a relaxing birthday weekend for Kara. Alas, what they are now doing is solving not only a murder, but the Glacier Heart. They need to get it back in place quickly. The temperatures are dropping, not a good sign. Will they be able to catch the murderer and will replacing the talisman fix the weather again?

[JoAn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zane takes Kara on a special trip to celebrate her birthday. A paranormal town in Alaska that has a special crystal spelled that keeps this small town in the 50's all year round. Ms. St James' descriptive writing made me cold reading this one. The crystal was stolen for greedy purposes, the thief is murdered, the crystal is missing and the Zane and Kara are assigned to the case. The whole town is filled with suspects, the twists and turns highlighted several residents until a final clue sent Kara into danger at the reveal. Wow! This was a heart pounding one that I couldn't put down until the last page.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kara and Zane were trying to go on a nice birthday vacation when a murder interrupts everything. Surprisingly Kara's cat, Savage, had tagged along on the vacation and provides a bit of comic relief as well as backup. The couple finds out an enchanted Alaskan town can get pretty frigid when the heart/battery for an ancient witch's spell goes missing. Harlow comes in for part of the story to assist. Some decisions are made in the end that will impact Kara/Zane's relationship. Looking forward to book #18 (wow!).

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vacations are never peaceful for PADA detectives. Kara's birthday trip is no exception. In a town that rarely sees crime, Kara, Zane, and Savage are right there in the heart of it. The victim had been selfish and did not put the best interests of the town ahead of his own greed leading no shortage in suspects.
Suspense right till almost of the end. The setting is chilly so make sure you read in a warm cozy place.

[Miss W Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish of Death is the 17th book in the Kara Hilder series by Jenna St. James.

Zane takes Kara to Alaska for a special birthday surprise in Glacier Peak.
A Glacier Heart token keeps the tourist town in 50-degree temps for the winter sports and beautiful Northern Lights.

Someone finds the Glacier Heart and there is a murder, and the Glacier Heart is missing, and the town starts turning freezing.

Zane and Kara investigate along with Savage, who was hilarious!!!!

The mystery was so good, I loved it so much.

Highly recommend!

[Lee Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glacier Peak sounds like a beautiful place to visit!! I would love to go someplace like that and see the beautiful Northern Lights!! WOW!! This storyline was so interesting; reminded me a little of the ring of power. It seems the stone brought out the best or the worst of you and then you had to deal with it. Very intriguing!

[Linnette Parris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birthday Vacation

Away for a quiet birthday with her fallen angel, Kara is having a lovely time. But crime didn’t know when to quit. Clever mystery, lots of clues and an exciting capture. A very happy ending puts icing on the cake!

[linda mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate to see the ending coming.

These books are so good ,I hate it when they solve the crimes cause that means the books almost over. I love all the PADA mysteries and all of the characters in every book. They are so much fun to read!

[Ramona Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

book 17

This series is a lot of fun. The characters and storyline are great. The bad guy this time wasn’t so bad only wanted the best for the town

[JANE VAN HORN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This is a great series with a bunch of great characters. I can not wait to see what happens next.

[Joan Husmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please

Stop with the moaning every time someone eats or drinks something. It’s annoying!
These books are too much fun to have me grinding my teeth every few pages.