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Ordinary Oregon Mystery #1
Gorgon with the Wind
A hilarious, cozy, magic-packed whodunit by National Bestseller Devon Monk
Come for the wacky festivals…stay for the murders…
Medusa, (yes, that Medusa) is done with heroes and heartache. From now on, her life is going to be filled with plenty of books, tea, and solitude. But when an unexpected favor takes her to Ordinary, Oregon—the quirky little beach town with vacationing gods, a bossy Valkyrie, and a book club run by Death—she quickly discovers the town might have a slight murder problem.
Accused of killing a local, Medusa teams up with her new friends—Jules, a witch who’s lost her way, and Piper, a psychic unsure of her powers—to clear her name.
But with time running out, it’s going to take all of their wits, will, and magic to find the killer before the festival crowds fade away, taking the clues and the killer with them…
Come for the wacky festivals…stay for the murders…
Medusa, (yes, that Medusa) is done with heroes and heartache. From now on, her life is going to be filled with plenty of books, tea, and solitude. But when an unexpected favor takes her to Ordinary, Oregon—the quirky little beach town with vacationing gods, a bossy Valkyrie, and a book club run by Death—she quickly discovers the town might have a slight murder problem.
Accused of killing a local, Medusa teams up with her new friends—Jules, a witch who’s lost her way, and Piper, a psychic unsure of her powers—to clear her name.
But with time running out, it’s going to take all of their wits, will, and magic to find the killer before the festival crowds fade away, taking the clues and the killer with them…
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2026
About the author
Devon Monk
93 books2,074 followersDevon Monk is a national best selling writer of urban fantasy. Her series include Ordinary Magic, House Immortal, Allie Beckstrom, Broken Magic and Shame and Terric. She also writes the Age of Steam steampunk series, and the occasional short story which can be found in her collection: A Cup of Normal, and in various anthologies. She has one husband, two sons, and lives in Oregon. When not writing, Devon is either drinking too much coffee or knitting silly things.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 24, 2026
Lovely to again spend time in ordinary.
Never a dull home in Ordinary, and this drama is told from a different point of view than the Delaney sisters. Medusa her nickname is Dusi has returned to Ordinary, she is only passing through and has no plans to stay, even though her two sisters are living in the town. On her way through Ordinary she finds Mrs Yates infamous penguin in her car boot, the one place it should not be. The penguin has obviously been stolen again and the thief has for whatever reason has his it in her car. With the help of some new found friends Dusi intends to investigate the theft herself....................who knows it might even be fun......
Never a dull home in Ordinary, and this drama is told from a different point of view than the Delaney sisters. Medusa her nickname is Dusi has returned to Ordinary, she is only passing through and has no plans to stay, even though her two sisters are living in the town. On her way through Ordinary she finds Mrs Yates infamous penguin in her car boot, the one place it should not be. The penguin has obviously been stolen again and the thief has for whatever reason has his it in her car. With the help of some new found friends Dusi intends to investigate the theft herself....................who knows it might even be fun......
March 25, 2026
I have liked all the other stories set in Ordinary by this author. The community is a bit odd, due to the gods vacationing there and putting away their powers and be "normal" people, but it makes for some fun reading. It seems with this spin off series, the town is the main character and lots of high jinxs are happening.
I feel for Medusa, she just wants to buzz through, say hi to her sisters and be on her way. Sadly she quickly gets pulled into things and is stuck for a few days. In those days she manages to find friends and a place to stay, all the while solving a few crimes. It's a fun romp to read.
I feel for Medusa, she just wants to buzz through, say hi to her sisters and be on her way. Sadly she quickly gets pulled into things and is stuck for a few days. In those days she manages to find friends and a place to stay, all the while solving a few crimes. It's a fun romp to read.
April 22, 2026
Look up the word introvert in the dictionary and the only reason you won’t find my picture is because I was too shy to have it taken.
Gorgon with the Wind is Devon Monk's Ordinary cozy mystery spin-off featuring Dusi (Medusa). Having left Ordinary because of a failed relationship with he-who-shall-not-be-named, she finds herself headed back there to do a favor for someone she just met, hoping it'll be a quick in and out. She doesn't feel like reuniting with her sisters, Euri and Stina. She's done with people and ready to live her life alone.
Ordinary is where Gods go when they want a vacation. They turn over their powers when they arrive and to stay for any amount of time they must take up a job to contribute to the community in some way. Dusi's first Godly interaction is with Death who happens to run the bookstore. He's inviting her his bookclub. Well, she loves books, so maybe ....
She soon runs into her sisters, too. One of which has volunteered her to help supply the statues for Ordinary's upcoming festival. Being Medusa and an artist, she's not too angry about it. But, that means even more time in town.
Then, she finds something in her trunk that will make it very difficult to just hop back in her car and flee. She decides to stick around long enough to fulfill her required art task, solve the mystery and maybe check out the bookclub. She meets a couple super friendly women who make each day spent in Ordinary better than she thought possible. She begins rethinking her decision to move on, realizing how nice it is to have friends.
While I enjoy Devon Monk's books, the story in this one felt a bit disjointed. Our MC Dusi (Medusa) has a meet-cute very early on in her story, but nothing really comes of it and we don't see him again until the end. The clues given for the mystery changed so often I was losing track of what was ruled in or out as a possibility. It was fun seeing the main characters of Ordinary become side characters throughout. I'll likely check out book 2, For Whom the Spell Tolls: A Magical Small Town Cozy Mystery featuring Jules (one of Dusi's new friends), and see how it goes.
April 4, 2026
Devon Monk is one of my favorite urban-fantasy authors - and here, she's trying to get a little "cozy-mystery" vibe set in the universe of Ordinary, Oregon. The main character in this book is Medusa (or Dusi) who finds herself in a smack-dab of mystery when a stolen penguin is put inside the trunk of her car (and Mrs. Yates, who owns the penguin statue, will press charges!!)
While it's fun to meet Ordinary residents again - aside from the original Reed Sisters books - but I feel like this one is failing in the mystery part. I mean, none of it end up, well, urging mystery to be solved. Especially since the dead body is also NOT as it seems
And my GOD, Xtelle is the most annoying characters that Monk ever created! I can't stand that pink unicorn! GAH!
But I still want to find out about the next two books. I wonder if it features different main character because of the clues in the titles. I think it may features Jules (the witch) and Piper (the seer) instead of Dusi.
While it's fun to meet Ordinary residents again - aside from the original Reed Sisters books - but I feel like this one is failing in the mystery part. I mean, none of it end up, well, urging mystery to be solved. Especially since the dead body is also NOT as it seems
And my GOD, Xtelle is the most annoying characters that Monk ever created! I can't stand that pink unicorn! GAH!
But I still want to find out about the next two books. I wonder if it features different main character because of the clues in the titles. I think it may features Jules (the witch) and Piper (the seer) instead of Dusi.
Did Not Finish
March 29, 2026DNF 30%. The female leads in this universe are terrible. It seems like it is a rule that none of them can function when near an attractive man. I want to like Medusa I really do but she's irritating and seems like the whiny get in the way of her own happiness type.
Mostly what put me off is that most of the page time in the first 30% of this book seems to be dedicated to the penguin statue that happened to end up in Medusa's trunk. Medusa is supposed to be middle aged in this book but she acts like a guilty teenager. Instead of just returning the statue and saying she had no idea how it ended up in her trunk she recruits a friend on goes on a little Scooby Doo adventure to solve the mystery of who put in in there (dumb). Plus keep a look out for the handsome man Medusa met in the bakery and simply cannot stop thinking about (ick) All this because Delaney without knowing Medusa had the penguin told her that the owner was going to press charges. How much trouble could you possibly get in for stealing and returning a penguin that gets stolen on a regular basis? I refuse to subject myself to this level of stupidity so I dropped it.
Mostly what put me off is that most of the page time in the first 30% of this book seems to be dedicated to the penguin statue that happened to end up in Medusa's trunk. Medusa is supposed to be middle aged in this book but she acts like a guilty teenager. Instead of just returning the statue and saying she had no idea how it ended up in her trunk she recruits a friend on goes on a little Scooby Doo adventure to solve the mystery of who put in in there (dumb). Plus keep a look out for the handsome man Medusa met in the bakery and simply cannot stop thinking about (ick) All this because Delaney without knowing Medusa had the penguin told her that the owner was going to press charges. How much trouble could you possibly get in for stealing and returning a penguin that gets stolen on a regular basis? I refuse to subject myself to this level of stupidity so I dropped it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2026
I loved getting to come back to Ordinary. This world building concept is so interesting. I loved getting to see some favorite side characters from the main series and seeing what Ordinary is like as a supernatural citizen.
While I enjoyed this book. It felt like we were jumping back and forth a lot. Since it's a mystery typically you'll get information with the narrator and you can also start to figure out The Who dunnit but the "facts" felt like they were constantly changing and the ending didn't feel satisfying.
And while this story is a mystery I expected more of a romance subplot because we have a whole meet cute scene that seemed highly emphasized but then felt unnecessary, because we don't see that character again until the end of the book. I understand why there's not a romance based on the MC's history and the book’s goals but having that scene felt like it made an expectation that wasn't met.
While this wasn't my favorite book by Devon Monk , it was enjoyable and I look forward to reading the next one in this series.
While I enjoyed this book. It felt like we were jumping back and forth a lot. Since it's a mystery typically you'll get information with the narrator and you can also start to figure out The Who dunnit but the "facts" felt like they were constantly changing and the ending didn't feel satisfying.
And while this story is a mystery I expected more of a romance subplot because we have a whole meet cute scene that seemed highly emphasized but then felt unnecessary, because we don't see that character again until the end of the book. I understand why there's not a romance based on the MC's history and the book’s goals but having that scene felt like it made an expectation that wasn't met.
While this wasn't my favorite book by Devon Monk , it was enjoyable and I look forward to reading the next one in this series.
May 6, 2026
A trip back to ordinary for fans of Devon Monk’s original series, and while we do see some familiar faces from that series, this one stars a whole new set of people.
Legendary gorgon Medusa, returns to Ordinary, hardly intending to stay, but ending up discovering a crime for which she has been framed.
With her new friends helping her out, she is on a crusade to discover the truth, before Police Chief Delaney arrests her for the crime.
This was a fun return to Ordinary for me, as I thoroughly enjoyed Delaney’s story when I read it years ago- and author Devon Monk is one I’ve loved since the Allie Beckstrom series. Add in a gorgon (I’m just dying to know a little more about Dusi’s back story in this world), a baby otter golem (easily a favourite for me), and a number of quirky characters that are just a little familiar, and we have an enjoyable urban fantasy mystery that is slightly cosy.
The book crosses genres a little, from cosy fantasy to urban fantasy, to mystery (cosy fantasy type), making for an entertaining read for those who love this type of book.
I’m looking forward to seeing the next book in this series, and I’m hoping Dusi gets to enjoy herself a little more!
Legendary gorgon Medusa, returns to Ordinary, hardly intending to stay, but ending up discovering a crime for which she has been framed.
With her new friends helping her out, she is on a crusade to discover the truth, before Police Chief Delaney arrests her for the crime.
This was a fun return to Ordinary for me, as I thoroughly enjoyed Delaney’s story when I read it years ago- and author Devon Monk is one I’ve loved since the Allie Beckstrom series. Add in a gorgon (I’m just dying to know a little more about Dusi’s back story in this world), a baby otter golem (easily a favourite for me), and a number of quirky characters that are just a little familiar, and we have an enjoyable urban fantasy mystery that is slightly cosy.
The book crosses genres a little, from cosy fantasy to urban fantasy, to mystery (cosy fantasy type), making for an entertaining read for those who love this type of book.
I’m looking forward to seeing the next book in this series, and I’m hoping Dusi gets to enjoy herself a little more!
May 25, 2026
In the first book of a new series set in the unusual town of Ordinary, Oregon, the main character is Medusa, who wears sunglasses to keep from turning anyone to stone and a scarf or beanie to hide the snakes on her head. She had plans to go down the coast to somewhere quiet and warm, but accidentally ends up back in Ordinary, where she somehow gets mixed up in a murder mystery. She makes friends with Jules, a witch and Piper, a psychic, who jump at the chance to solve the mystery with her. So instead of finding solitude and warm weather, she finds new friends, catches up with her two sisters, recovers her little otter golem, and learns there’s warmth of another kind in the quirky little town of Ordinary. I love the little beach town where gods give up their power and take a vacation, other unusual beings exist alongside regular humans, and everyone agrees to keep the supernatural on the down low and they all follow the rules enforced by Delaney Reed, her husband and her sisters.
April 24, 2026
Really 3.5 stars.
A spin-off of the Ordinary series. Ordinary is a town on the coast of Oregon full of supernaturals, Gods and humans who have no clue. The Ordinary Oregon Mystery series is a cozy mystery series set in the town of Ordinary, with overlapping characters.
Medusa, known as Dusi, travels to Ordinary on her way to Mexico, after a final bad breakup with Perseus. Her 2 sisters live there, and she finds friends there too. She likes having friends.
A missing penguin statue, a dead body in her boot, a troublesome pink unicorn and a festival.
A fun cozy mystery & a catch up with characters from the Ordinary series. I'll likely read the next in the series to see how everyone is doing.
A spin-off of the Ordinary series. Ordinary is a town on the coast of Oregon full of supernaturals, Gods and humans who have no clue. The Ordinary Oregon Mystery series is a cozy mystery series set in the town of Ordinary, with overlapping characters.
Medusa, known as Dusi, travels to Ordinary on her way to Mexico, after a final bad breakup with Perseus. Her 2 sisters live there, and she finds friends there too. She likes having friends.
A missing penguin statue, a dead body in her boot, a troublesome pink unicorn and a festival.
A fun cozy mystery & a catch up with characters from the Ordinary series. I'll likely read the next in the series to see how everyone is doing.
April 4, 2026
another winner from a fabulous author
Ordinary, Oregon is anything but! If you have not read the other stories, it does help to have the knowledge of Ordinary when you read this first book in a new series.
Medusa is the main character in this series. I really liked her and her 2 sisters and her 2 brand spanking new gal pals. They go seamlessly together.
This is another must have book by Ms. Monk. Enjoy it and it is so much fun!
Ordinary, Oregon is anything but! If you have not read the other stories, it does help to have the knowledge of Ordinary when you read this first book in a new series.
Medusa is the main character in this series. I really liked her and her 2 sisters and her 2 brand spanking new gal pals. They go seamlessly together.
This is another must have book by Ms. Monk. Enjoy it and it is so much fun!
May 11, 2026
Medusa, yes, that gorgon, ended up in Ordinary (OR) sort-of by mistake. Then she got roped in to helping out with the current festival, accused of "kidnapping" a stone penguin, and then finding a body in the trunk of her car. So she is stuck in town until the case is solved. So she enlisted the help of a local book club along with a fortune-teller, and a local waitress who can see parts of the future (Ordinary has all sorts of folks living in the area) to solve this fun, cozy mystery.
April 4, 2026
A light and magical mystery set around Medusa - yes, THE Medusa - stopping off in the small town where her two sisters live and actual gods lay down their powers to visit. I enjoyed Dusi's character and the women who befriended her and I am VERY interested in learning more about Ordinary, Oregon and the varied people who live there!
April 21, 2026
Nothing Ordinary about this book
There is nothing Ordinary about this book. Just another fabulous trip to Ordinary. To visit with your favorite characters and meet amazing new ones. Loved the mystery. Love getting to know the Gorgons. Hoping there will be more mysteries in Ordinary Oregon.
There is nothing Ordinary about this book. Just another fabulous trip to Ordinary. To visit with your favorite characters and meet amazing new ones. Loved the mystery. Love getting to know the Gorgons. Hoping there will be more mysteries in Ordinary Oregon.
May 9, 2026
So happy to return to Ordinary! The Ordinary Magic series is one of my all time favorites and this new series in that beloved town is everything I hoped for and more. I was so excited reading it that I finished it in two sittings. It would have been one, but I needed to sleep. I finished it this morning when I woke up.
May 24, 2026
Gorgon with the Wind was a decent cozy mystery with a sympathetic lead and interesting secondary characters. I was very entertained by Xtelle especially, and Tufa was adorable. The mysteyr itself was also pretty good with a motive and resolution that suited the characters and genre. I will probably check out more of this series.
March 24, 2026
really enjoyable
Another great story in the Ordinary world. I have loved the books focused on the sisters but it’s good to have a book with a different focus. Can’t wait for book 2.
Another great story in the Ordinary world. I have loved the books focused on the sisters but it’s good to have a book with a different focus. Can’t wait for book 2.
March 25, 2026
Fun Ordinary Story!
I very much liked this sweet, cozy mystery set in Ordinary. We meet new characters and learn more about some previously introduced ones.
Fun little romp and I hope there will be more!
I very much liked this sweet, cozy mystery set in Ordinary. We meet new characters and learn more about some previously introduced ones.
Fun little romp and I hope there will be more!
April 30, 2026
Monk never disappoints!
When I heard one of my favorite authors was going to write a cozy mystery, I was thrilled. And the book is such a fun read with some familiar faces. I can’t wait for the next one.
When I heard one of my favorite authors was going to write a cozy mystery, I was thrilled. And the book is such a fun read with some familiar faces. I can’t wait for the next one.
April 30, 2026
Set in a magical coastal town in Oregon, Ordinary is not an ordinary town. A lot of residents are hidden magicals who have "given up" their magic to live the quiet life. Well, sort of. It's whimsical and kooky. It mentions extreme ironing. It's a real thing, look it up.
May 18, 2026
Ordinary is...
Anything but! I have loved every Ordinary tale Devon Monk has written. Gorgon with the Wind is another tale worth reading and I will continue to promote the reading of Ordinary tales. Thank you for fulfilling a wish dearest author!
Anything but! I have loved every Ordinary tale Devon Monk has written. Gorgon with the Wind is another tale worth reading and I will continue to promote the reading of Ordinary tales. Thank you for fulfilling a wish dearest author!
May 24, 2026
delightful spin off
I adore the Ordinary books, and this is such a delightful spin off.
Dusi is a great character, and this is a story with plenty of love and humour at its heart.
I adore the Ordinary books, and this is such a delightful spin off.
Dusi is a great character, and this is a story with plenty of love and humour at its heart.
May 28, 2026
Fun and heartfelt romp with mythical creatures who are emotionally just like you and me. Much emphasis is on character relationships, but I would have liked a little more suspense and more of a sense of danger.
March 29, 2026
I always love the Ordinary books!
April 5, 2026
Oh Dusi! How I love her and Ordinary, Oregon. So wonderful always! Can't wait for more!
April 16, 2026
Her books are always a fun light read and I was glad to see more of Ordinary.
April 17, 2026
New series set in Ordinary Oregon. Medusa is the main protagonist. Fun.
April 21, 2026
This is such a fun read. Come meet Dusi and her Scooby Gang she didn't realize she could have, and the world's most adorable otter golem (yes really and yes you really need him in your life)
May 19, 2026
4 Stars:)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews