No Rest for the Wiccan

A Bewitching Mystery #4

by Madelyn Alt

Maggie O’Neill reluctantly volunteers to care for her bedridden, oh-so-perfect sister, Mel, but strange spirits threaten to divert her attention. Then a friend of Mel’s loses her husband to a dreadful fall, and the police call it an accidental death. Maggie’s not so sure, and sets her second sights on finding a first-degree murderer.

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Cozy Mystery, Witches, Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal Mystery

295 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 4, 2008

About the author

From the Authors Website

Madelyn Alt is the national bestselling author of the witchy and hip Bewitching Mystery Series, published by Berkley Prime Crime. The Bewitching series features small town single girl and fledgling empath Maggie O'Neill, her witchy boss, and an unlikely circle of ghosthunting friends, the N.I.G.H.T.S., as they investigate an increasing level of paranormal disturbance--not to mention a series of unrelated murders--in Maggie's hometown of Stony Mill, Indiana. In other words, they are: "Mysteries... with Hex Appeal."

Madelyn writes from her home, an 1870's era Victorian in northeast Indiana, which she shares with an extraordinary number of persons of the male persuasion of assorted ages and sizes, two Siamese cats who rule the roost, and a Shepherd-Lab mix sweetheart who is only too happy to let them.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 4th Book in the Bewitching Mystery Series.

Maggie gets a cat in this one - and she named it Minx (& later Minnie Minx) which freaked me out because our 20 year old cat that we put to sleep this past fall was named Minx. It was weird reading about cute little kitten Minx in the book. So my cat is heavy on my mind right now.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit and having eaten the first four books in about a week - I have to say I am a fan and will keep reading the books. I think the romance aspect was handled a little poorly though - mostly just the part on the last 2 pages. (Trying not to spoil anything here.)

I will keep reading this series.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Sugar!!! (I want to say something stronger, but won’t here). Maggie is still futzing around with the cop that I think is so wrong for her. She has this misplaced and misguided sense of loyalty and fairness to seeing the relationship through, even though it’s not going anywhere. Both parties (Maggie and the cop, Tom), both recognize that they are not making time to see if this relationship can go anywhere. They are both caught up in their jobs, and in this book, Maggie also has family commitments (helping her pregnant sister who is confined to bed rest) that allows little time to devote to the relationship. What does this tell you; that doesn’t seem to be getting through to them yet?

Marcus, the delicious, nonconventional male witch alternative seems to be very patience with Maggie. He is there to help her, when needed, but is not pressuring her (at least not much – leaving her hints I guess). She is obviously very attracted to him, as he is to her. Why can’t she see that he is a better fit – especially since he can accept and help her grow into her newly learned powers as an empathe?

Oh well. I really am enjoying Maggie’s journey and her growth and development of her powers; even thought her choices in her love life drive me crazy. I do look forward to the next book.

(Rated it a little bit lower than the others, about a 3.5, since I'm getting tired of her fixation on the cop.)

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic Plot: Maggie tries to help out her sister, who lets the whole town know about Liss's magickal practices, and also deals with a mysterious death at the local feed mill.

Alt has again crafted a well-thought out story. Maggie's involvement in the mystery felt natural, and the town's reactions to Liss's outing as a witch felt uncomfortably spot-on. Maggie continues to piss me off by mooning over Tom for no good reason, though I think that will be ending soon. There was a lot going on in this book plotwise, and it felt like it took an awfully long time to really get going, so I got a bit bored with it at times. When it picked up, though, there was some actual danger, and that was new and different.

There's no real re-read value to this book, hence the 3-star rating. The book is literary popcorn. Good while you're eating it, but you're still kinda hungry when it's gone. I'll keep reading because I liked the book, but this was not grand literature by any stretch.

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madelyn Alt's witchy mystery series is well worth the read. Her latest "No Rest for the Wiccan" catches readers up on the heroine Maggie's life and loves. Between being 'outed' by her sister after taking care of a slight 'entity' problem for her, being lambasted by both her mother and the local fire-and-brimstone preacher, getting tangled up in the latest murder in her small town, adopting a new kitten, and juggling the two men in her life...well Maggie's really hoping that surely things will have to slow down some.

I like Maggie and I'm personally rooting for luscious Marcus (big, bold, long-haired biker wiccan) to win the competition for Maggie's attention. So far there's no sex, but really well plotted mysteries are why I read Alt's books!!

[Lori Whitwam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a bit confused because the story worked in two separate plots; Maggie's snotty sister and the problems at the feed mill. The feed mill seemed to be the important one, but we spent a lot of time with the sister's "spirit" problem... still, I've enjoyed this series and will keep reading it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, fast paced read. Maggie is still coming to terms with her abilities. And now her sister is on bed rest. She gets manipulated into helping her and it turns out that her nieces have imaginary friends, but they aren't so imaginary. Also there is an unpleasant spirit in the house. Sister and her friends use a ouiji board which makes things worse so Maggie, Liss, and Marcus have to come and cleanse the place. Sister immediately starts telling everyone. Mom freaks out about Liss being a witch and wants her to quit, she refuses. Meanwhile, there are strange things happening out at the mill. Maggie ends up in the middle of them on accident; she tries to go around a stopped train and ends up at a murder scene. Then Libby, who is friends with sister, shows up and asks Maggie to come and cleanse the farm. But then she, Marcus, Tom (the cop who is her kind of maybe boyfriend) Frank (the dead guys brother) and Eddie (a man with special needs that Frank helps out) get trapped in one of the buildings and then the building is on fire. They get out and find out that Libby and Noah (dead guys younger brother) were not only having an affair, but that they worked together to kill him. I am over Tom; he and Maggie are too different and not good together. I am Team Marcus. He is patient with her, supportive of her, and just an all around good person.

[Alexandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more I read of this series, the harder it is to review. For the most part, it's a very entertaining cozy mystery: the characters are easy to relate to, Alt follows the general formula for cozy mysteries while working in an exploration of basic neo-Wicca, and the side plots are engaging enough to hold the reader's attention in their own right.

But there are also some problems: I really don't like love triangles and as a result I'm getting very tired of Maggie's. More time was spent on side plots than the main plot in this book and the resolution was very easy to see coming. And I am vehemently opposed to the way Maggie's family talks down to her, uses guilt and shame to force her to their will, and generally mistreats her...yet she repeatedly says "well, that's family" and their behavior is excused. I understand that a lot of people feel that way, but nobody is allowed to mistreat people in my family, family included. So I grate my teeth every time Alt pulls out the "you forgive family everything they do" excuse.

So all in all... it's a decent book with its flaws that may or may not be resolved in the coming books. I'm definitely sticking with the series and recommend it to people who like cozy mysteries.

[IAmTheHolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I really enjoyed this book. I’m not sure what draws me in with the magical stories other than it’s fascinating to watch others battle with dark and light in their life, however that manifests itself. I also see that while the beliefs may be different, what most belief systems really come down to is that battle between lightness and darkness and striving for the light to prevail. Another plot point I really enjoy in this series is that Maggie’s family lives in town, and Maggie struggles to find her own path as a young adult with her parents still nearby and her mom wanting to her to to follow in her footsteps and is greatly disappointed with these choices.

Overall, I’d give this book a 8 out of 10 for enjoyment and 4.5 out of 5 for readability. The book was really entertaining and again what I enjoy in a cozy mystery. A good mix of mystery with more to the storyline than just the mystery and a great escape from my 8-5 lifestyle watching Maggie pursue her passions. The book definitely kept me well interested which led to the ease of readability score. Off to read the next!

-Holly

For more of this review, visit: https://bedroopedbookworms.wordpress....

[Chris Meads · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's summer in Stony Mill, and there hasn't been any rain. Everyone is hot and the spirits are restless. Maggie is trying to work things out with Tom, but still has thoughts of Marcus (that kiss really got to her). But when her sister starts having problems with a nasty spirit, Maggie calls on Felicity and Marcus to help. Felicity goes with Maggie for a visit at Mel's (Maggie's sister) and on their way home, they take a short cut near the grain silos. An incident has happened there--a stuffed dummy has been found hanging from the highest silo.

Finally when the girls can leave, Maggie finds a little kitten who claims Maggie for her own. Then later, they find out that the owner of the grain silos has been killed. It appears he fell from the highest silo. They are not sure whether it is a accident or murder. In the meantime, Felicity and Marcus get rid of the nasty spirit at Mel's and Mel spills the beans that they are witches.

What happened to the fellow that was killed? Was it an accident? Who could have done such a deed and how was it pulled off? And will Maggie and Tom become an item? (I think she'd be better off with Marcus). Another great read about Maggie

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Maggie begins to help her sister, Mel, while Mel is bed-ridden for the last trimester of her pregnancy, she discovers that there are spirits in Mel's house. There's at least one that has revealed itself to her nieces, Maggie realizes that she better keep and eye on both girls. But the disturbing one is attached to Mel. Maggie reaches out to her boss, Liss, and other members of the N.I.G.H.T.S. ghost-hunting team, for their help.
Meanwhile, Maggie is dating Tom, a policeman who knows about her powers but is uneasy about them. She is also drawn to Marcus, a powerful witch who is Liss' friend and a member of the N.I.G.H.T.S. Maggie feels that she needs to give Tom a chance and doesn't believe in dating two men at the same time. I think that Liss and the readers are rooting for Marcus. He's much more interesting.
When the husband of one of Mel's friends is killed and Mel has revealed that Maggie and her boss are witches, that friend, Libby, asks for Maggie's help.
The mystery was good and suspenseful. The characters are well written. I enjoyed reading this very much and will happily seek out Alt's other books.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooh Maggie is in the thick of it again! Her sister is pregnant with her third child and has been put on bed rest, Mel and Maggie's mother is being run ragged and so Maggie starts to help out in the evenings after work. She discovers that although her sister's house is fairly new there are a couple of resident spirits, one really friendly to the two young daughters (and called Coco) and the other anything but! Now Maggie and some of the N.I.G.H.T.S (namely her boss Liss and her "I don't fancy him really ... no I don't" friend Marcus) need to get rid of it. This means outing themselves to Mel though - who is in the midst of gossip central!

One of Mel's friends though has her own problems which culminate in the death of her husband, the problem is most people think this is an accident, Maggie, Liss and surprisingly Tom (the police officer and maybe Maggie's boyfriend) don't agree - so now they want to find out the truth (oh and just for fun Maggie now has a kitten familiar!)

[Benita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoy reading this series by Madelyn Alt. Maggie is fun and her boss Liss is interesting. I love a good mystery and sprinkling in a little paranormal makes it even better. The story begins with Maggie helping her pregnant, bedridden sister Mel. Maggie meets some of sister’s friends while she is taking care of Mel and her two nieces. There are very active spirits causing problems in Mel’s house that Maggie, Liss, and Marcus have to attend to. Leaving Mel’s house, Maggie and Liss are blocked on the road by emergency crews. Set in Indiana farming country the latest mystery involves the owner of the largest local feed mill. His untimely death as a result from falling from the highest grain elevator is considered a terrible accident. But things don’t add up. Maggie unintentionally finds herself in the middle of the investigation because one of her sister’s friends is the dead man’s wife.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twenty-nine-year-old shop clerk, Maggie O'Neill, loves her job at Enchantments Antiques and Fine Gifts in small town Indiana. She is also learning a lot from her boss, Felicity Dow, who is a witch. Maggie has learned some things about herself recently, as well, mainly that she is an empath, meaning she can read and feel people's emotions around her. When Maggie's sister has an unwelcome visitor in the spiritual sense invade her home, Maggie, Felicity and Marcus (another witchy friend who would like to be more than just friends with Maggie) take care of the situation. There are also some strange events occurring at the local feed mill that Maggie and her quasi boyfriend, police officer, Tom Fielding, are looking into. Maggie is torn between pursuing a relationship with normal guy, Tom, who rarely has time for anything but his job, or dangerous looking, somewhat mysterious Marcus.

[Gabby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m giving it a 1.5 star because it has good moments, I think my main issue is (and it’s a big one that to finish the series I’m going to have to deal with) is the main character…Maggie is obnoxious 😩 She’s a push over and allows people to bully and guilt her into doing things, her family dynamic is horrible, her mother sounds like a miserable person, and I just can not get over the way she just tolerates it. I’m hoping she has a character arch, and sees herself as a more confident woman because if I have to hear her Mother guilt her into doing something or just being a judge mental bitter witch (no pun intended) I’m just gonna donate the rest of the series lmao. I’m sorry for the harshness, I’m sure plenty of people may relate or understand better her dynamic but I just can’t.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read #1 several years ago and I have no memory of it but I found in my stash of books more in the series; #2 and what I thought was #3. I finished #2 and was lukewarm about it. I started No Rest for the Wiccan as I thought it was next in the series, it is not. When I started it I right away discovered the disconnect. So I did a little research and discovered that I do not have #3 of the series. I decided not to continue reading No Rest for the Wiccan. I just do not like Maggie and the whole narrative style; something bugs me. The whole thing doesn't strike me as authentic, the storytelling seems forced to me. The books are going in the donate box.

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maggie, Liss, and Marcus are all great characters but sister Mel is a B I T C H! The things I didn't like about this book: Maggie being pressed into "service" to her bitchy little sister by Mom, Maggie keeps hoping for a relationship with Tom but that's obviously going nowhere (why do these mystery series writers keep putting in a cop/boyfriend when it's never going to pan out?), she brushes off Marcus who is clearly into her (but who can honestly see him as a husband/father?) and could have some fun, and now she has a cat to take care of. There were some humorous moments in the book, but not enough of them. And would someone please tell her to buy a new car!!!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this book 5 stars because I do enjoy the series but this is my least favorite installment in the series so far. Too much about pig slaughterhouses for a cozy mystery. The focus on Mel and her household was for me not really an enjoyable plot. Also hard to watch Maggie keep struggling with Tom. Minnie, the kitten, was the most enjoyable part of the book and glad to see she's going to stay around.

[Rebecca Gustafson · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is probably my least favorite of the books so far in terms of storyline. I felt as though the "mystery" aspect was a second thought, and wasn't entirely well developed throughout the entire book--everything comes together and happens all at the end of the book.

ALTHOUGH, Maggie gets her little kitten Minnie in this book, and I'm already in love.

[Elle Hartford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie is a very wry and funny narrator, and I love some of her friends. That said, I kind of hate her family . . . Maybe we're supposed to, or maybe I'm a little too sensitive, haha. But I really wanted her to be more upset with them. And her relationship dilemma should not be a dilemma! Overall, though, it's fun to see how she expands into her world and develops, and the mystery was engaging!

[Levia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love the books. The waffling on the guys Eh not so much. I do like gossip, but it has its place and some things just shouldn't be said especially without permission. I really hope there's more Marcus to come.

[Chels · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was fine. It did all that it was supposed to do for a cozy mystery and it was a vaguely fun read. I probably won't remember it in two months time though. Nothing about it stuck with me. It was merely just fine.

[Ewa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it would be nearly as good as the first one - the ghosts motive was really nice and although there was too much magic, it was going OK. However near the end it was over - main character's comments about pigs made me hate her and this book. not what I expected from a wiccan...

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is stuck between a cozy mystery and a light urban fantasy. There are ghosts and there is a murder but the two don't interact except through the main character. I liked it. There is no heavy lifting here but it is a good beach read.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very delightful light romance. A bit of a mystery, a kitten, two men and a Wiccan who saves the day and solves the mystery. Good read. Will follow the series.

[Aki · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to come. I need to think about this one

[Alane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hoped for some more clever, Wiccan details since I knew quite a few practitioners when young. This fell short on the characters but was still a fun and different read.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

[Lynnette E Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spell Binding Read

I thoroughly enjoy this series of books. It holds your attention and leaves you wanting more of the story after each book.

[Melissa Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh why. Only a few more to go.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a new favorite character in this series. Mini Minx, kitten extraordinaire!