In Not-So-Normal Town, strange things are happening. Turmoil, murder, and cookie jar spirits are turning the paranormal world upside down. Katy can’t help digging for clues when Miss Priss turns up dead at the local bowling alley. Too bad her magic is rusty. She’s having a spell of a time finding answers. Magic is only good when you remember how to use it.
Teaming up with her best friend, Katy hopes to reveal the truth before it’s too late. With an itch to become a better witch, she knows she’ll need to brush up on her skills, but with no time to spare, she needs to find answers before the killer strikes again.
Sand-Witch on Rye is the first book in The Soup and Sand-Witch Cozy Mystery series, and offers a family-friendly read with no foul language.
Ok, so this was supposed to be a witch book but since there was one spell cast and the need for the witches to go back to school because they’d forgotten how to “spell” anything it wasn’t much about witches. Someone referred to another about being a witch but that was about it.
There was a spirit, Alex, that lived in a cookie jar and a cat, named Fritz, who took out the bad guy with his ninja skills, who was also a spy for the government and got fired.
I thought the main women were in their 20’s since their chats were so silly and juvenile but they were actually in their 40’s. The only one who had a bit of sense was Chip, Katy’s husband, who was also the police chief.
The whole story was about who killed Miss Priss but even that turned out to be convoluted and silly. I can’t see myself reading this author again. Though, I’d give this author kudos for NOT writing in the first person.
Katy is a witch who's married to a "normal". Her shop straddles the boundary between Normal Town and Not-So-Normal Town, where the supernaturals tend to congregate. Katy runs the shop, which is home to a cookie jar spirit, and her husband is the chief of police. When the town harridan, Crystal Priss, is murdered at the bowling alley, Katy and her BFF Eve are suspects, because they catered the event and had a special sandwich set aside for Crystal. Determined to clear their names, the two of them launch their own inept investigation, much to the dismay of Katy's husband, Chip.
In a word, amateurish, and I'm not talking about the sleuthing. Plot was not cohesive, characters were not fleshed-out, and the murder mystery was a yawner. I did like Katy's cat, Fritz, although he didn't put in an appearance until late in the story. SPaG was okay, but the writing just did not flow smoothly. I guess if you're looking for an afternoon or evening of mindless entertainment, it may be worth your while to read.
It wasn't completely awful, so I'll give it two stars.
As Katy and Eve are getting older, they begin to realize they've left their magic roots behind them. Perhaps it's time to brush up a little. No time like the present, until someone ends up dead. Now it's up to Katy and Eve to solve the mystery, not because they are detectives, but because they're the ones who made the sandwich which may or may not have killed the victim. To make matters worse, Katy's husband is the Chief of police, and he's beginning to wonder what his wife and her best friend know about the death.
Katy and Eve soon find themselves over their heads with lies, mystery and a killer on the loose.
This is certainly a cute litte book, but it's not perfect. I found a few grammar errors within the text. I also found the writing to be choppy in places. I find that "Normal Town" and "Not-So-Normal Town" are not very creative names, nor does the author provide any backstory to them. Nevertheless, unraveling the mystery with two witches was definitely fun.
I never read a book like this before were you had half of this town Normal People and the other half of the town is NOT - SO - NORMAL PEOPLE. The Town came a long way they saw each other, now they are marrying each other. When bowling turns out deadly and the towns worst not nice person is found dead on the ladies bathroom floor it is up Katy Wallace and her friends the work in the Deli Katy runs to find the killer. With her husband the Chief of Police on the case things start to get dicey between Chief and wife and best friends and friends trying to find the killer before one of them hose to jail for the crime.
This was a pretty short read on my Kindle. There is Normal Town, and then there is Not So Normal Town. As time passes, people have adapted to the fact that there are witches, and the two towns have sort of adopted each other. In this book, Katie owns a sandwich shop, and is in charge of making sandwiches for bowling league night. An unpopular woman, Miss Priss eats one and dies. The book is mainly about Katie and friends butting in to her police chiefs husbands job, trying to keep the blame form falling on her.
Katy and Eve are best friends and witches. Katy runs a deli and this is where we meet most of the people in this book first. Then a mysterious murder takes place at the bowling alley. Then it seems to turn into a free-for-all as to who can solve this murder first. It was an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading the rest of this series.
Katy and Eve aren't having a great week, Crystal is murdered in the bowling alley but it looks like Katy and Eve are the only ones with opportunities to have done it. Before they end up in jail the witchy ladies need to solve this murder mystery and fast. This is a great little cozey mystery that keeps you guessing right to the very end. ☺
This is a very enjoyable read. The characters really draw you in the storyline. Plots are funny and fills of twists and turns. You aren't sure who did until the end. You will love the cat and Alex
I chose a 4 star rating as I really enjoyed this book, it was entertaining from start to finish, a must read for any reader who likes to be entertained
How can you not like this book when the town's name is Not-so-Normal! Katy is the wife of the police chief who is not a witch, as her best friend finds the body of a friend Katy is involved in solving as it may reflect on her sandwich shop. A good weekend book when you are snowed in.
It was a cute cozy mystery, but not as entertaining as I thought it would be. I started reading it and then put it down to come back to later to finish, so it didn't really hold my attention for long.
I had a good time reading this murder mystery. It involves cute characters in a storyline with plenty of twists to keep you guessing. No sex or language and very little violence
Not much witchcraft but a very entertaining well told mystery. I enjoyed this book very much and would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a light entertaining story to curl up with.
A “Karen” - like neighbor ends up dead during bowling night. Two witch friends investigate who could it be. The killer was someone that was close to one of the friend’s . What was the motive and why was the nasty deed done.
Extremely boring to read. Dropped it once I was at 15%. Large character numbers. Badly introduced. Extremely confusing. Do not recommend. I love cozy mysteries but there is nothing cozy about this.
This is a delightful, although a bit fantastic, murder mystery with such crazy characters and silly antics that it is charming. I enjoyed this one a great deal, and had a hard time putting it down.
This was a fun, short cozy mystery. It is a pretty light read even though someone dies. Enjoyable read when you need something that doesn't require much thought.
Entertaining book, although I read it under another name. Magic Bites. I bought the second one and hope to get some more insight into some of the side characters.
Should have been a great read. Ghosts, magic and the murder of the least likeable female in the town. However it really just didn't gel. The characters were off, the magic non existent and the plot was really too easy to solve. Perhaps it was just me but I felt that it could have had a few more twists, red herrings and more likeable characters. Shame as the description didn't live up to the book.
Ms. Dox has combined the caricature mode of the cozy with that of the humorous witch. This is an example of an author using current reading trends to try to engage an audience. She has used every clichéd situation, assassinated every characteristic of mystery and bored the heck out of me. 232