The Old Witcheroo

Witchless in Seattle #4

by Dakota Cassidy, Hollie Jackson (Narrator)

Listening Length: 5 hours, 54 minutes

Ebenezer Falls, Washington…a sleepy burg or murder central?

The game is afoot...again, as amateur sleuth Stevie Cartwright plunges head first into another murder investigation. With twists, turns, and suspects aplenty, this one will keep you guessing from start to finish.

USA Today bestselling cozy mystery author Dakota Cassidy serves up mayhem and murder in The Old Witcheroo, Book 4 of her bestselling series, Witchless in Seattle Mysteries.

Just when you think you know your one-time International Man of Mystery turned ghostly confidant…

When last we met, dear friends, a man had come calling, claiming to be Crispin Alistair Winterbottom, my dead British ex-spy. A notion I'd find ludicrous, if the handsome imposter didn't, in fact, look exactly like my dead British ex-spy. But there's no time for that mystery when a quiet walk on our private stretch of beach turns up something far more pressing—another tragedy in my beloved small Washington town.

That's right. I, Stevie Cartwright, ex-witch turned amateur sleuth, have stumbled upon another murder. But this time it's closer to home, more personal, a victim who'd touched the hearts of so many in Ebenezer Falls, young and old. In fact, there's only thing more surprising than the victim…

The good man who's become the number one suspect.

Along with my Spy Guy Win, my bat familiar Belfry, our rescue dog Whiskey, and even an unexpected new friend or two, I'm jumping back into my Sherlock shoes to catch the cleverest killer yet!

This cozy mystery has a complete cast of oddball characters from witches to ghosts and bats to psychics. Witchless In Seattle Mysteries is a spin-off of Dakota Cassidy's bestselling paranormal romance series, A Paris, Texas Romance.

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Cozy Mystery, Fantasy, Audiobook, Witches, Romance

Audible Audio

First published August 3, 2016

About the author

Dakota Cassidy is a national bestselling author with over thirty books. She writes laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, grab-some-ice erotic romance, hot and sexy alpha males, paranormal shifters, contemporary kick-ass women, and more.

Invited by Bravo TV, Dakota was the Bravoholic for a week, wherein she snarked the hell out of all the Bravo shows. She received a starred review from Publisher Weekly for Talk Dirty to Me, won an RT Reviewers Choice Award for Kiss and Hell, along with many review site recommended reads and reviewer top pick awards.

Dakota lives in the gorgeous state of Oregon with her real life hero and her dogs, and she loves hearing from readers!

Connect with Dakota online: https://twitter.com/DakotaCassidy https://www.facebook.com/DakotaCassid...

Join Dakota Cassidy’s Newsletter The Tiara Diaries! Join here: http://mad.ly/signups/100255/join

Reviews

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Old Witcheroo had me laughing, looking for clues, and dropping my jaw over a few ARC reveals.

Cassidy has created such a fun cast of characters from our main characters to secondary ones like those in law enforcement. The series has a lot of elements cozy mystery readers will love, adding in paranormal aspects, a touch of magic and loads of humor. While each book focuses on a new murder mystery the overall ARC, and a few storylines progress with each book. For that reason, I recommend reading them in the order of their release.

Stevie finds a body on her beach, that of a woman loved by the town and in particular one of her dare, I say friends. Her friend becomes the main suspect and Stevie is determined to clear their name. Of course, snooping puts her in peril. To complicate matters, the man claiming to be Crispin Alistair Winterbottom, (as in her dead British spy) arrives in town demanding that she vacate. The gang has a house guest an ex-spy and enemy of Winterbottom. I loved this new edition and hope they continue to be a part of the series.

The case was filled with plenty of suspense and twists. Stevie is beginning to listen to her gut feelings as she dons her Sherlock shoes. The thread regarding the man claiming to be Winterbottom kept me anxiously listening for additional tidbits. We did have a rather shocking event occur, but I will leave you to discover that one for yourselves.

Audio provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Stormi (StormReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three left me with a little cliffhanger as someone introduces themselves as Winterbottom, and looks exactly like the picture that Stevie had seen of her spy guy ghost. So I had to dive into this one and see what was going on.

Not only does Stevie have to figure out who this imposter is but she has found another body and it’s someone she knows and really liked. She was also the girlfriend of Dana Nelson, the cop that she loves to tease and be mad at. She knows he is a good cop and that he wouldn’t kill his girlfriend but all the clues leads to him so Stevie once again must find out what is going on.

Didn’t see the ending coming on this one as to who the bad guy was and I was a little shocked which makes it a lot of fun.

In this one, we get a new cast member as Stevie is sort of getting some of her witchy powers back and can hear more dead people in her ear. It just happens to be one of Win’s rivals a Russian spy that wants someone to talk to and so now she has two spies watching her back.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars... I don't think I have read one of these books yet where I haven't laughed myself to tears... The antics, attitude, and wit of one Ms. Stevie Cartwright have me rolling... Wrapped in all that laughter, however, is a solid mystery with a dash of romance a touch of paranormal and a whole lot of heart... Everything about this series grips me and entices me to come back for more... The author also leaves a small cliffhanger that revolves around the overarching plot and brings the intrigue to a new level... I look forward each and every time to these fantastic reads and being able to sleuth with Stevie and the gang:)

[~~~Sue~~~ O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still love this series! I am on pins and needs wondering whats next!

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Old Witcheroo by Dakota Cassidy

4th in the Witchless in Seattle mystery series, Stephania is once again bumbling her way to solving a murder in her home town. Reading the series in order is suggested.

Well meaning and soft hearted, Stevie, her familiar and tag along ghosts work through the mystery eliminating people simply because she likes them. A hint of a romantic future.
The group is a cute team and the logic and mishaps are often chuckle worthy. I'm enjoying this light-hearted mystery series and will absolutely read the next.

[Anne G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series and book 4 did not disappoint. Two mysteries, who is the imposter that was introduced at the end of book 3 and who murdered the popular librarian. And as usual Stevie needed to solve the murder, at least this time she was not a suspect (for long). It kept me guessing until the end. As to the imposter, we now know who he is but that leaves more questions, which hopefully will be answered in book 5.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite one thus far!

[Sandee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun series. Stevie, with her friendly ghosts and pets continue to get involved in the mysteries of Ebenezer Falls. I found this murder mystery especially tragic. Fortunately Dakota brought in enough fun to offset it somewhat. Once again, a good mystery, lots of action, lovable characters and the paranormal.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like cozy mysteries as palate cleansers. I also had enjoyed the previous books in the series, but this one just wasn't good & I'm now going to stop reading the whole thing. Here's why:

1. The inclusion of a Russian spy & his exaggerated/belabored use of "Russian" endearments was horribly over the top. The caricature also comes across as borderline prejudicial. And it looks like the character's now here to stay in the series. Blech.

2. The appalling overuse of trite & hackneyed expressions. Just a few examples: "How do you like them apples," "shop till you drop," & "my nose should have it's own zip code."

3. Repeated phrases again & again such as "there's that hindsight again" & calling Win an "international man of mystery".

4. The whole doppelganger thing was just silly. He comes in randomly at the beginning & they aren't curious enough to investigate him even though they love mysteries? And then having him be Win's family member is just weird.

Side note: My library only had this in audiobook form & that made it worse. The narrator is good & I like her main character voice, but the bat's voice is just annoying & hearing all of those "Russian" endearments was exhausting.

So I'm done.

[Berls · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably one of my favorites so far in the series. First of all, one of the characters that hasn't had the best relationship with Stevie ends up coming to her for help and I loved the way that begins to change their relationship. There's also a couple very anxious moments that had me on the edge of my seat in a way other books so far haven't. And as always with this series I laughed a lot. AND there was one BIG development that has me very excited for where the series could potentially go.

Beyond that, mostly I have a lot of the same things to say - great characters, fun mystery, lots of laughter and I am binge reading away :)

[Lyn Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

OOOH! AAAGH! OOOOOOW! GGGGGGGGR!

So many emotions, so many laughs, so many bruises. Who would have thought talking to ghosts could be so painful. Once again Dakota doesn't dissapoint on the laughs even if she does leave us hanging.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful fourth book in a humorous, paranormal, mystery series with an excellent audiobook narration

This series absolutely cannot be read out of order. But who would want to? I am devouring this whole series in one big gulp, one after the other. So it wasn’t a problem for me that Book 3 in this terrific series ended in a bit of a cliffhanger. A man showed up threatening to take away the mansion and pots of money willed to Stevie by her BFF, the dead British spy Win, whose name in life was Crispin Alistair Winterbottom. The man looked exactly like a picture Stevie has of Win and claims to be Win. Stevie and Win are flummoxed. How is that possible? Did he have plastic surgery?

Before Stevie can recover from her shock at this worrisome event, another dead body turns up. This time the dead person is lying in a rowboat that Stevie owns and is on the private beach next to her mansion. Stevie is heartbroken that it is a woman she knew well, the beloved local librarian. But worse even than that, the evidence points to an upright local policeman whom Stevie has grown quite fond of over the course of investigating three different murders and saving his life. To her surprise, the policeman, who was in love with the librarian, begs Stevie to use her successful detective skills to track down the real killer and prove him innocent. And so it is that, once again, amateur sleuth supreme, Stevie, is on the case—with a whole lot of useful help (and frequent pushy interference) from her Spy Guy Win, her adorable bat familiar Belfry, their beloved rescue dog Whiskey, and an unexpected, hilarious new ghost friend.

Dakota Cassidy has delivered yet another winner in this outstanding series. Stevie never gives up once she commits to solving a murder. Win is as supportive and witty as ever. Whiskey and Belfry have hugely important parts to play. And the new ghost companion is a rib-tickling addition to this colorful crew.

All in all, this is a another exciting, and frequently very funny, paranormal murder mystery with a very unexpected evil villain for Stevie to overcome. She has continued her “mini-spy” training in fitness and self-defense with Win and, as always, when the terrifying fight for her life in the climax comes, Win is there to coach her to victory.

The audiobook version that I listened to is narrated by the same excellent voice talent as the first three books, Hollie Jackson, who narrates the entire series, and is a joy to listen to.

[Imjussayin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Old Witcheroo: Witchless In Seattle Book 4
Read in chronological order for the best enjoyment.

The Protagonist: Stevie Cartwright is a former witch. She has had her powers slapped out of her. Literally. Stevie is funny, feisty, self-deprecating smart and charming. Did I mention nosey?

The Plot: Ex-witch turned amateur sleuth, Stevie has stumbled upon another body: that of Sophia Fleming, beloved town librarian and inamorata of Officer Nelson. Sophia has been murdered, and Officer Nelson is in the frame. Instead of telling Stevie to butt out, he is asking for help. And of course, Stevie has the unfinished business of her late Benefactor Alister Winterbottom, come back to life aka Fakebottom to reclaim his fortune, to deal with.

As usual, well written and highly entertaining. This book is funny, touching, I say Whiskey and no more, and cleverly written. There is a strong supporting cast of characters. Each with sufficient space and detail for them to become touchable.

The only reason I dragged out this book was that I did not want it to finish. But I have the next one in the series, so I am off.

A highly recommended read for cosy lovers (or not). What are you waiting for?

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Book Rating

Sexual Content: U
Language: U
Violent: U
Would I read the next one or reread ?: Started it already.

My rating system (* = star)
0* Could not finish this book (waste of time)
1* Finished the book but didn't like it.
2* Finished the book it was okay.
3* A good read worth your time.
4* An excellent read often with a novel concept or unusual plot.
5* A magnificent read. A prominent example of the genre.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this - it has become one of my favourite series' and go-to for audio book series I can count on for cozy fun!

Stevie just can't seem to catch a break, or have a quiet month it seems. In addition to dealing with a dead-ringer for Winterbottom [see what I did there?! Ha!] who says he's the real guy, and wants Stevie's house and money back, she once again ends up in the middle of a murder, and this time it's really close to home and personal.

This series is just really good fun! The author writes great characters and includes plenty of humour and snark into the story, but also manages to continue evolving her characters in ways that keep this series clever and fresh and entertaining book to book. I haven't been bored a single moment in all the books I've read in this series. They are light and easy to read, but the mystery is always well-conceived and interesting. I will definitely keep reading Stevie et al's continued adventures!

[🐥Erica 🐥 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed this series. This book, though? Not so much. I found it unrealistically, melodramatically, sappy. The murderee (is that word?) has been in town 8 months. And yet. Our charming, witty heroine gets teary eyed quite a few times thinking about her. She is referred to, and I cannot recall the wording verbatim, as 'one of the most, significant? important? maybe instrumental?, members of the community. They also hold a candlelight vigil for our murderee (nod to spellchecker) The murderee (nod) is a librarian. As an avid reader I love libraries, but this was simply NOT realistic. Also, two books ago, our heroine derides another character for shortening Ebenezer Falls to Eb Falls, and yet in this book? our heroine used Eb Falls several times. I could add at least one more issue with this book but I'll stop. It's been an enjoyable series and hopefully this book was a fluke. I did love the addition of Arkady though.

[Ka'Lynn Paz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book four in this series and I've got to say I'm not as impressed with this one compared to the others in the series.

Although the story wasn't predictable which a big pluses when it comes to these books i will say the plot line tends to be the same in every book.
Stevie has a murder in town- she tries to solve it- had bad guy trying to kill her- gets saved by the hairs of her chin. Pure luck- cliff hanger ending.

And even though this book has romance in it, i would say it's incredibly far from a romantic read. More of a friendship read. With no plot answers by the way. I feel like we are NEVER going to know all of Wins secrets let alone see his and Stevie's relationship progress.

It's not that it's a bad series or bad writing it's just not captivating enough to be a series you want to binge read. Which is sad in my opinion because it has alot going for it in terms of comedy and character interaction.

[A.A.B · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25*s or thereabouts — slightly better than the previous book in the series, but nowhere near as enjoyable as the first two books in the series.

The mystery is both sad and ridiculous in its far fetched and unreasonable resolution, but then I am not reading these books in search of realism, so I wouldn't have minded the ridiculousness had it not been combined with the sadness.

The other shenanigans, which should be adding fun, whimsy, entertainment and warmth to the story felt rather rote and stale in this book. The attempt to make a random collection of questionably used Russian endearment terms sound like fun didn't do it for me. The new character spouting them is more annoying than entertaining and, "I'm sorry, the position of annoying talking animal has already been taken" in this series. Instead of improving the series, this addition is adding another drag on it.

If this trend continues in the next book, it might be time to give up on the series, which would be very sad for me — I was looking forward to it brightening up my October this year.

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues to be possibly my favorite kind of cozy mystery - minimal melodrama, adorable friendships, and crazy shenanigans. Even the mystery keeps me guessing a little, where as in most other mysteries I can usually guess Who Dunnit within the first chapter or two. I am a little annoyed at the general incompetence of 90% of the police force, which is what allows the protagonists to so effectively stick her nose into things and solve mysteries with zero training or authority, but since there the case with most Cozy Mysteries, it's easy enough to look past.

[Debi Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Good!!

The Old Witcheroo by Dakota Cassidy is the 4th in the Witchless in Seattle series!

I can't seem to get enough of this series! These books and stories are absolutely a blast! The humor is some of the best ever in my opinion, dry, sarcastic and pop culture.... it's fantastic!

I'm addicted to these books and can't wait for the next! The narration by Hollie Jackson is perfect!!!!

[Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow yet another amazing ride

Ok it’s really annoying when life gets in the way of you reading a gem like this argh food, driving & working its really irritating you can just put even tho g on pause and submerge yourself in this wonderful tale but I did kill anyone so all good wouldn’t want Stevie investigating me lol so can’t stop need to start next book before sleep interferes 🤨

[Hsu Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winterbottom in the flesh, how is that possible!
He must be an imposter. Must be.
Another mystery for Stevie to solve.
Meanwhile, someone died + she is Dana's girlfriend.
Dana is he police office that likes to give Stevie a hard time.
Nobody panic.
Stevie is going to solve this case, of course.
Not doubt about it.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Stevie, Win, Bel and Whiskey are at it again. Another mystery or two to solve! I love the humor and the mystery but I love the relationship between Win and Stevie! There is a new character to the list and Stevie has a new protector. Someone from Win's past shows up and we learn more about Win's past. I recommend this book to all!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this one was a good effort. I like the way the stores are going (except for faux Bottom.. but hey, what can you do. I actually figured it was someone from the station, but wasn't sure whom. Have to continue, to see what happens next! I do like the audio version of this series. I like the way Holly Jackson does the different voices.

[Joy Ki`Ili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right in plain site

Murder and this time it's someone we know. What we don't know keeps us guessing all the way to the end. But the after effects are gut wrenching because there was a budding romance snipped short. Our team does their thing and justice is served, it just seems tragic this time.

[Emilye · Rating 5 out of 5]

WitchlessSeattle4 (Hollie Johnson, narrator)

A second spy in her ear, an annoying imposter, and flying bullets. Seems like business as usual for our Stevie.

So does the near death encounter with a table, a boot, and the trunk of a car.

But, finding out who set up one of her favorite detectives for a murder fall? That tea gets her blood boiling.

[Janet Armentani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerless witch, spirit from the other side and a doppleganger..oh my! And to add a twist, another murder to solve!!!! Poor Stevie, just can't catch a break....especially after a super hot man appears claiming to be her spy-guy! Another great chapter in the Witchless in Seattle series!!!!

[Dianne Barskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can Stevie catch a break? Is it really Winterbottom that shows up at her door? Will she solve the latest murder in Ebenezer Falls? You just have to read this book to find out. The twists and turns continue to keep your attention throughout the series.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

So much fun reading this series. Although it did make me cry a few times. This is the fourth book I've read in the series in 2 days. Well worth the book hangover I now have. Fast paced and never boring. I truly love this series.

[Kez Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m getting through these fast. They aren’t particularly short but I love the story and I can’t put them down. There is more depth to the characters and story with each one. I’d suggest reading them in order to enjoy them.

[Mary Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love this series

Win, Stevie, Bel ,Whiskey and all the other characters are great. So much fun and great story line. BRAVO! I can't wait to read more.