Elizabeth Sutton has moved back to her sleepy hometown in the English countryside and worries that her exciting days are behind her. She couldn’t be more wrong.
Her work as a reporter for the town’s newspaper rarely involves covering a big story, so when she is sent to take notes at a local meeting about proposed building work she thinks it will be just like any other. All she has to do is keep her head down and avoid eye-contact with her ex – the town police sergeant.
A wild group of protesters outside the town hall are shouting so loudly that Liz can barely hear what anyone is saying, some are angrier than others, and when they burst through the doors everyone scatters. Embarrassingly, her parents are among the mob.
In the days that follow, everything Liz thinks she knows about her town proves false. Black Bridge isn’t quite so sleepy after all.
Tripping over a dead body is sure to shake anyone to the core, but strange events keep following her and Liz is beginning to think that some old legends might be based on truth. Could this place really be an old hideout for witches on the run? Surely not…
Curiosity Killed the Witch is the first book in An English Enchantment Witch Mystery series.
Mara Webb graduated from a child with a vivid imagination and a love of all things magic, to a professional writer. Mara writes cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist, and delights in concocting new and unusual ways to murder characters in her books.
Elizabeth Sutton has moved back home and is stuck working at her parent’s sandwich shop. Her mother sits in the corner reading her magazines while Liz does the work. When she finally got out of there, she joined her friends as they played Truth or Dare and ate pizza. But she was called away by David Dawson, whom no one seemed to like, to talk about an article for the the town’s newspaper, The Herald. He asked her to cover for a reporter whose cat is sick, and they doubted he even had a cat, to attend a townhall meeting about selling some property.
Liz went home to go through the information David emailed her. She turned on the kettle for tea and went upstairs to her room to get the charger cord for her computer. She could swear the bed had been unmade, yet it was perfect. She went back downstairs to the kitchen where she had left a sink of dirty dishes – but the kitchen was spotless! She plugged the computer in and turned back to make a cup of tea, but it was sitting on the counter waiting for her! Was she going crazy?
Loud noise woke her on a Saturday and she went to see what was going on with a garbage truck that was causing a line of traffic to form. She could maybe write something up for the newspaper. She was imagining the waste disposal guys opening up a suspicious bag that had been left at the side of the road, only to find body parts in it. But all it turned out to be was that some idiot had parked his car illegally on the double yellow lines outside the coffee shop and the garbage truck could not get by. She looked in the coffee shop window and saw the handsome customer who had come into the sandwich shop the day before when she squirted ketchup all over herself and had to run to the back room to wash. So she went back home.
Police officer James Webster, Liz’s ex-boyfriend, was called to the scene of a train hitting a car and Lionel Basset, who had been trying to buy the “green belt” land that the protesters were fighting for, was dead. Liz told James that the man had been dead for hours, the train didn’t kill him, but someone else did. Liz said she saw the car before the train came and he was definitely in the passenger set. The impact rolled the car, but someone else had driven the car onto the tracks then left, most likely the same person that killed him.
Liz never realized she is a witch descended from a long line a witches, and her town is actually a sort of hideout for witches on the run. Needless to say, she is shocked to learn this. Will all of these things converge to help her find the solution to why the green belt must be protected and never sold? Will she ever get back together with James, even with Victoria now in the picture to keep them apart? Grab your copy and put all the clues together as everyone turns to Liz to fix things and sort everything out. There is lots of information to process here. Get in on this first book in this new series and get to know everybody.
This is book one of the English Enchantment Witch Mystery series and the main character is Liz Sutton, who left the town of Black Bridge to follow her dream of becoming a journalist. Unfortunately, her job was actually an unpaid internship and there was no hope of her ever being given a paid position. When she found that out, he had to return to her home town and move into her grandparent’s house, whilst they were away on a spate of cruises. She had left behind the love of her life James Webster, as he didn’t want to move to London, and has avoided him completely since she returned. She has to work in her parent’s restaurant and gets the occasional job from the local newspaper, both badly paid. She is called to attend a meeting at the local town hall about the purchase of all the green belt land around the town by a foreign company. Lots of locals are up in arms about this, expecting loads of housing to be built, against the local’s wishes completely and without any consultation! Her parents are part of this protest and her mother is the loudest one there, which is quite embarrassing. The handsome man Liz had seen in town a couple of times already, turns out to be part of the company vying to purchase the land. A local councillor is thought to have already signed away the land, to get himself a huge payout! Liz has to try and be objective and not take either sides, to report the chaos that occurs before the meeting gets cancelled. That isn’t the end of her reporting, as she spots a car stalled on the railway track, just as a train comes through! Something very strange happens around Liz and she thinks she must have imagined it! A murder has occurred and this brings Liz close up and in contact with James, who is a police officer, but this causes issues with his current and needy girlfriend who believes he has gone back to his old love! An old legend about the town being a hideout for witches has more to bring to the story than Liz knows and her gran has to come and tell her the truth of her situation and how important her role is in saving the green belt. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Curiosity Killed the Witch by Mara Webb is the first in the "English Enchantment" series, featuring journalist Elizabeth Sutton.
When her dreams of an exciting career in London fall apart, Liz returns home to the small town of Black Bridge in the English countryside. There, she does part-time work for the local paper, helps out in her parents' diner, and lives in her grandmother's house while her grandmother is off globe-trotting. The most excitement in Liz's life is trying to avoid her ex-boyfriend, policeman James Webster. Things get more interesting, however, when a development company rolls into town, wanting to convert the town green to condos and shopping malls. Most of the townsfolk are dead set against it. It's not until one of the company's representatives is murdered, however, that Liz realizes why so many people don't want the new development. Black Bridge was once a safe haven for witches, most of whom are buried in the area of the green, and Liz learns that she is a witch, too. It's all a bit much to take, but with her journalistic sense and her new magical powers, she just may be able to help solve the murder and save the town.
Although this story had many of the same elements as other Mara Webb books (woman learns she's a witch, has a talking black cat for a familiar, has more than one love interest), it differed enough so as not to annoy me. Aside from that, it was hilarious! I loved Liz's wry wit. The plot moved at a steady pace, characterizations were good, and the dialogue was delightful. Editing needed polish, but I was able to overlook it. Very good, and I'd definitely read more in the series. Four stars.
Great Start to a Wonderful Witch Mystery Series!!!
Elizabeth Sutton moved back to Blackbridge her hometown in the English countryside that she though it would be a sleepy town but it turned out to be far more exciting than she expected. Then there was protesters outside the town hall, a dead body and strange things started happening around her. Is Blackbridge really a hideout for witches on the run???
I really enjoy this book, it's a fun, fast-paced, paranormal cozy mystery, good story line with delightful characters full of mystery, suspense, action, humor, and romance that keeps you entertained while trying to figure out the mystery and murder. It is a real page turner and is very hard to put down. The story kept me interested from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book to any cozy mystery fans. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is an entertaining supernatural cozy mystery series. A fun cast of characters in an entertaining storyline. A young woman leaves her small town in English countryside and move to London to chase your dream of being a journalist. After a while her dream is crushed in the paper she works for is downsizing and having financial difficulties. She moves back home goes to work in her parents sandwich shop and try to move on with life. Soon weird things begin to happen but she is a back home among old friends and family. Read on and find out what new adventures await her.Entertaining supernatural cozy mystery series
Liz Sutton finds out that she is a witch at close to 30 years, when she moves back to her hometown. For some reason her mother always avoided to tell her, that her family has a long history of wiches. But now she is suddenly in high demand, as the coven demands that she do something against a developing company, who wants to buy the green belt around their smal hamlet. When a man working for that company is found dead, she and her ex-boyfriend, a police detective, have their work cut out. A nice cozy mystery, a well-balanced story, blending paranormal, mystery and romance into an entertaining mix. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Our heroine may think she is moving to a sleepy old town, but events will quickly conspire to change that preconception.
This is book one of the series, so a good place to start.
This is a cozy witch mystery with an English country setting. The story is well written and easy to read with a heavy dose of mystery and intrigue. The characters are well developed and provide a nice air of mystery as well as a good bit of humor. The mystery is also a good one with enough twists and turns to keep the reader entertained. Overall, a good start to a series and I look forward to seeing more.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.
Sometimes you know you're going to love a book within the first few pages and that was me with Curiosity Killed the Witch. As soon as Liz began with her sarcastic, witty inner voice I was hooked. The mystery itself was a real head-scratcher that had me guessing till the end. All the characters were loads of fun (Liz's mom!), the setting was great (there's just something about murder mysteries in quaint English villages!) and the whole book was well written. I very much look forward to the next in the series because I think this one has tons of potential.
Liz is back home from London after a downsizing canceled her job. Looking for things to write about in the local paper, she thought she lived in a sleepy little town, but in a short time it all changed. The characters are starting to develop nicely. The storyline had drama, mystery, suspense, murder, a cat and unease around her ex, the police chief. History of the town and her family is bringing in some good backstories. Can not wait to read the next book in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved this new series. This has so many twist, turns and who dunnit? Why? How? With friends, frenimes, allies and enemies. You also discovered that you are a Witch, not the one that starts with a B, the one that starts with a W! Now you have no clue how to use it, but wait a minute someone has some "splaining, to do Lucy!!" Talk about, learning by the seat of your pants. If that not enough, you are thrown in to the mess with your Ex-high school boyfriend, and have to unravle a plot, who set this up this mess! This is a must read! I can't wait for thr next book!
Well, the title says it all. A delightful new series is born. You can already see some of the setting up for a decent series and characters are quite lovely. It has a good flow, a well thought out plot (though I will admit the bad guy was obvious before too long) and some interesting dynamics with the MC, her friends and especially her family. It was a fun read and I love the sass and snark of Pepper. You'll see!
Liz efy her boyfriend and moved to London to try her hand at being a journalist. When that fell through she moved back home and found put she was descended from a long line a witches. Then she ends up helping solve a murder with her old boyfriend who has a new girlfriend who is jealous of Liz. It was a good start on a new series. I enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Any books by Sara Webb, shame you!! You don't know what you are missing. Her books are totally awesome!! It doesn't matter which one of her series you read, you will be enchanted. When I see a book by Mara, I never hesitate to grab it. Once I begin reading, I don't put it down until I've finished!! You can't possibly go wrong!! This book held my attention, until the end.
I almost stopped reading because my first impression was that the main character was much younger than her actual age. It took why too long for anyone to explain to her what she should have been told at a much younger age. Also the story line really doesn’t go with the title. I finished it because I wanted to know who the killer was and how they caught him but even that was a let down for m
For a first run it was fun and interesting. Its a little different from the other books I have read, characters are similar but different. I have no idea where this is going but I believe it could be a fun ride. I will go on to the next book and see how it progresses. It takes place in England so there are some interesting places. I'm not usually taken in by books written in other countries, but so far, I am reading more of this series. We'll see.
A great read, I loved it! Liz doesn’t realize she’s a witch, and her town has more going on in it than she thought, a hideout for witches on the run? Just a super interesting story! From one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait for the next book! I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Such a wonderful, exciting cozy mystery. Liz moves back to her home town and finds out that she is a witch. And is from a long line of witches. A wonderful beginning to a new series...loved reading this awesome book and highly recommend...
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!! It was light on the romance department, which is what I like. And focused more on the primary drama of what was happening in the town and then the unfolding of Elizabeth finding out who and what she is. I really like the storyline and I really like the characters!! I can’t wait to read the next book!!
Super quick read with a mediocre mystery. Read if you need something to occupy yourself with, but wouldn't go out of my way for this one. Expected more from this prolific author to be honest.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What a fantastic story, great characters, great storyline. This book has everything, murder, suspense, laughter and finding out that you are not only a part time cafe worker/ part time journalist, your also a baby witch.
A nice cosy mystery, well paced with interesting characters. I'm curious about the town and its history. Some parts didn't feel authentically British to me but that might be me. Otherwise good fun and worth the time.
This is an enjoyable read. I enjoy witchie stories and this wasn't a disappointment. The characters were funny and it was lighthearted. I you like paranormal books that keep you laughing try this out.
I really enjoyed this first book of a new series! The characters were really fun and interesting. The magic and the mystery were intriguing. I did not guess the outcome at all!
I love books about women discovering they are witches, and this hit the spot! I look forward to reading more about Lizzie and her new found witch skills. And I can’t wait to read more about how Pepper gets on with living with a newbie witch!
This book was so fun! I wasn't sure the outcome. The characters were real and you wanted everything to right for them. On to the next book in the series. I can't wait.
This was a fun, easy read. I look forward to reading the rest of the series as Liz learns to adapt to coming into her being a witch, and living with snarky Pepper. Anyone who enjoys the cozy type books will love this, and reach for more.
A funny story with a sweet kitten, Pepper. He can talk, especially to Elizabeth, who is also Lizzy or Liz, depending on who she with at the time. A magical Witch tale.