The Divine Circle of Ladies Courting Trouble

Cass Shipton #4

by Dolores Stewart Riccio

October in New England is a grand time—great for carving pumpkins, throwing Halloween parties, baking and eating brownies, and… dropping dead? When a helmlock-laced brownie at the church hospitality hour spells the end for an elderly townswoman, Cass Shipton and her circle of fabulous friends get to work using their very special brand of detective skills to ferret out the culprit. After all, their unorthodox recipe of magic, clairvoyance, and good old-fashioned common sense hasn't let them down yet…

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Chick Lit, Witches, Fantasy

308 pages, Trade Paperback

First published February 28, 2002

About the author

AKA Dolores Riccio
AKA Dolores Stewart


Dolores Stewart Riccio was born in Boston and grew up in Pembroke, a small New England town on the South Shore of Massachusetts. She lived in Duxbury which is located near the town of Plymouth, the setting for her Circle novels.

Dolores wrote: "As a poet, I'd always signed my maiden name, Dolores Stewart. For cookbooks, I preferred my married name, Dolores Riccio; after all, it was my loyal husband who got to try all those experimental dishes. Not wanting to abandon either chapter of my past, I'm using both names for fiction."

She began her writing career as a poet (Dolores Stewart), and continued to write poems between other writing projects.

In the '80s, she began to write cookbooks (Dolores Riccio) with a health theme, of which Superfoods for Time-Warner is the best known. The success of Superfoods gave her the encouragement to "quit her daytime job" as a greeting card editorial director and enjoy the precarious profession of full-time freelance writer.

In the meantime, she also co-authored two volumes of stories about famous haunted houses in the United States--Haunted Houses U.S.A. and More Haunted Houses.

Sometime in the 1990s, she threw out her food files and her ghost files, and turned at last to fiction.

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this series!!!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I really like about these books is that they take place over a series of months, or sometimes the better part of a year rather than just a few days or weeks. Most crimes and murders are not solved within a matter of days or even weeks. I love the characters, it has been well over a year maybe even two since I read the previous book in this series and I felt like I fell right back into step with them as if no time had passed.

The cover of this book doesn't do it justice, and doesn't make much sense really.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, though once the cast was laid out it was painfully obvious who the crook was. And for goodness sake, these ladies need a keeper, or several. Not since Trixie Belden has any amateur sleuth taken such foolish risks-- and unlike Trixie, not everyone comes out safe and sound. This particular volume reminded me, for some reason, of Charlotte MacLeod, specifically the Peter Shandy series.

[Tonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book about a close knit circle of Wiccan women who band together to solve the case of a local repeat poisoner. The story focused on the women and their relationships with each other and how they solved the crime of the poisonings in the town. For a quick and entertaining read I shall pick up a few more of Riccio's novels.

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

My charming Wiccan crime stoppers are at it again in this latest installment of the Cass Shipton series. The ending is somewhat less satisfactory than the ladies would like but it is alas a realistic one. It was wonderful to finish reading it on a Solstice night. Can't wait for the next one!

[Nicole Diamond · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it has one star I liked it a lot
If it has two stars I liked it a lot and would recommend it
If it has three stars I really really liked it a lot
If it has four stars I insist you read it
If it has five stars it was life changing

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was good - maybe not as good as the first 3. Not nearly as much "high-jinx" as the last. Still all in all a good read - love the series - love the characters. I wish I could meet the ladies that inspired Ms. Riccio's characters...you know they have to exist somewhere. ;)

[Catherine]

This was my first in this series, and I loved it. Five unique ladies practice Wiccan and are good witches. Each character has her own personality an power. Together they are awesome crime stoppers who try not to hurt any one. Now to find the first in this series.

[Rexanna Ipock-Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

These five women are all different and all magical. A great read!

[Linda Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

All her books are great reads!

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. The distinct personalities of every character (human or not) shine through. The Wiccan practices are believable and portrayed with realism. Fantastic author

[Maureen Keimig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun October mystery read. Enjoyed the story.