The Trouble With Witches

Ophelia & Abby Mystery #3

by Shirley Damsgaard

Ophelia has always considered her psychic abilities an imposition, except for those times she's been able to put her paranormal talents to good use—like when a friend asks her to help find a missing teenager. Unfortunately it means she and Abby, her kindly, canny sorceress granny, will be taking to the road to pursue the vanished girl in the wilds of Minnesota.

The signs are pointing toward the secluded new age research facility of Jason and Juliet Finch, who live with their troubled—and possibly matricidal—thirteen-year-old niece. And a bizarre local murder that follows their arrival—plus the appearance of a mysterious Native American shaman—only emphasize the urgency of Ophelia and Abby's hunt, drawing them into a web of dark secrets and to the last place they'd ever wish to a cottage in the woods where true evil quite possibly resides.

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

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 29, 2006

About the author

I’ve read many bios that start with the words “I wanted to be a writer all of my life and wrote my first story at the age of five.” I honestly can’t say that’s true for me—at the age of five, as an only child growing up on a farm, my career goal was to be a princess. Unfortunately, all those positions happened to be filled, so I followed the path so many other women have traveled—marriage, children, a career outside of the home—in my case, with the United States Postal Service. It wasn’t until the tender of age of 48 that I really decided to try my hand at writing.

My first attempt was a disastrous romance novella, and I might have given up had it not been for my late husband’s suggestion that I give mysteries a try. He pointed out my knack at spoiling movies for him by deducing how they would end. (Hey, it’s no fun being clever if you can’t share, right?) I combined his suggestion with my life long interest in the paranormal, and Ophelia and Abby were born. And in the end, creating the series helped carry me through a very difficult time.

Now seven years later, I still live in the same small town that I have for over twenty years, still have a career as Postmaster, and my grown children, with their children, all live within driving distance. I still enjoy gardening, reading, and needlepoint, but my world is larger thanks to Ophelia and Abby. Becoming an author has been the ride of a lifetime, and one for which I’ll always be grateful.

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it comes to reading cozy mysteries, I enjoy interesting settings and sometimes even a little magic. There's something fun about the lighthearted mystery combined with witchcraft or the occult. One of the first series I began reading years ago was the Ophelia & Abby mystery series by Shirley Damsgaard. I read two back in 2015/16 but then got pulled into a different direction. I'm on a quest to catch up on all series I've started so that I am current, then I'll take on a few new ones. This month, I went back to it with the third installment, The Trouble With Witches. It was a good, solid mystery with a likable cast and setting, but I remember it being a bit better in the earlier two.

Abby and Ophelia are grandmother and granddaughter who are also modern day witches. They solve crimes and butt heads with the local police in an Iowa town. In this caper, they're pulled to Minnesota to investigate a possible disappearance when a news reporter whom Ophelia has a little crush on asks for their help. A girl has gone missing and might be in a cult of witches. Rick, the news reporter, knows Abby and Ophelia's secret, but he's careful not to tell anyone else. The ladies take a road trip and discover a nice family, a mean family, Native American on a walkabout of sorts, and a poor almost-orphaned girl. How does it all come together? Someone ends up murdered. A past magician's secrets are revealed. But who's connected to whom in this scheme?

Overall, it was a good read and took about 3 hours to finish today. I like the magical aspects of it as they're mostly about spells and mental connections. It challenges readers to think outside the box, but it also offers an opportunity to see a different approach to solving a puzzle. I was a little thrown off that they went to a different state, and there weren't any normal characters from their town in this one other than the policeman and the news reporter on a couple of occasions. In the end, it was a good read, but I preferred the earlier ones. I will pick up another one next month to see if I'm ready to finish the series or say I'm done for now. I've given this one 3.5 stars and will round up or down on various sites to balance it out.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say three time's a charm. As I've said before, this really seems to be the case with most series. This paranormal series follows the same - it's when I fully wanted to continue. In this one Rick, the man missing from the second book, calls Ophelia and her grandmother in to do some investigating out of town, waving goodbye to Henry introduced in book two. The author seems to introduce men only to take them away in the next novel. Strange.

While we leave the familiar town behind, it's interesting in the new mountain and lake setting as the author introduces some changes. Thankfully Darcie tags along; I like her humor and she brings a bubbling enthusiasm the series is missing when she's not around. While Ophelia doesn't humorously stumble over a dead body for once, the author changes it to an investigation of a disappearance instead of a murder. The mystery isn't incredibly strong on who the culprit is, but it works on finding out what the mystery actually IS.

Ophelia is still an average character - nothing special, and she gets annoying with being too paranoid of the local Indian. She also buts her nose into situations and gets rude with some of that intrusiveness. Abby is her usual chin-stroking, knowing self. I never got the appeal of her that other fans of the series have. The biggest mystery of all may be why the two are so attached to the girl-child introduced. I never got instant love and connection with a child just because they are a child.

Damsgaard's writing has improved since the first book but she still falls prey to overdoing mannerisms and spelled out character movements. It's almost like picturing teens trying to act out a high school play where they make it incredibly obvious when they're thinking deeply, wondering something, pausing for a moment, or being imitations of characters.

The Trouble with Witches digs into the darkest subject of magic compared to the others. The subject isn't overly detailed but it shows a hidden element of demons that is dark considering this is a cozy mystery.

Overall this is the best of the three, but I missed Henry. This sequel changes it up some by altering the formula, but in doing so shakes away some of it's working humor. By this point I'm more forgiving of flaws since I've fallen further for the series.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shirley Damsgaard is a dilemma. Her stories are sensational. Plots eventually grab you with impressive multi-layers. I keep hoping an irritating style is cleaned up. Does she notice "tug" keeps repeating? Also "narrowed her eyes" occurs on every page! People don't do that but if the description got used once, I wouldn't think anything of it. Repetition hinders enjoyment of books that are really wonderful. Shirley can also omit "5 years ago" when mentioning Brian and series readers GET that Abigail is from 'Appalachia'. What she didn't do, is say where that is. I'm surprised it's in the USA. Having Darci pout at intervals, even tear-up for being advised to leave, was a turnoff; silly. The author asserts the character's maturity but regresses.

With future novels hopefully touched up by an editor, here's why "The Trouble With Witches" is great. You learn about folk magick from a gentle and original perspective. This isn't a trendy coven. This is a respectable heritage appropriately compared to Aboriginal traditions. It shows we needn't scorn one culture, when others are similar. Readers new to the craft aren't hit over the head Juliet Blackwell-style, with trolls and bat potions from page 1. Ophelia is our perspective. Apprehensive, learning as she goes, and the reader is quickly ready for more.

It's odd Henry knew of the trip but didn't burst in and investigate. This novel does add exciting elements that will complement the rest immensely! I merely wonder if Shirley was a playwright because she focuses on physicality. She describes glances and hand gestures so much, they're like cues for film direction that are out of place. If she smoothes things out and keeps up her fantastic imagination for plots, I'll gladly ride along.

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rick called Ophelia to help him find a missing girl. The last place where she was seen was with the cult-like group in Minnesota. Rick took them to see the girl's parents and there they found out that the father thought the psychics are nonsense. I really didn't like Rick at that moment. After the danger they'd been in the first book, he deliberately used Ophelia's weak spot (unhappy, lonely girls) to drag her into something which might be dangerous. I found Henry's reaction to Ophelia's trip spot-on.

I didn't count but I am certain that the word worm/worming was used more times than necessary. I am not sure if there is Madam Tissauld somewhere, but since there had been wax figures in Ophelia's dream, at least they could have corrected it to Tussauds.
Nevertheless, this is not a bad mystery. Just nothing great, nothing serious.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun little adventure with Ophelia, the psychic librarian and her grandmother, Abby, the wisewoman witch from Appalachia. This story takes the out of their small Iowa town on a road trip to Minnesota to help their journalist friend, Rick, from the first novel. So he re-appears, but Henry from the second book, disappears. Henry and Ophelia are making progress toward friendship and understanding by the end of the second book, but at the beginning of this one, he finds out she's going to do some "investigating", slams out of her house, and is never heard from again in this novel. Interesting how these are revolving characters. The plot is good and well-puzzled out, and I was far into the book before I definitively figured out the whodunit, so that always makes me happy because I don't like it to be too easy. The characters are engaging and the stories are summer fun reading.

[Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is my favourite in the series so far. Abby is starting to embrace her powers to help solve the mysteries. A really cute 'cosy' mystery to help my brain switch off. I am going to stick with this series.

[Sam Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I am enjoying this series. Nice easy read, good plot and interesting, entertaining characters.

[Hailey Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So despite owning a physical copy, I don't ever recall reading it prior to this year. If that sounds weird, I don't blame you.

(When psychic librarian Ophelia Jensen is awakened in the middle of the night by an old friend, Rick, he amusingly asks, "Know where I can find a good witch?" But Ophelia soon learns that her friend needs help with a situation much more serious than his initial teasing suggests. Rick's friend's daughter has disappeared, and it seems that a strange pseudo-religious scientific cult the young woman recently joined may be responsible.

But Rick is having a hard time penetrating the secretive cult, and enlists Ophelia to help, hoping her magick skills and special knowledge will help uncover the mysteries of the suspect group. Ophelia and her kindly witch grandmother Abby jump at the chance to use their powers to help their friend, and travel to Minnesota to pose as vacationers. And with the help of a young psychic and a Native American Shaman they meet along the way, the witches hope to save the young woman before she's lost forever to the clutches of this harmful cult.) ~ Blurb from Goodreads

I enjoyed the prologue. It manages to give the reader a glimpse into Ophelia as a character (including her struggle to fully understand the meaning of the visions she has) and foreshadows the kind of situation she's going to be put in all within three pages and without feeling rushed.

The pacing was good. It's nice and smooth. I think part of that comes from how there's a nice balance between dead ends and actual clues.

There's a pretty funny moment in chapter fourteen. So Ophelia comes across this cabin on the lake where she, Abby, and her friend Darci are staying with bundles hanging from trees. She hides when a Native American named Walks Quietly comes out and does a ritual. When he's done, he says, "You can come out from behind that tree now." Like, he was aware of her presence this whole time, but decided to do his ritual anyway and wait until it was done to clue her into his awareness of her.

So prior to reading this, I was not aware that this was part three of a series, but despite that, I think it functioned very well as a standalone story for the most part. A large part of this comes from the fact that the personalites of the characters and their relationship were clearly communicated through their actions and the fact that Ophelia got her own character arc.

It was very unsubtle with how delivered its exposition. No joke. In chapter one, there are numerous instances where the novel will just straight up info dump through paragraphs of text. Also in chapter one, there's this, "Queenie, my cat, who had also been sleeping soundly on the pillow next to me, gave me an indignant look and stalked off. Lady, my dog, startled by the loud noise, gave a short bark." I would rewrite this as, "Queenie's purring halted as her now opened eyes locked onto mine with an indignant look before stalking off with an angry meow. Lady barked as her paws scrambled wildly, struggling to make her stand." It conveys the same ideas as the original passage, but in a subtler way that flows a little better.

Overall, The Trouble With Witches was a pleasant surprise of a novel that I regret not reading until now and I'm curious to check out the rest of the series.

Overall Grade: A

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is..I dunno the middle one in the series....Ophelia (Psycho..oops! Psychic Librarian) and her Grandmother Abby (Appalachian "Wise" Woman) are asked to use their "abilities" to locate a missing young woman, Brandi, who has run away from home to join the PSI community, as she is "Different".

In the process of searching for Brandi, Abby & Ophelia come across the troubled "daughter" of the PSI founders, Tink, an old Native American man who has strange powers, Walks Quietly, and an evil supernatural presence.

I still think Ophelia is quite a bit of a Dummy-head who when it comes to her own innate "powers" participates in "Active Ignorance", and that makes her character weak...because she constantly vacillates between being a scaredy-cat, doubting Thomas, & superpower woman.

But aside from her weakness in character, this is a good story and it held my interest. Another book that I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. reading.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Trouble With Witches is book 3 in a series that I have been reading. The protagonist, Ophelia, is becoming more and more comfortable with her gifts and in this book the magic takes more of center stage. Ophelia and Abby leave home in this book to explore a “cult” that is implicated in a young woman’s disappearance. The disappearance of Brandi, a murder, and some older crimes are all bound together and resolve neatly in the end. The “cult” has connections to magic and psychic research. Out of the three that I have read in the series so far, I still find the first one my favorite. I will continue to read the series to see what happens in Ophelia and Abby’s lives.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars here is a decent two stars. I didn't dislike this one, I just didn't like it as much as the first book in this series. (I skipped the second one, may go back to it later.)

I was hoping to really sink my teeth into this series with this installment, but Ophelia, the reluctant witch who happens to be a librarian (hey, right up my alley!) seems to be a reluctant reader (why didn't she read those journals?) and researcher (of witchcraft, magick, etc.). What's up with that?!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each story in this series seems to delve deeper into the world of spirits and demons. This is okay, maybe it is just the author showing the growth of the central character, but there is a fine line between that and the author feeling that each book must have bigger monsters. That path is a dead end. That being said, this was a pretty good story with a somewhat shaky ending that introduced a couple of new characters that may add a lot to future installments.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit different as the gang heads to Minnesota to look for a missing girl that Rick knows. Ophelia continues to grow into her powers, but all her worrying about everyone else gets a bit annoying, especially since she then tries to do everything herself.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been a while since I read any of this series.

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not every book is for every reader and this one wasn't for me. I couldn't seem to connect with the characters and finally set it aside.

[Immortal · Rating 3 out of 5]

/spoiler

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by the plot twist- it wasn't Jason all along but Juliet. I was shocked to discover that Juliet was the evil behind the scenes. Jason was giving me the red flags but it seems I was wrong.

I had to say though, thought Ophelia's and Abby's goal was to find Brandi but she just remains a mystery until the end, we never really got to speak with her. The story ended up more towards Tink. I was also disappointed that we didn't got to know much about Walks Quietly. I feel like he needs more justice.

At some point of the story, I feel immensely bored of Ophelia just going through everything with more and more questions, but it wouldn't be a mystery if she isn't adventuring of course.

The reason why my rating is lower than the previous books was because the way Ophelia was acting this time have me so disappointed. She was already given a clue by her runes to listen to Abby this time but she had deny 3 times to talk about the spider necklace when I could tell it's so much more important? I just felt she was behaving irrationally than she used to.

I would also like to add how upset I was that Rick or Henry was just appearing less and less? Here, I was glad that Rick was starting to appear in the book again, but it seems my hope is quickly diminish as Ophelia won't be able to be in a romantic relationship with him. I was still hopelessly waiting for Rick, even though it was hinted in earlier books that he is not the one. I thought that this book might defy the whole "fate has it for you" encounter. Not only that, I was also quite sure that Henry Comacho was going to barge into Ophelia's investigation to find Brandi. It just seems so and a very good opportunity for them to start bonding into a potential romance relationship. It didn't seem so. Why introduce the concept of romance in the book but only giving so less? Ophelia herself did said she's looking for the right one some day.

[Lori Schiele · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is actually Book 3 in a series, but the first that I have read. I liked the fact that the author did her "homework" and had the characters properly use the "tools" of The Craft (witchcraft) i.e. crystals, herbs, candles, etc. Being Wiccan/Pagan, myself, I am very aware of these things and so was pleased to see that she was accurate in their usage. Unfortunately, that was about the only thing that I truly approved of and the only reason I gave the book 2 stars at all.
The plot line was only so-so, and the characters--mostly the granddaughter, Abby--drove me absolutely nuts. The series is based on the fact that Ophelia--the grandmother, and Abby, the granddaughter--are both psychics and witches, the grandmother much more powerful, of course. Yet, after I'm not sure how many supposed years--but at least 3 books--the granddaughter seems to constantly question Ophelia's "feelings" about things or completely miss signs that I would think should be more than obvious. I understand that some of it might be necessary to get her into the situations she finds herself in--but it began to seem like the author should never have bothered to make her psychic at all, or gave her reasons not to learn from her grandmother because Abby, time and time again, acted like a complete idiot when neon signs appeared to be flashing right before her eyes and she wasn't seeing them.
Definitely not going to bother reading more of the series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ophelia Jensen, small town Iowa psychic librarian and witch in training, has been asked by a friend to help find a missing teenager who was last seen in a small lakeside community in Minnesota. Despite Ophelia's initial hesitation, her grandmother, Abby, also psychic and wise in the ways of witchcraft, encourages her to help, and insists that she accompany Ophelia, as well. Not long after their arrival, Ophelia's best friend and fellow librarian, Darci, arrives at their little cabin in the woods, determined to help with the investigation, also. They soon discover that as beautiful as the scenery is, there is something very negative lurking in the shadows, and it seems to have its sight set on Ophelia.

Ophelia, Abby and Darci are an interesting and fun investigative trio. Ophelia has stopped fighting her psychic gift and is making progress with her witchcraft abilities as well, with continued help and guidance from Abby. While fun loving and optimistic Darci is not a witch or psychic, she is very good at getting people to talk, thus gaining needed information to keep the investigation moving forward.

[Yours Truly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, think that's it for me as far as Ophelia & Abby go. A series about Abby and Darci would be far more interesting, methinks. But as it stands... Ophelia is flighty and argumentative, not to mention the world's worst psychic. And in every book thus far, she seems to combat Abby's precognitive sleuthing and demand to know how she knows something or why she'd think something is true or possible... and then do the opposite. I don't give a diddlydamn how crazy or implausible something sounds - if my grandmother was a psychic witch and told me that I'd perish unless every Tuesday and Thursday henceforth I always eat unseasoned green beans and Brussels sprouts, in that specific order, while wearing neon green skivvies and dancing the Lindy Hop to Skinny Puppy albums, I would friggin' do AAAALLLL of it, cuz psychic grandma says so.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was happy to find this book in a remaindered bookstore because I had read a few of the other titles in the Ophelia and Abby series. Abby is the grandmother of Ophelia. They are both psychic and sort of good witches so the books have a little magic. In this one Ophelia and Abby rent a cabin in Minnesota to help a friend who is looking for a missing girl last seen at a sort of cult in the area. Abby finds evil lurking in the forest. They are also intrigued by a young girl named Tink who lives at the compound with her aunt and uncle. Tink is gifted, although she doesn't yet understand her powers. I was glad to read about the origins of Tink since she is in later books.

All in all, this was a nice cozy mystery with some magic and danger.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot happened, but I just couldn’t care. The writing was too shallow, so things were happening but in a way that was too rushed and arbitrary. Ophelia was not smart, and kept getting in trouble in silly ways. She supposedly trusts Abby, but kept dismissing her concerns.

I have no idea how or why the villains were doing things. Walks Quietly was a mystery. Why did they kill the one guy? Why imprison Brandi? Why was the cabin haunted? And how did they cleanse it when they’re such amateurs? Why was Winnie so devoted but hateful, and how did she disappear? So much didn’t make sense. It felt like a bunch of events that were unconnected, instead of building blocks in a mystery.

[Bianca · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has been months since Ophelia has heard from Rick. Then he calls her in the middle of the night asking her to infiltrate a ‘cult’ to find out what happened to Brandy, a teenager who has gone missing. Abby and Ophelia agree and head to the lake to find out what’s happened.

Ophelia is definitely more accepting and embracing her psychic abilities. This book was more mystical than the previous books. I didn’t like this book as much as the others but I will persevere and see what the next book is like.

[Bonnie Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Trouble with Witches book #3 was one hell of a read. I just couldn't put the book down long enough to due what needed to be done at my house it was that good. I like this series because of the way Ophelia views her self and the world around her. She and Abby have a strong bond that I don't think could ever be broken. As in this book both Abby and Ophelia has feelings for a little girl Tink that is lost as who she is and what the power she has in her. It will take a lot from Ophelia and Abby to help 2 girls that are lost as to who they are.

[Denise Caskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Shirley Damsgaard's books. I haven't read one yet that didn't have me in the edge of my seat. If I had one complaint, it would be that because I couldn't find a list showing me the order, I have read them out of order and I'm just now finding out how Tink came into the story after being introduced to her 2 books ago.

[Brennan Morell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. I feel like there were two separate stories here that never really came together, which is why i chose 3 stars.

with that being said, i did really enjoy the story of Abby, Ophelia, and Tink.

There was a few surprises throughout the book that made me want to keep reading.

Overall a cozy read.

[Lisa Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this series, and this one was action packed. I never had a clue who the murderer was, or how it would all turn out. I also like how the author always seems to leave some loose ends. I’ll be looking for next one at the library next time I go!

[Amy Phelps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I read it. I didn’t hate it but I’m not going to be rushing to buy anymore books by this author. It took until chapter 15 to get interesting. I’m glad it was less than 300 pages because it would have taken me a lot longer to slog through this book if it had been any longer

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story very much, looking forward to reading more by this author.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought about this overnight. This is more 3.5 than 4.0 for me. I'd have liked to see my psychic and magical action and less talk about it.

[Peggi Warner-Lalonde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ophelia continues to come to terms with her gift. A great read.