Strange Magic by Syd Moore, Book Review

As a ‘crimebibliophile’  (I just made that word up, catchy isn’t it?), I thought I was familiar with  just about every premise possible for a crime or mystery novel. That is until ‘Strange Magic’ landed on my bedside table. 'Strange Magic' is set in Essex (and don’t you dare allude to ‘Essex Girls’ or the main protagonist Rosie Strange will assault you, at least verbally. That is, if she can find time between her manis and pedis and her hunt for the bones of a witch, executed in the 16^th century during the height of the persecution of witches.)

Rosie, a matter-of-fact sort of woman and benefit fraud investigator, inherits a witch museum from her estranged Granddaddy Septimus. Wanting to sell the place, Rosie visits the ramshackle museum where she encounters the dishy curator Sam Stone. Soon the two of them become embroiled in a sort of English road trip to chase after said bones, needed to save the life of a little boy.  And the plan to sell the museum slips into the background, although it’s not clear if this is because of the distractions of the dishy expert on all things witchcraft or the excitement of being involved in the uncovering of a sinister plot involving dark forces.

What happens when Essex girl clashes with the supernatural forces of witchcraft?

Read this thoroughly enjoyable first mystery book in a new series on Rosie Strange and all things magic and find out for yourself. Written by Syd Moore and published by Oneworld Publications on May 4^th 2017 (£8.99)

(Indiana Brown)