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50th out of 293 books
—
981 voters
Witch Way to Murder (Ophelia & Abby Mystery #1)
by
Shirley Damsgaard (Goodreads Author)
Bewitched meets Murder She Wrote in this delightful new cozy mystery series featuring Ophelia Jensen, small town librarian and reluctant psychic, and her grandmother Abby, a benevolent witch.
Thirty something Ophelia Jensen wants to live a quiet life as a small town librarian. She's created a comfortable existence with her kooky, colorful grandmother Abby, and if it were up...more
Thirty something Ophelia Jensen wants to live a quiet life as a small town librarian. She's created a comfortable existence with her kooky, colorful grandmother Abby, and if it were up...more
Mass Market Paperback, 292 pages
Published
August 30th 2005
by Avon
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Ophelia Jensen is a small town librarian. She has been living here several years near her grandmother Abby. Abby is a witch, healing woman, whatever. Ophelia, too, has the gift but doesn't want to use it. She feels betrayed since her best friend was killed and her grandfather died. After all, what's the use of magick if you can't save those you love? Why should the visions of death cause such pain, and you can't do anything about it. So she quit her library job at the University and moved to thi...more
I'd heard a lot of good things about the Abby and Ophelia mystery series, so I was really prepared to like WITCH WAY TO MURDER. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.
The mystery is put together well enough - there's evidence that someone's operating a meth lab nearby, a brutally murdered John Doe turns up in a local park, and handsome stranger Rick Davis is passing through town, asking a few too many questions. The clues aren't too obvious, although the villains aren't too hard to spot, either.
What...more
The mystery is put together well enough - there's evidence that someone's operating a meth lab nearby, a brutally murdered John Doe turns up in a local park, and handsome stranger Rick Davis is passing through town, asking a few too many questions. The clues aren't too obvious, although the villains aren't too hard to spot, either.
What...more
Damsgaard delivers the goods w/ her sensational debut, Witch Way to Murder! I want to thank Ms. Damsgaard for creating an intelligent series that is a cut above most cozy debuts.
Kudos to Damsgaard for weaving an enthralling tale of magick & mystery.
Welcome to rural Iowa, where nothing exciting seems to happen & each day merges into the next.
Ophelia Jensen has been a recluse since her best friend was horribly murdered four years ago.
Ophelia doesn't want anyone to know she's psychic &...more
Kudos to Damsgaard for weaving an enthralling tale of magick & mystery.
Welcome to rural Iowa, where nothing exciting seems to happen & each day merges into the next.
Ophelia Jensen has been a recluse since her best friend was horribly murdered four years ago.
Ophelia doesn't want anyone to know she's psychic &...more
My four-sentence or less take on the plot:Ophelia Jensen is a small-town librarian with some major issues with her family, her paranormal abilities, and her personal relationships. When a mysterious and nosy "chemical salesman" comes to town and a body is found, Ophelia's world is turned upside-down. Ophelia knows she's involved (through her grandmother's visions) and is pulled in to the investigation.
Rating: B
What worked: I'm from Iowa and I can tell the author is from Iowa too. The characters...more
Rating: B
What worked: I'm from Iowa and I can tell the author is from Iowa too. The characters...more
Ophelia Jensen has built a wall around her heart ever since a close friend was murdered four years ago. Considering she has psychic powers, this wall is not easy to maintain, especially since her grandmother, Abby, is a witch who keeps urging Ophelia to embrace her gift. Ophelia has been able to resist Abby so far, but her resolve is threatened by a series of events. Handsome stranger Rick Davis arrives in town, claiming to be a chemical salesman, but asking far too many questions about the rash...more
Thirtysomething Ophelia Jensen wants to live a quiet life as a small town librarian. She's created a comfortable existence with her kooky, colorful grandmother
Abby, and if it were up to her, they could live out their days along with Ophelia's dog Lady and cat Queenie in peace and quiet. But, to Ophelia's dismay,
she and Abby aren't a typical grandmother/granddaughter duo. She possesses psychic powers, and Abby is a kindly witch. And while Ophelia would do anything
to dismiss her gift, harboring te...more
Abby, and if it were up to her, they could live out their days along with Ophelia's dog Lady and cat Queenie in peace and quiet. But, to Ophelia's dismay,
she and Abby aren't a typical grandmother/granddaughter duo. She possesses psychic powers, and Abby is a kindly witch. And while Ophelia would do anything
to dismiss her gift, harboring te...more
May 12, 2008
Sharon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Sharon by:
Just found it at the bookstore.
I really enjoyed this book. I'm normally not into anything "witchy" *G*, but this book kept me entertained & I didn't feel the itch to turn to the end to see "Whodunit", as I would if I were bored with it. It's the first in a series of (Ophelia - The Librarian (capitalized for a reason) & Abby - her grandmother). There is a definate paranormal aspect to this series so fans of anything paranormal might enjoy it as well!
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This is a book from 2005 and is as good today as it's original publication date. A shy librarian, Ophelia Jensen is trying to carve a normal life out in Summerset, Iowa. The problem being, Ophelia comes from a tortured past and is anything but a bland normal person.
Ophelia has special gifts that have drifted down to her from ages of Wise Women in the hard lifes of the Appalachian Mountains. Ophelia's Grandmother, Abby has many talents but Abby hasn't embraced them yet, especially after she had t...more
Ophelia has special gifts that have drifted down to her from ages of Wise Women in the hard lifes of the Appalachian Mountains. Ophelia's Grandmother, Abby has many talents but Abby hasn't embraced them yet, especially after she had t...more
A bit of a "by the numbers" first book. It also starts a little "tropish" -- angry and resentful woman wrestling with issues from her past, rejects who and what she is to the near peril and detriment of all around her. Damsgaard does give her characters a vivid interior life - even the tertiary ones. She is also a native of a small town Midwestern rural/farming/bedroom community, and she nails it in this book. I know because I spent 20 years of my life in one. There is safety, comfort and closen...more
Shirley Damsgaard is a great novelist; with modern, humorous dialogue. I’ll just say authors must only tidy a few pages at a time. Just like Rebecca Hale; 'tug' repeats to the point of shouting: "Can't you try 'yank' or 'pull'?!” and there’s incessant use of "narrowed their eyes". People don't do that consciously enough for such repeated mention. Oddly Ophelia doesn't say 'Grandma'. Abby has ample wisdom, Grandmotherly affection, and they’re close but that isn’t a sticking point.
What made no sen...more
What made no sen...more
Ophelia Jensen leads a fairly normal life in small town Iowa, if you think having a witch for a grandma, possessing pyschic abilities, and getting caught up in murder cases are normal, that is. Five years prior, Ophelia has a premonition of her best friends murder, however, it doesn't help her save his life. Now rejecting her gift could cost her own life.
Damsgaard's story if fun with a town full of great characters, recoginizable in just about any small Iowa town. However, some of those characte...more
Damsgaard's story if fun with a town full of great characters, recoginizable in just about any small Iowa town. However, some of those characte...more
I discovered this series through friends' recommendations. I love cozy mysteries and this fits the bill. This is book #1 of the series. Ophelia Jensen is a 30-something librarian in a small Iowa town. She inherited a "gift" through the female side of her family who were Appalachia women that healed. Ophelia's grandmother, Abby, is a good "witch" who tries to help a reluctant Ophelia deal with her gift. Ophelia is haunted by the death of a dear friend 5 years ago, a friend whose death she "saw" i...more
As a librarian, I was borderline offended by how the main character was portrayed in this book. It seemed as though librarians just sit around and chat while they're working. She uses her super-librarian skills to solve the murder which is limited to GOOGLING THE ANSWER ON THE INTERNET. Well that's a reliable source of information (fail). Also I found it lame that the character's name was Ophelia. If her parents were true Shakespeare fans, they wouldn't name her after the saddest, most pathetic,...more
This was so good! It has that supernatural element, and enough suspense to keep you hooked!
Abby is Ophelia's grandmother, and also a witch. Ophelia wants to keep that fact a secret from everyone, because she's afraid of what people will think. Ophelia also has a gift; one that she refuses to accept. Her best friend was killed 4 years ago, and she feels that her "gift" should have been able to help stop his murder. After a mysterious stranger enters Ophelia's life, she starts to realize that may...more
Abby is Ophelia's grandmother, and also a witch. Ophelia wants to keep that fact a secret from everyone, because she's afraid of what people will think. Ophelia also has a gift; one that she refuses to accept. Her best friend was killed 4 years ago, and she feels that her "gift" should have been able to help stop his murder. After a mysterious stranger enters Ophelia's life, she starts to realize that may...more
This turned out better than I thought it would, since I did not feel much for the main character at first. I kept in mind that this is the first in the series and that it often takes an author a few books to hit their stride. She hit it by the end of this book. Ophelia has a good reason for being stand-offish and crabby. She is an empathic seer who envisioned her friends murder a few years ago and could do nothing to stop it. She decides to turn her back on the way of her family (going back to m...more
I have a soft spot for librarians, and I enjoy a little witchy paranormal-ness in a cozy mystery, as long as the spooky-woo-woo and the who-done-it parts of the book are kept in a good balance.
Ophelia is a little damaged, which I think makes for a better amateur sleuth than too much cheerfulness. Murder really is rough stoung, and even cozies ought to have a little edge, otherwise it's a lot of , "oops, Fred is dead, let's go have some tea!"
The mystery itself is entertaining, and I cheered for O...more
Ophelia is a little damaged, which I think makes for a better amateur sleuth than too much cheerfulness. Murder really is rough stoung, and even cozies ought to have a little edge, otherwise it's a lot of , "oops, Fred is dead, let's go have some tea!"
The mystery itself is entertaining, and I cheered for O...more
A new author I found that introduces Ophela a small town librarian hiding from her past. Her grandmother is a witch and Ophelia has suppressed her "gift" for the last four years when her "gift" couldn't help her save her best friend. So for the last four years she had walled herself in and avoided talking to anyone but her grandmother but all of that is about to change when a stranger comes into town and invades her life. With dead bodies and threats closing in on Ophelia can she figure out what...more
Really rated more of a 3.5, but I'll round up and call it a 4 since it was good most of the way through. As in most good cozies, the character development in this book is more important than the actual mystery. I like Ophelia, the cautious and against-all-magick librarian, especially when she warms up and starts to make friends. Abby, her grandmother, is a wonderfully warm and thoughtful witch with strong powers of sight and forewarning. Despite Ophelia's often sarcastic and cold reactions, Abby...more
BOTTOM LINE: #1 Ophelia and Abby, Summerset, Iowa; cosy, gently fantastical amateur sleuths. Librarian With A Past, meets Handsome Man With A Secret, in a nosy small town, and “things begin to happen!!” Sounds like the most dreadful of Romance cliches when put like that, but isn’t. This first in series is a strongly plotted mystery, with wonderful characters and enough twists to keep you interested.
Sharp-tongued librarian Ophelia and her gifted Grandmother Abby are wonderful characters - I want...more
Sharp-tongued librarian Ophelia and her gifted Grandmother Abby are wonderful characters - I want...more
Shirley Damsgaard has carved a new niche in the market: Appalachian Paranormal Fiction! Being a West Virginia gal, I love how Appalachia figures into the books without all the negative stereotyping that usually goes along with it!
I always have problems getting started with Shirley Damsgaard's books. But once I make it past the first couple of chapters, I fall in love with the characters again (and again). I am sucked in by the storyline and I have a very hard time putting the book down.
I love...more
I always have problems getting started with Shirley Damsgaard's books. But once I make it past the first couple of chapters, I fall in love with the characters again (and again). I am sucked in by the storyline and I have a very hard time putting the book down.
I love...more
I'm giving it three stars because in the end, it was an okay mystery. I'm a librarian and some of the references to how Ophelia does her job seemed very old school to me. I'm sure there are still libraries with card catalogs, but they would have to be absolutely tiny and with no money. Online, hosted elsewhere catalogs are very reasonable, including for small libraries. I won't go into more detail, but it just seemed to me that research was not done for what a librarian truly does and how in tod...more
A good story idea from a first time author. I will read the next one or two in the series to see if her writing matures with experience.
I would have preferred to give it 2 1/2 stars, but since that isn't an option I went ahead and gave it 3 for her effort and excitement.
That being said, here are the reasons I didn't love it:
The backstory came too fast, too early, with too much 'telling'. It wasn't revealed so much as dumped in your lap.
Each sentence was a second in the race to the end. They ten...more
I would have preferred to give it 2 1/2 stars, but since that isn't an option I went ahead and gave it 3 for her effort and excitement.
That being said, here are the reasons I didn't love it:
The backstory came too fast, too early, with too much 'telling'. It wasn't revealed so much as dumped in your lap.
Each sentence was a second in the race to the end. They ten...more
Ophelia Jensen hides herself from her past in the small town Summerset in Iowa where she works as a librarian. Four years ago a friend of hers was killed and she still feels guilty for not been able to save him despite her psychic and magickal abilities. When one day thefts of fertilizer anhydrous ammonia start and a mysterious stranger – Rick Davis – appears in town and starts asking many questions Ophelia knows not all is like it seems in her quiet little town. Abby, her witch grandmother trie...more
For the supernatural genre I tend to read, this actually has the least amount of supernatural stuff in it. Ophelia is a librarian just excepting her powers...in the first couple of books that basically means a bit psychic, and her grandmother Abby is a witch, but she's not in it much, except to warn Ophelia or cast a random protection spell. I've only read books bone and two, and I found the cases that Abby worked on interesting, and the plots overall enjoyable. This was another "light" read for...more
Abby is in Summerset, Iowa, hiding from painful memories. She didn't use her phsyic gifts to save a friend, and nearly paid for that lapse with her freedom.
Now, she tries not to use her gifts, and demands that her witchy grandmother not use hers either.
By the end of the tale, she accepts that the gifts should be used - and even accepts that they're a good thing.
I will have to wait until I have read another book or two before deciding if this is a good series or just a pleasant read.
Now, she tries not to use her gifts, and demands that her witchy grandmother not use hers either.
By the end of the tale, she accepts that the gifts should be used - and even accepts that they're a good thing.
I will have to wait until I have read another book or two before deciding if this is a good series or just a pleasant read.
This was an enjoyable read. The fact that the witchcraft was not shoved down your throat or made to be the base of the story was what, I think, made it so enjoyable. Loved the main character and the supporting characters. I truly did not see a few things coming and what a surprise for a mystery book that was. Oh, and the main character being a librarian was a draw for me. Having worked in a library for several years, I love to see how they are portrayed in a book.
A sarcastic, socially awkward librarian. Her grandmother. Her friend who fronts like a floozy, and a bunch of really sketchy dudes. I'd love to see this series about witchy stuff in small town Iowa made into a skillfully produced movie or TV show. Sadly, I don't see this particular array of characters making it much farther than Lifetime Original Special. Ah well. Titles #2 and 3 have been checked no sooner than the night after I finished #1.
When Ophelia took the job as a local library in Summerset she was hiding from the world little did she know that that Richard Davis would upset the tranquil life that she lead. But richard is not who he says he is and something in this small town is just not right. With all the chemical thefts and the dead body Ophelia and Richard find it appears Summerset is in the middle of a crime wave. And now with the nightmares Ophelia is having she knows something bad is going on. Ophelia has inheritaded...more
Bottom Line... This was too short and the shame is I think it could have been a really good introduction to the series. There needed to be more magic and less navel watching.
I love the premise and will read the next one as I think the two protagonists could be a great duo, but this one needed just a little more supernatural to pull in the fans or else it becomes an "average" amateur sleuth book.
Hoping the romantic lead comes back, a bit of antagonism never hurts!!
I love the premise and will read the next one as I think the two protagonists could be a great duo, but this one needed just a little more supernatural to pull in the fans or else it becomes an "average" amateur sleuth book.
Hoping the romantic lead comes back, a bit of antagonism never hurts!!
This is the first book in the Ophelia and Abby series. Ophelia is a librarian who is a loner, her grandmother Abby is a witch who has been trying to tell Ophelia that she can't keep denying her gift. Ophelia refuses to believe that she has any sort of gift because whenever she needed it in the past, people have ended up hurt. When a stranger comes to town (Rick) who has a lot of questions for everyone, Ophelia and Abby start to feel nervous. Why is this man here, and why is he asking so many que...more
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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, childre...more
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