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USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR CAROLYN RIDDER ASPENSON is back with another witchy mystery sure to light a fire under your cauldron!

Welcome to Holiday Hills where murder and magic are always on the menu!
Holiday Hills has a bit of a situation on our hands. Our cranky health inspector finally quit, and a new-to-town friendly witch named Ronnie Daniels filled the spot. Health inspections improved, business owners worried less, and Ronnie had become the most popular witch in town.

But the cauldron boiled over, and it didn’t take long for her true colors to show.

Nobody likes a fake. Disappointed by inspection reports, local business owners petitioned to have Ronnie fired and banned from Holiday Hills.

Only someone took matters into their own hands.

Ronnie’s demise initially pointed fingers directly at our beloved bakery owner, Charity Rutherford. Thankfully, the actual cause of death surfaced, and Charity Rutherford was determined innocent.

But that only made things more suspect. Someone had gone to great lengths to frame her. But why? Was she the true target, or was she simply a pawn in the killer’s game?

If it was an intentional setup, then Charity was in danger, and the killer needed to be found pronto. So, there I was yet again, sticking my nose into my significant other’s business, snooping and questioning suspects as usual. Little did I know things would take a menacing turn when the killer caught wind of my investigations, and I’d find myself squarely in their sights.

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2023

112 people are currently reading
88 people want to read

About the author

Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

144 books535 followers
USA Today Bestselling Author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson writes cozy mysteries, thrillers, and paranormal women's fiction featuring strong female leads. Her stories shine through her dialogue, which readers have praised for being realistic and compelling.
A multiple number one bestseller on Amazon, her first novel, Unfinished Business, was a five-star Reader's Favorite, a Rone Award finalist, as well as a number one bestseller on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. In 2021, she introduced readers to detective Rachel Ryder in Damaging Secrets, also a number one bestseller on Amazon. Overkill, the third book in the Rachel Ryder series, was one of Thrillerfix’s best thrillers of 2021.Reviews have praised her work as ‘compelling, and intense,’ and ‘read through the night, edge of your seat thrillers. Carolyn’s most recent Rachel Ryder novel, Deadly Means, has been submitted for an Edgar Award by her publisher, Severn River Publishing.
Prior to publishing, she worked as a journalist in the suburbs of Atlanta where her work appeared in multiple newspapers and magazines. She wrote a monthly featured column in Northside Woman magazine.
Writing is only one of Carolyn's passions. She is an avid dog lover and currently spoils an American Staffordshire terrier boxer mix. She lives in the mountains of North Georgia as an empty nester (who misses her kids terribly but loves having a lower grocery bill) with her husband, a cantankerous cat, and her very spoiled pup.

Connect with Carolyn via carolyn@carolynridderaspenson.com


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5 stars
157 (69%)
4 stars
51 (22%)
3 stars
15 (6%)
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2 (<1%)
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Pamela A..
718 reviews11 followers
September 22, 2024
such a great short!

I enjoyed this cozy witchy whodunnit with talking familiars and I loved that she could communicate telepathically to them that was really fun and I didn’t guess the killer! lol 😂 really fun short book. 💗
Profile Image for Carrol Chap.
57 reviews2 followers
November 15, 2024
I love this series and always give it 5 stars. There are usually just a few misspellings in the books, but nothing too bad. Normally things like this do not bother me, but sadly this particular series had a large number of grammatical errors, to the point that it was sometimes hard to understand the sentence. Please go back and edit your book or have a book editor do so. It will make the book so much more enjoyable.
2,491 reviews42 followers
November 10, 2023
The new health inspector, Ronnie Daniels, has the residents of Holiday Hills up in arms. She has found fault with every vendor in town and the owners plan on filling a petition to get her removed from her job. When they learn there will be a surprise inspection at Charity Rutherford’s business, Abby Odell, her familiar Cooper and others stay to clean and make sure everything is perfect. Well, it wasn’t perfect as Ronnie ends up dead. How could this have happened? Since this happened at Charity’s, someone wanted her to be blamed for Ronnie’s death, but that is soon disproved. Abby and her friends decide that they will need to find out who would have had reason to want Ronnie dead, including Arabella who blamed Ronnie for Stan’s heart attack, Henry who has been complaining about Ronnie, Jeremiah who was upset as to how Ronnie’s bad reviews would affect the town and Clair who was upset over the dump sites that Ronnie was recommending. Will Abby be able to find the killer before they try to silence her? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy
Profile Image for Starr Perry.
383 reviews2 followers
June 10, 2024


Abby is a local cozy mystery writer and witch detective since she and her bestie Stella somehow end up solving the magical murders involving paranormals in holiday Hills.

Along with their sarcastic familiars, Abby’s sheriff sweetie Gabe and a varied cast of friends, family, colleagues and enemies that entertain throughout the series, these gals are going to super sleuth their way to the vicious villain.

In this story, the local town health inspector has been murdered but no one really mourns the loss since she was despised. The murderer is certainly wily, but Abby is on the trail - can she solve the murder before she is the next victim?

Great whodunnit series wonderfully mixed with heady magic and of course mayhem and murdering madness. An entertaining novel and an absolutely worthwhile read
Profile Image for Carole Craddock.
281 reviews3 followers
October 29, 2023
Another magical book in the series! Someone has murdered the new health inspector! Or was it an accident? The merchants in Holiday Hills are all upset with her because of low inspection scores this new inspector is giving, but someone takes their anger a little too far and Abby and her BFF Stella, along with their familiars Cooper and Pony, set out to find out what really happened, with the guidance of Gabe, the town's police chief and Abby's significant other. Soon they learn it may go beyond health inspection scores as they uncover more clues. In addition, Bessie's parrot familiar, Mr. Charming's infatuation with Stella keeps me smiling it's so adorable.
1,397 reviews4 followers
November 11, 2023
Abby returns in another Holiday Hills mystery. There’s a new health inspector in town and everyone is getting poor ratings. The town is worried as poor ratings will lose their tourist trade. As Abby and her friend Stella try to help their bakery friend clean, the health inspector walks in and is bitten by a snake. So the question is was this an accident or intentional? And is the new man in town Stella’s new boyfriend? Lots to enjoy in this book.
Profile Image for Sue Rae Buck.
345 reviews7 followers
May 30, 2024
Sharp Dressed Witch is the 16th book in the seriess of The Witches of Holiday Hills Cozy Mystery by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson where we meet the new health expector, Ronnie. Everyone is upset with her because of their low ratings. Then Ronnie ends up dead and everyone believes it was n accident except Abby, Stella, and Gabe. Who didn't wnt Ronnie dead? Can they figure this mystery out before something else happens. Such a great book and wonderful characters.
1,397 reviews4 followers
December 5, 2024
Abby returns in another Holiday Hills mystery. There’s a new health inspector in town and everyone is getting poor ratings. The town is worried as poor ratings will lose their tourist trade. As Abby and her friend Stella try to help their bakery friend clean, the health inspector walks in and is bitten by a snake. So the question is was this an accident or intentional? And is the new man in town Stella’s new boyfriend? Lots to enjoy in this book.
1,270 reviews19 followers
October 30, 2023
Sharp Dressed Witch is a fantastic paranormal cozy mystery. It is fun and entertaining. I like the characters, especially Copper and Pony the animal familiars. This book is well written and engaging. The mystery has many twists and turns to keep you guessing. I really enjoyed this book. This is a great series.
Profile Image for Sandy.
873 reviews14 followers
December 18, 2023
When the universally despised restaurant health inspector dies under mysterious conditions, there are plenty of suspects. This fun cozy mystery series has a great cast of characters (human, furry and feathered) and nice twisty plots. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.
Profile Image for Denise .
803 reviews9 followers
October 31, 2023
This is such a fun series! The series has great characters, but the familiars - Cooper, Pony and Mr. Charming - steal the show! They add so much humor and personality! The storyline is creative and engaging! This is a thoroughly entertaining story and is a great addition to the series!
Profile Image for Jenny  Zimmerman.
1,659 reviews71 followers
November 23, 2023
I loved this story so much!!

The characters are still amazing and so loveable. I so enjoy reading about each character.

The storyline was incredible. Such a fun and addicting mystery. I always love solving the mysteries and this story was no different and I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Kirk.
607 reviews9 followers
December 26, 2024
These books are a delight!

Well written, great characters, and well thought murders, make these book easy, and fun, to read. Abby, her familiar Cooper, keeps the mysteries interesting, and often hilarious.
Profile Image for E.
1,873 reviews
November 11, 2023
Highly Recommend!

Every visit to Holiday Hills is a magical advent. Great book. Well written with fantastic characters. I look forward to more.
Profile Image for Mellie Miller.
Author 15 books27 followers
December 19, 2023
Loved it

Another fun romp with the magicals of Holiday Hills. A fun read as I expected from this author and series.
Profile Image for Lee Brothers.
1,359 reviews14 followers
March 14, 2025
Way too much agressive interrogation. It was kind of scarey. I'm surprised someone didn't kill them half way thru the book. I'm surprised cause I love the rest of her books.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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