At Wick's End

Candlemaking Mystery #1

by Tim Myers

Harrison Black soon discovers that he has inherited more than just his Great-Aunt Belle's candle shop when someone ransacks her apartment, forcing Harrison to embark an investigation that could get him snuffed out. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Suspense, Detective, Ebooks

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 3, 2004

About the author

Also writes under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Bright, Melissa Glazer, Chris Cavender, and Jessica Beck.

Tim Myers is the author of dozens of short stories published in mystery magazines and anthologies. He lives with his family near the Blue Ridge Mountains he loves and writes about. He is the award-winning author of the Agatha nominated Lighthouse Inn mystery series as well as over seventy short stories. Tim has been a stay-at-home dad for the last twelve years, finding time for murder and mayhem whenever he can.

Series:
* A Lighthouse Inn Mystery
* A Candlemaking Mystery
* A Soapmaking Mystery

Reviews

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very depressing read and I'm irked that I'm writing a review for this book. But I must do so, in order to register as many reviews as ratings. I've changed the rating from an insanely over generous three stars to a one because this book is full of nasty characters. And the only good person dies before chapter one. Tim Myers is not at his best here, and I prefer him as Chris Cavender. Enough said.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good start to the series. I like Harrison and the candle shop setting is fun, it even inspired me to light a candle tonight. The mystery was good and kept me guessing. Recipes and candle making instructions included. #readforkimberly

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrison's great-aunt has died, and she left Harrison her candle shop. Harrison knows nothing about the business, but while trying to figure it out, he also figures out that his great-aunt was murdered. I like the character but the plot could have been better.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Sandra Dagg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this one yesterday, so thought I'd better review it now, as I've already started the 2nd book. To my memory, which is not perfect by a long shot, I think this is the first mystery I've read since the Nancy Drew books as a teenager. If I'm wrong, then whatever I read must not have impressed me much! Anyhow, I DID enjoy THIS mystery, found it held my interest, and all the various characters in the warehouse block were part of the reason for that. I didn't figure out 'whodunit', but for me, that's not important. I don't begin to think of myself as any type of sleuth, but I found that I did enjoy reading about one. The book was not overly long, but descriptive enough to enable me to picture each scenario easily. I feel I'm going to enjoy this series...what I'd call a 'light' murder mystery, and I'm not trying to belittle a very serious crime. However, with all the autopsy scenery in today's television shows, and probably in many books as well, I have to say I much prefer reading something that dwells more on the mystery of the crime than the actual gore of it all. Definitely recommend to anyone who likes a mystery that's not on the heavy-handed side.

[Cheryl Landmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light, pleasant cozy read with the main character being a male for a change. Most cozy mysteries seem to focus on young women who own some sort of unusual shop or bookstore in a small town. This one had a young man, Harrison Black, who inherited his great aunt's candlemaking shop and a murder as well.

The candlemaking process sounded quite interesting and fun. The characters were likeable and slightly quirky, and, although the mystery was not particularly deep and complex, it was not overly predictable, either. As another reviewer mentioned, though, the book might have been better without the prologue so that the reader is left in suspense and has to solve the murder right along with Harrison.

All in all, this was an easy, enjoyable mystery and I will probably continue on with the series in the near future.

[Teresa Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. The characters are so likable that they feel like people you already know. As usual, I was able to solve the mystery way before the end of the book, but it was great.

[Fairlee Corkran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this more than I thought I would. Will continue to read this series

[Agnesxnitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely, easy to read cozy mystery.
I ripped through this in a lunch half hour and an evening at home.
Sometimes you need a book you don't need to think about, one you can just read and follow along - it's restful.
Harrison Black inherits his late Great Aunt's candlemaking shop in North Carolina. When he arrives to take possession of his new business, Harrison finds that its not just a candlemaking shop but an entire complex of independant shops and traders he has inherited from his Great Aunt. Amongst the new age crystals, coffee shop, lawyer, a mysterious reclamation agent, and a physiologist turned handyman, Harrison feels he might just have found a home and new friends, but something about his Great Aunt's death is niggling him. She didn't like heights and her colleague continually tells him that Belle didn't like ladders - so why was she climbing one alone late at night in her store when she fell? As well as this, and his settling in, Harrison and his fellow inhabitants of the complex start to suffer from a spate of petty thefts - are these and the death of Belle connected?
First in a new series. I'm not sure I would buy this new, but a 99p find in a charity shop in Oakham, Leics this month works for me. I will add this to my next charity bag donation.

[Kellene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice, easy little cozy, and I enjoyed it immensely. One of the main draws may have been the fact that the MC was male, an oddity in the genre. I found myself enjoying Harrison and his passion for learning everything necessary about running the candle shop. It was refreshing to find an MC that didn't know everything already. Also, the surrounding characters in River's Edge are interesting, just quirky enough to make me want to know them and what is going on in their shops. Needless to say, the NC setting and the fact that I knew most of the towns named in the book made it even more fun to read. The action moved pretty quickly, and I had a hard time putting the book down until I had it finished. I had my suspicions about the culprit but wasn't positive until the resolution. I will definitely be continuing in the series.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrison Black is in a dead end job trying to sell over priced computers when he discovers that he is the sole beneficiary of his Great Aunt Belle's will. He has been left a building (which is partly let out to shops, partly offices and partly his late Aunt's apartment) and her Candle making business.  Harrison needs to jump in at the deep end to learn how to make candles when a rather rich customer will only learn from him, at the same time he isn't sure that Belle's death was the accident that every one says it is. He is on a steep learning curve but luckily he is starting to make some good friends and more to the point is enjoying the art and craft of candle making .... now if he can just figure out who wanted Belle dead ....

[John Barclay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew when I started this book that it was a simple cozy mystery, but... sigh, this cozy?

Nothing really interesting here, I finished it mainly because I had a time where I only had this to read and got far enough in to want to find out which improbable thing happened to make the story come out.

I didn't give it one star because I like candlemaking and cozy mysteries are a style that can be fun to read sometimes.

Way to simple, goofy, pointless and poorly written.

When did you ever have a conversation where people used the full name of every shop they visited? "I was at The Cozy Spot and then when to At Wick's End and then to The Other Cute Name Place and finally eneded up here at I Need to Remind the Reader Who the Character Is". Yikes.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Tim Myer's soap making series so figured I would try his candlemaking series. I am so glad I did. Harrison Black hasn't done much with his life. He has gone from one dead end job to another. That all changes when his Great Aunt dies in an accident or was it. After a few break ins and money being stolen Harrison thinks there is a link between the death of a jewelry store owner and his great aunt. While learning how to make candles, run a business, become a landlord and make a new life Harrison decides to set out to solve the murder. This book has a great set of characters. It is a fast paced interesting story that makes me wanting to learn how to make my own candles. The story had a lot of suspects and kept me guessing almost to the end.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really lame murder mystery set in small NC tourist town. Victim is murdered in the first few pages, and killer is unmasked in the final pages, but in between the incompetent sleuth suspects everyone around him one minute then appreciates all of them for being there for him the next minute. Most annoying was his habit of not depositing the daily receipts from his little candle shop, so all cash is stolen one night, then a few days later he forgets about the deposits for that day and leaves it unattended. And what was his ex-girlfriend snooping around for? Many loose ends and unexplained details throughout.

[Allison Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the start of this new series. The mystery was fairly simplistic, but the setting and characters were cute and left me wanting to learn more. The specialized store in a small town that magically supports the MC and staff is a typically annoying cozy theme, but I'd have to quit reading cozies if it bothered me that much. I was just thinking about pumpkin doughnuts and now a recipe magically appears. This book was meant to be. :D

[Esther Fulkerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harrison Black was fond of his great-aunt, but had lost touch with her over the years. Then he didn't get to see her again when he received word she passed and left him her business. Feeling directionless, Harrison decides to at least check it out. That's when the mysteries begin to crop up. What is happening in the sleepy town and why?

I enjoyed the story as an airplane read. Easy enough to follow the story without being too taxing on the brain.

[Jane Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrison finds out his great aunt Belle has died and left him her candle shop but not just the shop but an whole array of other shops and offices he is now landlord to, when break in accure and then his brakes on his truck get cut he realized someone may have killed his great aunt, can he find out who did it and learn how to run the shop

[Sylvia O · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun - wouldn't mind checking out more by this author.

[Susan Moxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bookm about a young man named Harrison who inherrits a candlemaking shop from his great aunt. He must figure out who killed her along with learning all about how to make candles.

[Monica Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked his soap making series, so I thought I would give his candle making series a try. A little lackluster, but fair for being old.

[Gale · Rating 5 out of 5]

New series. Very good. Loved the characters and the mystery

[Randee Baty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy mysteries, one of my favorite genres, are known for having the main character own some sort of shop. It seems to me that many of these shops could never stay in business, especially since so many of them are in small towns. There would never be enough business to keep the doors open. That was my first thought as I started At Wick’s End by Tim Myers.

Our hero, Harrison Black, inherits his aunt’s candlemaking shop upon her death. Really? A whole shop with nothing but candlemaking equipment? Maybe if you live in New York City or Chicago but not in a small town or even a small city. We couldn’t even keep a Radio Shack in our town. As it turns out, he inherits not only the shop but the whole building which has a number of tenants. He also inherits an apartment in the building. Through a number of clues, he believes his aunt was murdered and, of course, sets out to find the murderer.

Harrison Black is a likeable character. The secondary characters are likeable. The story is clean and the mystery is not overly-simplistic but not overly-taxing. It’s light, it’s entertaining, it’s not deep. A pleasant way to pass a couple of hours. I won’t mind reading the rest of the series. It’s what I would call a mid-list cozy. Not the best I’ve read, far from the worst I’ve read.

[Michelle Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candlemaking, I've only briefly tried my hand at the simple poured candles, but a cozy mystery set in a candle shop, well that is right up my alley.

The book starts with a phone call, telling Harrison that his great0aunt has passed away and that he has inherited her candlemaking shop, along with the whole building that houses the shop, including some other craft type stores and an apartment upstairs.

The more Harrison gets to know the people and how things work, he is not so sure that his aunts death was actually an accident. Of course no one wants to believe that so it is up to Harrison to figure out what really happened. All the while learning the candle making craft and how to be a shop owner and a landlord.

This was a short book, quick read and the characters were fairly well written, enough so that i wanted to read the next book. I am still finding a few of the characters hard to read and understand, they are being revealed slowly, but i am interested enough to keep reading.

[Cheryl H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading about Harrison learning about candlemaking - a craft his recently departed dear Great-aunt Belle had loved. I developed a fondness for his aunt through everyone's descriptions of her. She sounded like a lady I would have loved to meet.

The mystery was fun, too. And I really liked that Harrison was skeptical of everyone. It made me chuckle out loud a few times, even though I read it while under the weather.

While I feel like the book introduced me pretty well to Harrison, I felt I am only just beginning to get to know the inhabitants of River's Edge. Which is OK. Leaves plenty to discover in the rest of the series.

I have added book 2 to my TBR list, but may just end up buying it very soon and adding it straight to "currently reading". I still want more of the story.

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cozy mystery type of novel. This is the opening novel in Myers' "Candle shop mysteries". Harrison Black inherit from his great aunt Belle's her candle shop and building which houses a few other small businesses and offices. Harrison dives right into his new life and becomes suspicious of the details of his great aunt's death. A array of colorful yet not really multi dimensional characters fill the space. Despite an ex-girlfriend and another woman flirting with Harrison, I don't buy that he's all that "straight" anyway. Average plot, average secondary characters, a lead that is okay. I have the other three novels in that series so I'll see if it improves.

[Lorri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just imagine being stuck in a deadend job and receiving a call from your great aunt's lawyer telling you that you've inherited her candle shop with the stipulation that you learn how to run it and keep it for at least one year. So you move into the town where your aunt lived in an discover that not only did she leave you the shop but a lovely apartment above it and indeed you are the landlord to the entire building when it begins to dawn on you that maybe your aunt's death isn't an accident and perhaps the murderer is one of the tentants in your building...

[NotQuiteAllHere · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun quick read mystery. The plot was simple, the characters are cute, and there is quite a bit of talk about food of coffee which always makes me happy. The mystery was well timed by the time I decided who the murder was just before Harrison was ready to confront them. I didn't figure out for sure too quick so then you are sitting there the whole time going "that is the bad guy" which is irritating but worst are the ones that never give to enough information until after the revele the bad guy. This mystery was just about right though a little simple

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am enjoying this book about a young man named Harrison Black who inherits his great Aunts candle shop AT Wicks End. He is currently trying get the shop running and making a profit, while learning candle making and running his own businness. On top of that he is trying to solve his Great Aunt Belle's murder. Great little mystery. Quick read.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

There seems to be a tendency in some kinds of US mysteries for titles with puns in them, and a hook which they can then add helpful tips about. Tim Myers definitely has both! That said, his various characters are fun, and the settings are interesting.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fluffy mystery that focuses on candlemaking. Plot is poorly paced, but it's easy reading.

[Janell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable murder mystery that takes place at a candle shop. Great characters. (Clean plot and language.)