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Musical Mayhem #2
Death and a Duet
In the enchanting town of Ledstow, where the mystical blends with everyday life, Esther is just getting to grips with being a witch and getting to know Clark, the local policeman.
When the lead actor of a local play is discovered dead, it seems unsuspicious from the outside. But when Clark reveals a supernatural connection, Esther suspects they need to step into the limelight themselves in order to unravel the truth.
Between her grandmother teaching her magic, intense rehearsals and a tapestry of secrets among the musical production’s eclectic cast and crew, Esther hardly has time to wonder why Clark’s keeping it strictly professional.
On one final night, Esther must pull off a show-stopping performance and solve the case before the curtain falls.
Death and a Duet is the second book in the enchanting Musical Mayhem series. If you like witty female sleuths, ghost-hunting, quirky neighbours and sweet slow-burn romance, you will love these magical cozy mysteries.
When the lead actor of a local play is discovered dead, it seems unsuspicious from the outside. But when Clark reveals a supernatural connection, Esther suspects they need to step into the limelight themselves in order to unravel the truth.
Between her grandmother teaching her magic, intense rehearsals and a tapestry of secrets among the musical production’s eclectic cast and crew, Esther hardly has time to wonder why Clark’s keeping it strictly professional.
On one final night, Esther must pull off a show-stopping performance and solve the case before the curtain falls.
Death and a Duet is the second book in the enchanting Musical Mayhem series. If you like witty female sleuths, ghost-hunting, quirky neighbours and sweet slow-burn romance, you will love these magical cozy mysteries.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 25, 2023
13 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Jackways
16 books366 followersI was the girl lost in books, but I never thought I'd be the one writing them.
After a massive earthquake, I travelled with my family to France and spent a year exploring and making plenty of faux pas along the way.
It was there, among the cobbled streets and palpable history that I started writing. And never stopped. I write the strange, the hidden, the psychological and the magical.
You can find me between dogs, kids and coffee cups in New Zealand.
After a massive earthquake, I travelled with my family to France and spent a year exploring and making plenty of faux pas along the way.
It was there, among the cobbled streets and palpable history that I started writing. And never stopped. I write the strange, the hidden, the psychological and the magical.
You can find me between dogs, kids and coffee cups in New Zealand.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 25, 2023
Death and a Duet, the second instalment of the Musical Mayhem series . The first was a hoot and this one is just darn tooting. If only there wasn’t another murder that is…this time in the shape of the local play’s lead actor playing as it were the deceased. When Clark , local policeman and love interest reveals it has a supernatural connection, Esther the novice witch who’s being mentored by grandma. Enter stage right Esther sleuth extraordinaire to unthread the tapestry of deception and come out singing or ahem die trying. A brilliantly orchestrated cosy mystery that has the right notes to build a symphony, musical mayhem indeed ! Bravo! Well written , with awesome characters , quirky sleuth, love interest, sidekick…quirky township , secrets, imaginative and immersive storytelling prowess that you never want to end.
I read a free copy of this book and my review is voluntary and in my own words
I read a free copy of this book and my review is voluntary and in my own words
September 9, 2023
The romantic subplot is so cute! Also, I love the magic system of enchanted music. Such a fun idea and a quick, cute read. The sweet relationship between the main character and her grandmother was my favorite!
October 17, 2023
3⭐️ Death and Duet is a cosy witch mystery with Gilmore girl vibes (think quirky familiar town with a lot of friendly chats happening in the town hotspots, like the coffee shop and the drama society) where we follow Esther, a witch who, at 30 has just found out she’s a musical witch.
When we think about a cosy read we often think small town, yummy food, quirky characters and a tight friend group, and Death and Duet has all that. Then we have the mystery surrounding the death of a local actor to keep us invested in the small town happenings.
The similarities between Death and a Duet and Gilmore Girls continue with our large cast of characters who flit in and out of the story. This made the small town feel much more real but also meant that it was hard to get to know them all well enough to care much about them. (If you aren’t a character driven reader like me then this will probably not bother you at all)
The slow burn romance between our slueths, Esther and Clark (the academic studying paranormal behaviour working undercover as a police officer) was very slow and quite awkward. It seemed their only interactions were within the mystery they were trying to solve so I didn’t feel much of a connection between them.
This was a quick, easy read with a slow paced story, perfect for a lazy weekend on the couch with a cuppa.
Reading order:
The author mentioned that this book could be read without reading the first book, and I agree it can, but did feel like I was with friends and was missing the ‘inside joke’ for a lot of the story which did bother me enough to have wished I had read the first book before moving onto this one.
When we think about a cosy read we often think small town, yummy food, quirky characters and a tight friend group, and Death and Duet has all that. Then we have the mystery surrounding the death of a local actor to keep us invested in the small town happenings.
The similarities between Death and a Duet and Gilmore Girls continue with our large cast of characters who flit in and out of the story. This made the small town feel much more real but also meant that it was hard to get to know them all well enough to care much about them. (If you aren’t a character driven reader like me then this will probably not bother you at all)
The slow burn romance between our slueths, Esther and Clark (the academic studying paranormal behaviour working undercover as a police officer) was very slow and quite awkward. It seemed their only interactions were within the mystery they were trying to solve so I didn’t feel much of a connection between them.
This was a quick, easy read with a slow paced story, perfect for a lazy weekend on the couch with a cuppa.
Reading order:
The author mentioned that this book could be read without reading the first book, and I agree it can, but did feel like I was with friends and was missing the ‘inside joke’ for a lot of the story which did bother me enough to have wished I had read the first book before moving onto this one.
October 8, 2023
This is the second book in a series. I had not read the first one but I could clearly follow the storyline.
Esther is a young "musical witch." She is not a stranger to odd occurrences. She is dating a policeman who also happens to be studying paranormal activity. The story begins on Twelfth Night during a celebration of the same. There is a scream heard all through the town. The next day we discover that someone died at that time.
Esther and Clark suspect murder. They work together, going undercover as actors to discover the truth and catch the culprits.
There are twists and turns and narrative misdirection that lead us bit by bit to the killer.
I enjoyed this quick, easy read. The characters were well-written.
I received an advanced reader's copy of this book.
Esther is a young "musical witch." She is not a stranger to odd occurrences. She is dating a policeman who also happens to be studying paranormal activity. The story begins on Twelfth Night during a celebration of the same. There is a scream heard all through the town. The next day we discover that someone died at that time.
Esther and Clark suspect murder. They work together, going undercover as actors to discover the truth and catch the culprits.
There are twists and turns and narrative misdirection that lead us bit by bit to the killer.
I enjoyed this quick, easy read. The characters were well-written.
I received an advanced reader's copy of this book.
October 31, 2023
Death and a Duet: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery is book #2 in the Musical Mayhem series by K.M. Jackways.
This was a cute, quick read. I like Esther and Clark and Esther’s nan. The characters are well-developed. I like the concept of a musical witch. The action started early in the book. There were plenty of twists that kept the investigation interesting.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a cute, quick read. I like Esther and Clark and Esther’s nan. The characters are well-developed. I like the concept of a musical witch. The action started early in the book. There were plenty of twists that kept the investigation interesting.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 30, 2026
Interesting not much paranormal
Interesting idea, part of series. There were paranormal aspects mention of witches but limited magic, one episode of fox shifter. Murder committed was not magical. Enjoyable cozy mystery with paranormalnaspects.
Interesting idea, part of series. There were paranormal aspects mention of witches but limited magic, one episode of fox shifter. Murder committed was not magical. Enjoyable cozy mystery with paranormalnaspects.
March 14, 2026
An infinitely better story than the first book. Im glad I gave this one a go instead of deleting it right off the Kindle.
I'll pick up the next one if it should ever go free on Amazon.
I'll pick up the next one if it should ever go free on Amazon.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews