Tasty
Since this is the sixth book in the series and I own paperback copies of each, it's safe to say I enjoy Bailey Cates' writing. Her characters are well fleshed out, motivations make sense and the action is mostly what you'd expect in any story, magical or not. The town of Savannah where the action takes place is large, but the group Katie interacts with is a much smaller circle of people.
What intrigued me most about this one is Katie's familiar, Mungo. In this mystery, the accused innocent is actually Mungo's former witch partner. So watching Katie struggle with the jealousy and fear of loss that their reunion engenders enhances her responses. Because of this she's understandably less enthusiastic about clearing up this mystery than others before.
What I didn't care for was the convenient manner in which Katie's rejected suitor, Steve, is removed as an obstacle in her relationship with her boyfriend Declan. Steve's attempt to use a spell to force Katie to love him isn't out of character. It's what happens when he shows up at her house to beg forgiveness that seems like a cop-out. No, I won't give any more details because spoilers.
Figuring out who the murderer was was actually pretty simple but not so obvious as to be patronizing. All in all, a worthwhile story, as long as you're not expecting too much depth.
