THE WITCH IS BACK

A witch with a special connection to books helps an Oregon town plunged into chaos byblackmail and murder.

Josie Way doesn’t need to use her witch’s powers to tell that her mother hasn’t made a surprise visit just to spend time with her. After many years of a marriage in which she’s been ignored by her husband (a classic absent-minded intellectual), Nora Way sounds all but ready to bid him farewell. Josie can’t believe it, but as her mom stays on in Wilfred and develops a friendship with shifty art appraiser Emilio Landau, she wonders if her family really is going to fall apart. Nor is that the only drama in the small town. Local residents have received a series of blackmailing poison-pen letters threatening to spill their secrets all over town. What makes these letters unique, almost charming, is that the secrets and demands are such small potatoes. Is it really worth $20 to keep the secret that someone’s been fishing without a permit? But things get more serious when a clifftop manor at the edge of town becomes the site of a murder. After the Aerie's owner, Rev. Clarence Duffy, died, the property becomes more attraction than residence, and now it’s truly a tragedy that the body of one of Duffy’s adult sons is found at the foot of its cliffs. Even though the townsfolk don’t know that Josie has a witchy ability to communicate with books, they still hope she’ll uncover the murderer and restore their sense of safety. Josie seeks the help of her boyfriend, Sheriff Sam, but struggles with the prospect of telling him the truth about her witch history—until she receives a poison-pen letter of her own.

Best when it leans into lightness and humor rather than the dark side.