Hex Marks the Spot

Hex Marks the Spot has been my introduction to the Bewitching Mystery series and I liked it a lot. Maggie O'Neill, empath and sensitive, is an engaging heroine. She's a life-long resident of the fictional small town of Stony Mill, Indiana. Maggie is 29 and her powers activated only six months ago. She's having trouble adjusting. From references to events in the two earlier books, A Charmed Death and The Trouble With Magic, Maggie is afraid of her powers.

There are two attractive men in Maggie's life. Deputy Tom Fielding has two strikes against him in my book: he's showing interest in Maggie although he's only separated from his wife, not divorced, and he's not open-minded about the supernatural/paranormal. I like the mysterious Marcus show more Quinn better. He and Maggie are both members of N.I.G.H.T.S., the Northeastern Indiana Ghost Hunting and Tracking Society. He's also the magical partner of Felicity 'Liss' Dow, Maggie's boss, so we know he's a believer. On the other hand, Maggie's reaction to the author photo on Liss' copy of The Light-worker's Complete Encyclopedia of Magical Symbols makes me wonder if Liss' nephew, Dr. Merrick C. Butler, might be in Maggie's future. (That is, if Dr. Butler can get away from the Parapsychology Unit at the University of Edinburgh.)

There's plenty to make the reader chuckle (such as the titles of Maggie's Magnum, P.I. tapes -- see chapter 7) as well as spooky moments. Something dark has come to Stony Mills and it wouldn't surprise me if the-Devil-is-everywhere Reverend Baxter Martin and his First Evangelical Church of Light might turn out to be part of it, either directly or because their nasty, narrow little hearts are creating an opening for evil to enter. Not in this book, though.

Cat lovers, the cat on the cover does not appear in here. Dog Lovers, there is a sweet pooch to enjoy.

I look forward to reading more of this series. show less

Hex Marks the Spot was the first book I read in the Bewitching Mystery series and my least favorite. A lot of interesting ghost action in this novel and the mystery itself was good, if forgotten at some point. The focus shifts from the murder to the growing love-triangle between Tom, Maggie and Marcus and seems to forget to return to the murder for a good chunk of time. Once back on the trail of the killer, the mystery is quickly and neatly wrapped up, leaving only Maggie's love life up in the air. A lot of sub-plots seemed to be competing for attention in Hex Marks the Spot and I think it distracts from the point, the mystery, of the novel. That's definitely not a bad thing, just not quite ideal. I love the relationships in this show more series, but I do hope that the next book stays on track better. show less

Well dumb-bunny is finally "getting" it....that paranormal is "normal"...and the Hottie Cop is back and finally beginning to believe.

She's standing up to her mother a tad, there was a good mystery, and she didn't do anything really stoopid this time around.

So, they are at the Town Festival, and there are Amish there selling their wares & foods. 1 particular Amish man is Too Hot for his own good and knowing it....his wife (a "seer") gives dumb-bunny a warning and later the husband is found on the side of the road with his head bashed in...

There was a bit about Hex signs, but not really enough information there...and we get to know more about historical rumors turning into truth...lies people tell themselves....and the ghost in the show more library basement.

I liked this book and I'm glad I stuck with the series. show less

At first I did not like the book or the blithering blathering narrative.... Just like a silly excited teen, going on & on & on about herself....

When I finally got past chapter one, then I became more interested, although I did continue to skim throughout most of the book.

Margaret Mary Catherine O'Neill (Maggie) is an empath, which is not the same as a psychic. She "feels" things but can not usually "know" or decipher what is going on. She works in a metaphysical shop whose owner, Felicity, runs a ghost hunting & tracking group.

Maggie & Felicity go to a local festival where the local Amish have booths & sell their wares. One of the pieces a lovely & intricately carved Armoire is bid on by Felicity, but she loses to an older woman... The show more woodworker is a stunningly handsome Amish man by the name of Luc Metzger who is "more handsome than a man sporting a jawline-only beard has any right to be".

Shortly before the end of the festival, Luc goes off to do some work, leaving his wife behind in a state of upset.... On the way home after the festival, Maggie is held up in traffic by a congregation of Amish Buggies, what she & her friend Marcus find is the body of Luc, bashed in the back of the head.

As Maggie investigates she finds that she & her metaphysically blessed friends are not the only ones who work with magic & hexes. show less

#3 Maggie O’Neill paranormal mystery, latest in the so-called “Bewitching” mysteries. Wanted to get just one more series completed this month, and this one is wishlisted by a ton of folks at paperbackswap so decided to read it and move it along to the next on the list. I enjoyed this book more than the last one—not sure why, really. I like Maggie’s character, though I think she might be heading into Stephanie Plum territory—torn between two men and all that, which would be mightily annoying to me. I hope the author decides to pick one or another and get on with it and doesn’t further degrade the series by making it a romance in the guise of a mystery. ::sigh:: In this book, an Amish man is murdered brutally, and at first show more seems to be part of a growing trend of violence against the area’s Amish. But further investigation indicates that this was a personal attack against Luc, and that is borne out as Maggie works with her sometime-boyfriend Tom, a policeman, as well as the members of N.I.G.H.T.S., the local ‘ghostbusters.’ Once again, I have to say the ‘witchy bits’ are done well and I'm hoping the author is continuing the series--I don't see any word of a new one yet. show less

A fun continuation of the Bewitching Mysteries series, "Hex Marks The Spot" again finds Maggie involved in a murder investigation, when an Amish artisan is bludgeoned outside the small town of Stony Mill. I like a mystery where the clues are clear enough that the reader can figure things out just a bit before the reveal. Alt does a good job of this, though perhaps I had it figured out a little too early. Nonetheless, I had fun returning to the characters, and enjoyed the heating romantic triangle between Maggie, Tom the cop, and Marcus the witch. Personally, I'm rooting for Marcus, but we'll see.

Maggie O'Neill, shop clerk, Magnum PI addict and maybe witch, just can't get away from murder. This time a studly Amish craftsman is murdered and the crime seems to be connected to a series of hex signs. Maggie investigates, despite the warnings of her almost boyfriend.

This is a really fun series. It is a quick read that leaves you satisfied. I will be reading the next in the series soon.