Death Comes Ashore (Witch Island Mysteries)

Truly, I was not impressed by this volume. I liked the premise (magick on an island keeping it invisible to the 'danes, police investigations, a tough woman police investigator), and it fit a group challenge. Definitely building on the premise of Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magick, the action takes place on an island off the Northeastern coast.

The murder mystery portion, and the international scope of it, was well-told and gripping. The originality of a cartel preying on young women could be taken right out of the headlines. And the initial re-telling of the magical abuse of the main character, Corey, was well-done and an important facet of her character. But. It didn't stop with the initial re-telling, nor the second mention a show more page later, or on the following few paragraphs. It became more navel-gazing or a character stuck in her past than a well-told murder mystery.

And Corey's reaction to having to face her own panic attacks is another realistic part of recovery. But again, the format of a magical murder mystery is not the place for exploring how PTSD affects survivors, page after page after page. The flow of the mystery was too broken up with Corey's musings, fears, and feelings to garner my continued interest. show less