Enchanted Bay Mysteries #3
Disclosure: this is the first book of this series I have read. I loved it so much I’ve already added the others to Mount-to-be-Read. If you like the magical mysteries of Heather Blake and Madelyn Alt, you need to read this series!
It’s fall and seaside Bellamy Bay, NC is getting ready for Oktoberfest. Aleksandra (Alex) Daniels is busy filling orders at her aunt’s apothecary shop, including secret herbal ingredients for newspaper editor Jonah Fox who is brewing up his special beer for the Oktoberfest beer competition. Alex is getting used to her recently-discovered magical heritage while keeping it a secret from her no-nonsense boyfriend police detective Jack Frazier.
While everyone else is excited about Fall and Halloween, the anniversary of a cold case is approaching and Alex’s friend Pepper is busy researching it so she can write about it for the local paper. Forty years ago ten women disappeared, presumably the work a serial kidnapper/killer dubbed The Fisherman.
The plot thickens when Pepper’s boss, Jonah Fox, is found dead on the beach with a wounded woman nearby. Has The Fisherman returned? Or was Jonah murdered for the secret recipe for his beer carried in exclusive local restaurants?
As Alex ponders her own magical powers, inherited from a mermaid ancestor, she can’t help but wonder of The Fisherman also has magical powers. Could that be why he’s never been seen and his victims have never been found?
When Pepper asks Alex to help her research The Fisherman cold case, they are astonished to discover a cache of info in Jonah’s apartment. No only did he collect everything ever written about The Fisherman, he had a list of the victims plus the names of other women the same age. Was Jonah killed because he figured out the identity of The Fisherman?
As the case develops, it becomes clear that magic is an essential element. No spoilers, but Alex learns what happened to the missing women and learns a lot about her magical mermaid heritage. The use of magic in the plot is unique, complex and very well done, which is why I can hardly wait to read the rest of the series. — Cathy Akers-Jordan