By Familiar Means

AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall 4 Narration 4 Story 5 SO much going on in this story! Anna has decided to stay in Portsmouth, as she’s made some friends, met some of the women from her grandmother’s coven, discovered that she and Alistair the cat have rapport, and finds the city to her liking. But, she’s got to find a way to make some money, and an offer appears in forform of a series of murals for a new coffee shop location, if she’ll also exorcise the ghosts from the building. Anna’s kind of up for anything, even as she doesn’t know how to remove ghosts, or even where to start, but needs must and her investigations at the building turn up Bootlegger’s smuggling tunnels, and a newly dead body. And then the fun really begins! Anna’s Grandma BB arrives back in town after a falling out with her coven, and she’s helping Anna understand her own abilities, sorting out her own issues with the coven, and dabbling in the mystery as it unfolds. Of course, Anna as the discoverer of the body is a suspect, as are the coffee shop owners who hired her, and the twists and turns are real. When you add in some very real concerns in terms of maintaining historic elements and small business in lieu of tried and true national big box stores, the history of smuggling and Portsmouth’s proximity to open water, Anna’s newly found ‘skill’ and Alistair the cat’s multiple inputs into her life, the mystery and as general adorable-ness, the story is clever, twisty and the reveal is wonderful. Picking up from A Familiar Tail, Elise Arsenault again narrates this installment, and her presentation of the different characters, and the continuity with Anna’s portrayal is wonderfully skilled: each new character is imbued with the ‘descriptive adjectives’ that James introduced them with: the coffee house owners, a touch of hippie-dippy is clearly presented, Grandma BB sounds older, but also has her own quirks and reveals – each bringing about an easy understanding of who is speaking, what they are feeling and even adding to the visual image the listener has in their head. Easily followed out of order, I still think the best way here is to go in order – mostly to get the sense of place that newcomer Annabelle brings, and the charm that convinces her to stay in Portsmouth, as well as the clever mysteries to solve using some magic, some guesswork and lots of dead ends. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Tantor Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.