Verse and Vengeance: A Magical Bookshop Mystery

Verse and Vengeance by Amanda Flower is the fourth A Magical Bookshop Mystery. There is a delightful cast of characters in this magical tale. Violet Waverly has just finished teaching another semester at the local college as well as defending her dissertation which has earned her the right to put doctor before her name. She is looking forward to working in the shop and spending time with her boyfriend, Chief David Rainwater. Daisy Waverly is Violet’s grandmother and the new mayor of Cascade Springs. Things are never dull when Daisy is around. She came up with the idea for the Cascade Springs Underground Railroad Museum and ran short of funding when issues were discovered with the foundation of the Village Hall. There is Emerson the tuxedo cat that manages to follow Violet around the village (a master escape artist) and Faulkner is the crow that resides in the magical birch tree and calls out unique quotes as well as dropping books into Violet’s path. There are a variety of charming residents and shop owners plus a curmudgeon or two. I just love the descriptions of this quant town. There are some adorable shops and it is close to Niagara Falls. The mystery was multifaceted with several suspects and good clues. While I could identify the guilty party, it took longer to figure out the why. This was a unique whodunit. I like how everything tied together. Amanda crafted a unique mystery that tied in Walt Whitman. I especially enjoyed how literature with the help of the essence tied into the whodunit. Verse and Vengeance also has romance with David and Violet at the forefront, but there is also Daisy and a certain fellow who is smitten with her. Plus, Violet’s department chair might finally work up the nerve to ask out a certain librarian. There is humor sprinkled throughout the story that had me chuckling. That Emerson is quite a character. Thanks to Amanda Flower’s descriptions, I could envision that cat in Violet’s bicycle basket. Violet’s father returns which brings up old feelings of resentment and confusion. Can Violet and her father find a way to move forward? Verse and Vengeance can be read as a standalone for those new to the series, but why would you not want to read all the books in this enchanting series. The ending of Verse and Vengeance is very special, and I cannot wait for the next book in this enchanting series. Verse and Vengeance is a spellbinding tale with an enigmatic essence, perplexing poetry, a curious cat, dynamic Daisy, a pesky PI, and a flawed foundation.