A Whiff of Murder - by Angela M Sanders (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This intoxicating debut spin-off of the author's popular small-town Oregon-set Witch Way Librarian mysteries features an intriguing young woman with a unique connection to the magical realm of scent. Sometimes, she can even sniff out a killer . . .

Some people read auras--a light or color that surrounds others, revealing their character or emotions. Lise Bloom reads ribbons--of fragrance, that is. Whether she's around old friends or new, fragrance often unfurls from them--an ability called "clairalience."

Hoping to gain insight into her gift, Lise works at the Lucky Lotus, a New Age shop. Unfortunately, the oils the owner, Dyann, concocts, nauseate Lise and impede her sense of scent. Worse, the shop feels more like wealthy Dyann's hobby than a spiritual place, thanks to her toxic love-torment relationship with her ex-husband, Richard.

Dyann is so pleased with her latest vengeful scheme that she shares it with Lise and gleefully remarks that when Richard finds out, he'll kill her. For Lise, it's the last straw. Persuaded to quit by her caring, colorful crew of housemates, Lise emails Dyann a resignation letter. But when she goes to the store the next morning, she detects a fetid odor she doesn't recognize--and discovers a spilled bottle of Mayan ceremonial liqueur . . . beside Dyann's dead body.

In her rush to call the police, Lise doesn't notice that Dyann's half-completed reply to Lise's resignation email is on the monitor of her desktop computer--making her the prime suspect. Now, she'll have to follow her nose to uncoil a venomous truth. It just may lead her life in an entirely new direction--unless a killer cuts it short . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for the Witch Way Librarian Mysteries:

"A witch with a special connection to books helps an Oregon town plunged into chaos by blackmail and murder...Best when it leans into lightness and humor." --Kirkus Reviews on The Witch is Back

"Multiple story lines, plot twists, humor, quirky characters, and a lovingly described library setting where books whisper to Josie to assist her in her investigations add up to a satisfying, magical, cozy mystery in the Witch Way Librarian series." --Booklist on Gone with the Witch

"Red herrings galore compete with witchy library lore in an often humorous mystery." --Kirkus Reviews on Witch and Famous

"A complex mystery with some amusingly witchy touches." --Kirkus Reviews on Witch Upon a Star

"This cozy mystery has the right balance of suspense and quirky, small-town humor." --Library Journal on Seven-Year Witch

"A really lovely follow-up to the Witch Way Librarian Mystery series debut. A solid treat." --Criminal Element on Seven-Year Witch

"Full of false leads and truly surprising reveals, this terrifically plotted mystery is hard to put down." --Bookpage STARRED REVIEW on Seven-Year Witch

"The perfect cozy for fans of the paranormal genre as well as those readers who love a cozy with a library setting." --Fresh Fiction on Seven-Year Witch

"Enchanting." --BookRiot on Bait and Witch

"A delightful read." --Bibliolifestyle on Bait and Witch

"Balances paranormal whimsy and small-town charm...it's a delight to read about someone whose powers derive in part from stories and the feelings that readers attach to them. This is a fine debut that promises more bookish fun to come." --Bookpage on Bait and Witch

"A fun paranormal mystery with an intriguing magic system and delightful setting, in no small part due to how charming the Wilfred inhabitants can be." --Criminal Element on Bait and Witch

"Zippy and fun, with just enough ambiance to satisfy readers seeking spooks and humor." --Kirkus Reviews on Bait and Witch

"Imaginative...Has everything a reader of cozies could hope for." --Reviewing the Evidence on Bait and Witch

About the Author

Angela M. Sanders is the author of the bestselling Joanna Hayworth Vintage Clothing Mysteries, the Witch Way Librarian Mystery series, The Booster Club Capers, and the Kite Shop Mysteries, written under the name Clover Tate. In addition to cozy mysteries, she regularly writes articles on food, vintage clothing, personalities and perfume for Portland Monthly, Now Smell This, the French perfume magazine Nez, and various food magazines. A former congressional investigator, she now writes full-time and is a member of Novelists, Inc., International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Angela has two cats--one of whom is black of course--a witch's freckle in her left eye, and learned to read tarot cards from a pagan priestess. She lives in Portland, Oregon and can be found online at AngelaMSanders.com.