Two women, one man, are dead. All three were solitary green witches who met from time-to-time to share rituals and festivals. Not a coven, just a group of like-minded individuals who preferred to practice their witchcraft alone.
The first two deaths appeared to be accidental, but the third death was an obvious murder. Each death occurred in a different area of Kern County - in different jurisdictions - which made it unlikely any connection would be made between the deaths.
The third body was found in an outlying area of Kern County, which put it in the jurisdiction of the Kern County Sheriff's Office. The detective team assigned to investigate this homicide consists of Lead Detective Annie Avants and her partner, Detective Tom Weston. As the initial investigation begins, they find nothing to make them suspect that this murder is connected to any other death in Kern County.
Clem Moonstone is a solitary green witch who owns a metaphysical shop in Bakersfield. She and Annie Avants have been friends for many years. When Annie and Tom attend the funeral of the victim whose death they are investigating, Annie is surprised to see Clem there. Clem explains to Annie that the young woman whose funeral they are attending is the third person in her circle of friends to die during the past few months.
Annie's gut instinct tells her to look into the previous two deaths. Clem gives her the names of the other two people and the locations where their bodies were found. After Annie obtains the files and begins to research their deaths, she comes to the chilling conclusion that the first two deaths may not have been so "accidental" and that all three victims may have died at the hands of a serial killer.
This book was just published on December 24, 2014 after being available for pre-order. The pre-order did okay, especially on Amazon. Now I'm really seeing a lot of interest in the three books before this one. I'm actually getting more sales of Cause of Death than Green Witch. I've even noticed sales of all four books on the same day in the UK. This is the fourth book in the series and the fifth is in progress.
REVIEW
"Annie is not someone you instantly tend to like. She has all the features of a detective - fierce, independent, brave and at the same time, a bit too careful. Her thinking process is relatable, but there are times through the book when you feel like telling her it is OK to let go and live life spontaneously. And that makes Annie a human. Renee has done a good job creating a detective who is as much human as anyone of us. She is afraid of making mistake, just like any one us.
The book is really nice. I am looking forward to understanding the characters more by reading the previous parts of the series."
The dark gray SUV pulled up just before the intersection of California Avenue and Elm Street. The streets of Bakersfield were quiet on this cool Sunday evening.
The moon was just two days past full, and the silvery light shone down on the long blond hair of the young woman as she stepped out of the passenger door of the SUV.
"I'll catch up with you later in the week," her friend said, as she pulled the SUV away from the curb and continued east on California Avenue.
Alina Lupei watched the vehicle for a moment. Then, she turned and headed for her home.
As she walked down Elm Street, she thought, I'm tired. I'm ready to get a good night's sleep. I did enjoy today though. It was nice to touch base with some of my old friends again.
Tall, mature trees lined the streets in this old neighborhood and made many sections of her route dark. The street lights were quaint and old-fashioned and didn't give off much light.
As she crossed Park Street and approached Sunshine Avenue, the hair on the back of her neck bristled.. Something close at hand had put her senses on high alert.
What did I hear? she wondered. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine. I need to get inside and bolt my door, she thought. I don't like this one bit.
She clicked the latch of the small gate and hurried to the taller gate. Her right hand shook as she fumbled to insert the key into the lock.
She unlocked the gate and hurried inside, then turned back to the gate so she could lock it behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she whirled around to climb the shallow brick steps that led to her kitchen door.
Then she saw her stalker. Her eyes opened wide in terror. "You?"
She had no time to scream before the killer plunged the dagger deep into her heart.
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French
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Already translated.
Translated by Sandra Prud'homme
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Monica Scalici
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by Aline Souza
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Lia Garcia
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