A Spell of Murder is a cutesy paranormal cozy about a woman who thinks she is a witch, when in reality it's her cats that are witches. When one of her cats happens to pull a cushion out of the ether the same time Becca (the woman) is doing a spell, she thinks she has real magic. Becca has joined a coven and stumbles on the body of one of her coven mates. Becca becomes determined to prove her innocence and her cats unknown to Becca assist in helping her. I would read another in the series.

I don't know if the issue is that I'm not a cat person but a book written from the eyes of multiple cats who aren't that entertaining or one cat and it's cat siblings... If the cat isn't at least entertaining it's just plain painful. Overall storyline isn't bad but I don't foresee myself reading anything else in the series though I may recommend it to a couple friends who like cozy mysteries and are all about cats.

Rebecca “Becca” Colwin has quite a bit on her plate. She just broke up with her boyfriend, Jeff, and she recently found herself without a job. She has much free time so she joins a Wiccan coven and studies on becoming a witch. She is convinced she has psychic powers.

However, Becca’s three sister cats are the ones with the powers. When one of them conjures a pillow to lie on, Becca is convinced one of her own spells worked. She doesn’t know it, but her three cats are watching over her at all times.

When a fellow coven member turns up dead, Becca is thought to be the prime suspect. She is determined to prove her innocence and her kitties are just as determined to help her.

This is a clever paranormal, cozy mystery and the first in the Witch Cats of Cambridge series. For me, the main stars are the three sister cats - Harriet, Laurel and Clara. Clara follows Becca around at all times to protect her while the other two cats are a bit older and aren’t quite as worried. The dialogue between the cats - they don’t speak to the humans - is clever, witty and exactly what I would expect cats to say. They had me laughing and smiling throughout the book.

The storyline is intriguing and there are a few different potential suspects. I was on the wrong track which made the ending that much more surprising for me.

I’m looking forward to reading more in this series. If book one is anything to go by, it should be a great ride.






FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a unique cozy mystery told from the feline characters' perspective. This was a cute idea but somehow for me I just wasn't able to connect to the story. The cats have too many human characteristics making it hard at times to distinguish between cats and human characters. Since this was the first book in the series I am curious to see if the series will continue in another direction.

A good book. Well written with great characters and a good plot. The storyline flows and the mystery is enjoyable. I highly recommend.,

I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

I apologize due to a death in the family I was unable to read and review this book. I apologize to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my inability to follow through.

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Becca has adopted three cats, and joined a local coven of witches - and when magic happens around Becca, she thinks she’s discovered her latent powers. However, the powers belong to the cats, and Becca is their unwitting sidekick. When a murder occurs, Becca decides to investigate, and the cats follow along to keep Becca out of trouble, as danger lurks around every turn.

I had expected to really like this book, as it’s a cozy mystery, however, I really struggled to get into it. I tried a few times to even start reading it, and in the end had to force myself to finish. Something that I wasn’t aware of when I received the book was that it was told from the perspective of Becca’s cats, which was simultaneously creative and also boring. I would’ve thought I’d like it a bit more, but instead I had trouble relating to the narration since I didn’t like two of the cats.

I felt like the writing could’ve used more editing, and the plot itself could’ve been tighter. There was unnecessary exposition in places what would’ve benefited from showing rather than telling, and the plethora of characters made it hard to keep everyone straight. I wish I had liked this more, but I’m glad I read it as it introduced me to Clea Simon; although this particular series isn’t to my taste, I would definitely look into her other works.

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3

This is the first book of what I discovered to be an exciting new series. In it, we are introduced to 3 very young, cute but different sibling cats and their human Becca. Becca has recently become unemployed, single, and has joined a coven in her search for herself. Having found a witch in her ancestry, Becca believes she has successfully performed a spell when it was actually one of her cats being careless. In this world, the cats have the magic. Excitement races through the coven as hope for successful, tangible spell casting seems to become a real possibility. One dead coven member later and Becca and cats are deep in a mystery to clear Becca from suspicion.

I loved how we are able to see the perspective of the delightfully unaware Becca as well as her cats. Clara is the intrepid adventurer that moves our story forward for the most part as well as the youngest of the cats. Clara isn't listened to by her older siblings until Laurel starts to come around toward the end. The way that their character development is given the same attention as the humans was brilliantly done. The continuing struggle of trying to network, find a job, and basically adult made Becca a realistic and sympathetic character easy to relate to Layering a murder withing adultery, open relationships, skepticism and mockery of witchcraft and those associated with it, theft, jealousy, and multiple aspects of mundane life lent a sense of the believable to a story that brought a fresh spin to paranormal cozies.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it especially if you're looking for something a little different.

Thank you to Polis Books, NetGalley, and Clean Simon for giving me the chance to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

Another wonderful addition to this series. I always enjoy reading this series during Halloween. I can't wait to own a physical copy to reread in October!

I am always looking for a new cozy mystery series to read and share and one about witches and talking cats is just up my alley. This a lot of promises but I did not like it as much as I thought I would. I love that the cats talk it sets it apart but you find your self disliking 2 of the cats and not wanting to read more about them, that and slow pacing were the main problems I had with the story but I would love to read more from this author

This is the first in the Witches of Cambridge cat mystery. The story is told from the cat’s perspective which I found to be an interesting perspective. Becca, an unemployed human thinks she has physic powers although the truth it is that her cats are the ones with the real powers. The three cats are Clara, Harriet and Laurel with Clara being the one who really watches over Becca. Of course Becca finds a body and becomes embroiled a murder investigation. I give this 3.5 stars as the first book has all the set up for the series etc.. Will read the next installment in this series.

I am always thrilled to read a new book by beloved author Clea Simon and this did not disappoint. I loved the premise that 3 cats have powers and solve crimes with their owner. It is utterly fascinating and fun to read. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
The first in Clea Simon`s Witch Cats of Cambridge series is a cozy mystery where the main sleuth is a cat and her litter mates. Clara, the youngest of the three cats narrates.
The human protagonist is a new witch and has joined a funny coven of new friends . The only problem is that the coven has no idea what they are really supposed to do to practice and much humor ensues through her pursuit of learning about witchcraft. When a murder occurs the cats human (Becca) is on the case with the help of her furry friends.
The cats are Harriett, the eldest, Laurel, the exotic and the smallest Clara. Together they watch over their human (Becca) while she attempts to solve the murder and discovers clues with their input. They each are savvy , smart and good at solving crime.
I loved being swept into this world where the cats solve crime and the human is secondary. Its a fun read and enjoyable for all cat lovers as we all know truly how smart our cats are ! . The author has a great knowledge of cats and brings them to life with all their personalities and quirks . Its a fun afternoon read and I look forward to the next in series. A winning first in series and what I hope is the start of a long series.

This is the first in the Witches of Cambridge cat mystery. The story is told from the cat’s perspective which I found to be an interesting perspective. Becca, an unemployed human thinks she has physic powers although the truth it is that her cats are the ones with the real powers. The three cats are Clara, Harriet and Laurel with Clara being the one who really watches over Becca. Of course Becca finds a body and becomes embroiled a murder investigation. I give this 3.5 stars as the first book has all the set up for the series etc.. Will read the next installment in this series.

I can see why this could be tricky to follow - so many characters, including three anthropomorphic cats, none of which are particularly fully fleshed out, making it a bit 'grey' on that level. All the characters were sounding more or less the same as each other.

Once I figured out that the cats speak in italics, it got a little easier, but it still felt a little jarring when moving from one POV to another, and I felt the murderer could have been slightly less obvious. The character felt too obviously different, even in a group of 'different' people, if that makes sense.

Nonetheless, it was an easy enjoyable read and I passed the time quite happily with it. I would like to read the second book to see if it finds its feet a bit more.

Enjoyable, funny and written from a cats point of view. I liked the interaction between the cats anthe mystery was complex enough to keep me hooked to the end.
A good first book.

The first in Clea Simon`s Witch Cats of Cambridge series is perhaps unlike anything you have ever read. It is a cozy mystery in the sense that the sleuth is not a police official. In fact, one could say the main sleuth is a cat and her litter mates. Clara, the youngest, by minutes, of three cats narrates this tale for us. It is an introduction of things to come, with an interesting ending with some exciting news.
The main human protagonist is struggling and unsure of where her future will take her. She is making new friends and seeking new talents for herself. Being only human, she is somewhat oblivious to the world around her. That slack is picked up by her three feline companions. Harriett, the eldest and largest, is mainly concerned with creature comforts and from where and when her next meal will be served. Laurel, the sleek and showy exotic one, is a bit more self absorbed. Smallest and most colorful Clara, nicknamed the Clown, is the nurturing and observant cat. She takes it upon herself to watch out for their human, Becca.

Becca becomes interested in witchcraft, upon her natural curiosity and research into history. She joins a small coven of Wiccans, who have no clue what they are doing. When one is murdered, and Becca happens to be the person to find the crime scene and body, life becomes more complicated. The cats must save their human from being caged.

The way this story is told and the observations made by Clara kept me turning pages.
I am looking forward to seeing the direction this series takes us.
I always love the covers on Clea Simon`s books and enjoy saving the paperback versions.

This is the start of a new series for Clea Simon, Witch Cats of Cambridge. Becca truly believes she is a spell making witch and wants to use her powers to help solve crime. Her three cats are really the source of magic in their house and it leads to some funny moments in this cozy mystery. Harriet, Laurel and Clara are happy with their servant Becca. She is handy with a can opener and keeps the house at the proper temperature. The cats are the narrators of the story and each has their own special talent. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.