This book is an entertaining easy read with just the right amount of mystery - especially if you like witches . demons and fairies

Alma was a demon-hunting witch , cast aside when she is unable to kill , now broke she makes her living making and selling magic infused jewellery .
When her ex-boyfriend is found dead she finds herself drawn into a world in which she must protect the powers of Silverpool - a power that could easily be abused in the wrong hands .
Finding the killer is a must , who can she trust - certainly not her thief of a father........ will her inability to kill be her downfall ?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for me to provide an honest review.

And boy, this is one of the books I'm SO grateful I found via NetGalley!

"Dead Witch on a Bridge" was as fun and quirky as the title of this first book of a new series.
The main character Alma was smart, funny, and feisty despite struggling with her own past- exactly what I love my heroines to be.

This was the first work of this author I've read and I found it very comfortable to ease into the narrative voice and let myself be drawn into this magical world. The world-building was elegantly done and the characters were well-rounded and held my interest througout the novel.

The combination of genres worked very well and the author beautifully interlaced the magical setting of her world with the murder mystery elements. I am a great lover of murder mysteries, and this magical crime novel had a lot of fresh, fun ideas which made reading "Dead Witch on a Bridge" a true delight.

Definitely a book to recommend to my friends and fellow readers!

Dead Witch on a Bridge by Gretchen Galway is a fun paranormal mystery that introduces the reader to Alma, a witch who failed her first mission, which was to kill a demon on behalf of the Protectorate. She moved to the small town of Silverpool, and has been living a relatively peaceful life , selling magic infused jewellery to help make ends meet, When she discovers the body of a former boyfriend late one night it seems like that peaceful life may be under threat and doubly so when her criminal father decides to drop in.
I really enjoyed this fun story and it works well as the opener to a series , there is a decent amount of world building but done in a way that feels natural and does not detract from the story being told. Alma is a fun modern witch and the secondary characters are also well developed.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I read a lot of fantasy, and it’s always a pleasure to find a novel that stands out from the rest. “Dead Witch on A Bridge” uses a lot of familiar ideas, but these combine with well paced writing and strong, interesting characters, to create a really enjoyable novel that feels fresh.

Not quite an urban fantasy, as it’s set largely in a small town, this is very much a contemporary novel of witchcraft and magic. Galway uses ideas you’ll have seen before: a council that regulates witches and their use of magic; magical beings like fairies; dysfunctional families; and a blurring of the line between white and black magic. Despite this, the world feels both new and convincingly real.

Alma Bellrose is a white witch; not that the Protectorate, a council that regulates the use of witchcraft believes that. She was honourably discharged from their service after she proved unwilling to kill demons simply because they were demons, but is viewed with contempt as a result. It doesn’t help that her father is one of the most notorious criminals in the witch world.

Alma is pretty happy with how it’s turned out, though. She lives in a small town called Silverpool near San Francisco, quietly getting by. She uses her magic largely as she wishes, doesn’t take orders from anyone about her life, and is generally under the radar and happy enough.

Then Tristan is murdered – the dead witch of the novel’s title. Tristan had slept with every woman in town – including Alma – but it doesn’t seem likely that’s what led to his death. Alma thinks it’s far more likely to be tied to his role as Protector of the magical spring near Silverpool. And Tristan’s death leads to more upheaval than you’d expect – the non-magical humans are in an uproar about the suspicious death, the magical beings nearby are suddenly running amok and attacking humans, Alma’s demon nemesis arrives in town, the Protectorate comes to investigate – and worst of all, Alma’s father “drops in”.

This novel works on two levels, as something of a murder mystery as well as a fantasy. It’s strong on both levels. We’ve got plenty of doubt about who did what to who when, with tons of credible red herrings littering Alma’s path. On the fantasy side, Galway has built a cohesive world that’s easy to slip into and understand, and which will easily absorb most readers.

The characters are strong, too; each is distinct and believable. Galway has resisted the temptation to over emphasise any one characteristic, while giving each quirks and habits that make them individual.

The writing is good: well paced action and some thoughtful exposition. In addition, this is the first in a series, and although Galway provides a complete story here, she also skilfully plants seeds that could flower in other novels.

I really enjoyed “Dead Witch on a Bridge”. It’s highly readable contemporary fantasy with plenty of strengths and no real weaknesses. I will be looking out for the next novel in the series.

Alma wakes up to find out that her ex-boyfriend is dead. When she gets back home, she encounters her thief father at her home. Because her father had come to her the night that an object had been stolen, she becomes a suspect in murder and having the stolen object. And then the surrounding fairies start getting murderous. In order to save herself, Alma has to figure out all the secrets in her town.

Alma is likeable and is very quick on her feet to get out of situations and she always finds herself in situations. I didn't understand the ending but I'm not a dog person.

Well written, but simply not to my taste. I know some of my customer's will love it though, so I will be both ordering it, and handselling it!!

Alma had never been able to kill demons for the Protectorate, so she stayed in Silverpool, a small town that's fairly isolated. She had always been able to see and hear the fae, unlike other Witches, and one draws her to the body of her dead ex. There's an influx of attention in Silverpool now, including her infamous father, who is a magical thief, ambitious Witches, dangerous fae and a charming demon. Tensions are rising in the magical community, and Alma has to find the killer before the upcoming deaths include hers.

Dead Witch on a Bridge is the start of a new series, so there's a lot of world building woven into this. It's very natural and flows through the text without sounding too much like an infodump. There are a lot of great characters in this novel, even the ones that aren't very pleasant. Alma's father is a piece of work, and I was upset on her behalf because of how badly he was treated her. The Protectorate, sure that they're right and uphold all of the laws, also have a huge blind spot for those they consider beneath them. This is what allows Alma to get past those low expectations that they have of her.

Alma is a really likable protagonist, and I was rooting for her all throughout the book. There were a number of fun characters, and those that maybe weren't as much fun to read about but really gives a flavor of the outside world. I hope to see more of this world in future books within this series.

This was an odd but enjoyable book. Pretty quick paced, and interesting relationships. Well written. The dead witch was quite the character, and involved with most of the women in town in one way or another.Not my usual sort of book, but well done.

**I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review”.
I have been looking for some really good urban fantasy. Unfortunately, this book was not it.
This book was very pedantic. Take tab A, insert into slot B, viola C. The characters were flat. The story was told at me and I didn’t care about any of it.

Excellent start to a hopefully long series! Great characters, ending was a complete surprise. Will be recommending it to patrons who enjoyed the Rachel Morgan/Hollows series. Can't wait for the next one!

Dead Witch on a Bridge is a fantastic paranormal mystery that I simply could not put down to the very end of the book. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

This is an urban paranormal book follows the story of Alma, some sort of ex paranormal law enforcement officer (enter auror joke here), alma having made a new life for herself gets dragged back into her past as her ex-boyfriend is found dead, on a bridge...

This is an amazing start to a new paranormal series and man I got hooked from the get-go. Having a love for this exact type of paranormal urban fantasy. Alma is just such a strong MC and just super relatable. The story was fast paced and compelling and kept me on my toes. The supporting characters were also really enjoyable and man I get how Alma would get some daddy issues, not cool dad, not cool.

I definitely recommend this book to all my fellow urban PN readers out there.

I received this ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story. It had a very cozy mystery feel to it. I liked Alma, but I am still not sure what to make of her. Random was my absolute favorite, though. I will definitely be reading further in this storyline. I want to see what Helen comes up with, now that the torc is gone.

I  wasn’t sure what to expect from Gretchen Galway’s debut paranormal mystery.  I was decidedly impressed. Not only did the mystery keep me guessing, but it applied magic in a creative way.  I absolutely loved Random, Alma’s dog, and found Alma’s empathy for others believable.


 The only weakness was that some characters were less developed than others.  Some characters were little more than names while others had a bit of personality attached.  With a touch more character development, I’d rate Dead Witch on a Bridge a 5 rather than a 4.


4 / 5


I received a copy of Dead Witch on a Bridge from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

I enjoyed this book. It's nicely paced so there are any slow spots , I enjoyed learning about Alma and her magic. I really enjoyed her interaction with Random and I loved the ending. #DeadWitchOnABridge #NetGalley

Overall a good book, with an interesting world created. I'd like to read more about the characters in the future.

To be honest, it was little slow as there was a lot of building and a bit of repetition that got to be too much. But I liked the characters and overall liked the world.

This really was a fantastic cozy mystery. Dramatic murder mystery that involves Alma Bellrose as a dishonored agent because she refused to kill a demon without knowing if he deserved it. Her father is a scoundrel and a thief, and his fame has rubbed off on her. With fairies in an uproar surrounding the town of Silverpool, Alma is in ever present danger from the head of the protectorate and who is controlling and agitating the fairies. This had a lot of twisty's and I did not figure the killer out til the reveal. Great writing, likable protagonist. Recommend this to not only cozy readers, but paranormal as well. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

A good paranormal mystery with strong fantasy elements.
It's well written, the cast of characters is fleshed out and relatable and it's fast paced and engaging.
The plot was entertaining and it never bores.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

Thank you NetGalley and Kobo Writing Life for this arc.

This was a fun and easy read for me. I doubt I would have found this author on my own as apparently she's written primarily light romances, and while there was a hint of a wisp of romance in this book, it was mostly fantasy. I found most of the characters likeable and all felt well developed. The pacing of the story was good, no noticeable slow or draggy spots. The mystery elements of the story were very well done and felt plausible, as long as you believe in magic. As much as I enjoyed Alma, I absolutely adored Random.

I do hope this series continues.

It's all going wrong in Silverpool and Alma isn't sure who to trust. Someone seems hellbent on stirring up trouble and now it seems their sights are set on her.... I haven't come across this series before but I am grateful to Netgalley for the introduction. Well written, nicely paced with interesting characters who are not always what they first seem, this was an engaging book and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.