This is the ninth book in the Witch City Mystery series. It works well as a standalone.

The story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts close to Halloween, so it’s a good story to read for this time of year if you like cozy mysteries. The main character, Lee, a reporter for WICH-TV, has the unusual ability of being able to see visions in mirrors. These visions can be of events from the past, present or future. Since she can’t tell what period of time they come from, she doesn’t know how they will be helpful in murder investigations, but they do occur when there is a mystery to solve.

The characters are ones I have come to really like. For the most part, they are a close, friendly group. The author, Carol J. Perry, has done an awesome job of bringing them to life in a way that makes them very realistic.

The mystery is neatly wrapped up in the end, and the observations of what Salem is like around Halloween really add to the story. I have read several of the books in this series and have liked every one. .

This book is a bibliophile's dream, from the lessons on the dewey decimal system to the murder happening in a library with a book being the key to the killer, it really has something for all book lovers. Yet this book offers so much more. picturesquely set in the historical town of Salem, MA during Halloween gives this story the perfect setting for this murder mystery. The author further elevates this with themes of tarot cards and mysterious visions, when added to the perfect set of loveable characters that will leave you laughing out loud and routing for them to find the killer, it makes this one story you will definitely not want to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for release of this review copy!

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this YES I actually loved it. Carol Perry did a great job in the writing style that actually kept me very interested in this book. I normally don't like a lot of police detective work but the author wrote this book very well. I highly recommend picking up this book and giving this author a try. I will make sure to check out other works by them!

Salem field reporter Lee Barrett is playing second fiddle to the new reporter at WICH-TV, and she's not happy about it. But it does give her time to volunteer at the library with her house mate, her Aunt Ibby. Ibby is a research librarian at the main branch library in Salem. Lee doesn't like going into the stacks, which are spooky. While she's up there putting away a rare book she stumbles across a dead body, surrounded by hundreds of scattered books and torn-out pages.

The dead man is former ball player and ex-con Wee Willie Wallace, who hasn't been in Salem in twenty years. Lee is ready to get to the bottom of this case, with the help of her detective boyfriend, Pete Mondello, Aunt Ibby, her clairvoyant cat, O'Ryan, and Lee's own psychic gifts.

This is one of my must not miss series, and Late Checkout is a great addition to the collection. There are a lot of elements to this mystery, and Ms. Perry weaves them into the story masterfully. I loved that Lee faced problems at work in this book. It made her more realistic, and the way she faced it, and used her job to investigate the murder, was perfect.

The great characters, and intriguing mystery mix together to make this a wonderful read. Once again I highly recommend this series. If you haven't read it yet, start from the beginning. Lee has grown so much throughout the series, and she has become a friend.

Highly recommended.

I read a digital copy of this book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Late Checkout by Carol J Perry is the ninth booth in the Witch City Mystery series. Lee has her hours cut at her local television reporting job. She uses the extra time to volunteer at the local library with her Aunt Libby. While shelving books, Lee discovers more than she bargained for - a dead body. The recent death soon leads her to digging into the past as mysteries overlap. I enjoy this series. The characters mesh well together, and Lee is a likable heroine. The mystery was strong and kept me guessing back and forth until the end.

Late Checkout by Carol J. Perry is the ninth A Witch City Mystery. Lee Barrett is a field reporter with WICH-TV is Salem, Massachusetts whose hours have been cut back because of nepotism (the boss’s wife has a relation who needs experience). Lee decides to volunteer her extra hours at the main branch of the Salem library where her Aunt Ibby works. Lee is shelving books when she comes across one for the stacks. She had a bad experience in the stacks as a child and is reluctant to venture up there again. She heads upstairs where she finds a man dead surrounded by books that have badly damaged. Detective Pet Mondello, Lee’s beau, quickly arrives and the victim is identified as Wee Willie Wallace. Wee Willie was a former minor league baseball player, ex-con and actor with a penchant for laying wagers. Lee soon discovers that Wee Willie also has a tie to WICH-TV. Lee has been researching the stations history for the upcoming anniversary and finds a chilling discovery. Lee, with assistance from her friend, River and her tarot cards along with O’Ryan and her psychic gift, sets out to snag the killer. Lee needs to be careful or she could end up ensnared in the killers’ web. Late Checkout can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. The author provides Lee’s background information for new readers and connection to other characters. I enjoyed the authors descriptive writing which brings Salem alive for me. It is Halloween which is a busy time for Salem. There were a variety of activities including a pet costume parade. The mystery had several suspects and Lee worked with Aunt Ibby, River and Pete to identify the guilty party. There are good clues that aid readers in solving the whodunit before the reveal. I thought the mystery had some unique aspects that I enjoyed. We also get to see Lee work on a promotional sales campaign that she pitches to her boss for the upcoming anniversary of the station. I like the relationship Lee has with her Aunt Ibby. I like that they are close and can talk to each other. They live in the same house, but they each have their own space. It is sweet the Pete is also comfortable with Aunt Ibby. Aunt Ibby is certainly handy to have around with her research librarian skills. I enjoy that paranormal element of the book with Lee’s special abilities. It does not dominate the book. I find that it enhances the story. The tarot cards, though, I find confusing despite the explanations. Late Checkout is a fun cozy mystery with book bedlam, curious clues, entrancing eyes, an accommodating aunt, Halloween hijinks, and nepotism for a nephew.

This is book 9 in the Witch City Mystery series and Lee is filling some free time volunteering at the library. She has a vision of a dead body in the sports section and sure enough finds the victim a short time later. One problem, the shoes don't match her vision. Between her clairvoyant cat O'Ryan and her own psychic visions there will be more violence in Salem before she can solve the mystery. I enjoy this series, the magic is fun and easy to accept. This book can be read as a stand alone. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Late Checkout by Carol J. Perry is the latest addition to the Witch City Mystery novels. I enjoy following the lead character, Lee. She's fun, mysterious, and easy-to-like. The back summary left me excited for this book. The plot is entertaining as always. But there needs to be a bit more suspense and speed to solving the crime(s).

Carol J. Perry's novel, is a clean mystery read. I love that about her books. There's plenty of mystery, drama, and humor to follow. The town featured in the book is charming, too. A hint of paranormal elements are included in this story. The main character's ability helps her to the murders. It's fun to watch as she sleuths her way into the crime solving world. There's never a boring moment with Lee. She always has her hands full of trouble.

I really enjoy the Witch City Mystery series by Carol J Perry! Set in Salem, Massachusetts, our heroine Lee Barrett is a news personality at WICH-TV. Lee volunteers at the library part time, as her Aunt Ibby is the head librarian there. When Lee has to go up to "the stacks" to reshelve some books, she finds the body of Wee Willie Wallace. He's an ex-convict with a history in Salem and at WICH-TV.

As the investigation unfolds, Lee feels that she may be a target for the murderer, as she may have seen them. Lee and her Aunt Ibby begin to do a little detective work of their own. I really enjoy the author's style of writing and it wasn't until nearly the very end that I knew "who done it." I really enjoy the storyline and I love that it's set in Salem. This book has a touch of romance and a little paranormal, as well. I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a fun cozy mystery.

Thanks to #Goodreads and #KensingtonBooks for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

Book 8 in the series.

It's always fun to visit Salem, Lee, O'Ryan and Aunt Ibby. This one was fun all the way to the end, though I felt like Lee's visions were kind of a waste of time this time.

I have to admit, though, I miss the pre-WICH-TV setting, when Lee was teaching reporting instead of actually doing the reporting. I will still look forward to the next book.

My first “cozy” and I loved it. Not sure if I should have read the others before this one first but I thought it was great without them!

Lee and O’Ryan are back to solve another mystery. Although O’Ryan wasn’t as involved as he has been in past books of the series, I still really enjoyed it. Lee is a great character. I also appreciate Pete and Lee’s relationship. They both accept and respect each other, faults and all!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

I really enjoy this series. I am not a big paranormal fan, but the smattering of paranormal activity (tarot cards, a psychic cat, scryer abilities) do not consume too much of the story, yet, they add some important elements to the plot of these books.

Late Checkout takes place in Salem, Massachusetts where Lee Barrett is a field reporter for WICH-TV. In this outing, her hours have been cut due to a new employee, so she is volunteering at the library. As she is shelving books, she comes across a body lying on the floor with sports books scattered around him on the floor. As the police begin their investigation, Lee and her Aunt Ibby begin their own investigation, after all, it happened in the library where Aunt Ibby works. It turns out that this crime ties in with a special assignment that Lee is on for the television station. She is doing research and helping put together an Anniversary Show, and the murdered man was, at one time, an employee.

The characters and their relationships really make this series for me. Lee and her best friend River both have some psychic abilities. River reads tarot cards and Lee sees visions in shiny surfaces (Scrying). Unfortunately both of these need to be interpreted in order to offer clues to whatever Lee is involved in. I do like the almost sisterly relationship these two have. Lee's relationship with police detective Pete Mondello is also well written. He accepts Lee's assistance when investigating crimes, but does not want her to put herself in danger, so he always keeps some information from her. They also have a romantic relationship where Pete often spends the night at Lee's place. There is no sexual relationship mentioned, but for a cozy mystery, this is a bit risque. Then there is Aunt Ibby. She is wonderful. A senior who has wonderful research skills that always come in handy. She is more like a mother to Lee than an aunt and they have an amazing relationship. The mystery was a bit more involved than originally thought and as the clues are revealed, there were a few possible suspects put out there. I thought I knew who the culprit was a couple of times, but when I finally figured it out, it made sense. This was not my favourite book in this series, but it was still a well written and plotted story. I will continue to read this series to see what Lee and Aunt Ibby end up investigating in the next story.

I was here for the cat. And it did jot disappoint. I have read this author before and always fall in love with her books all over again.

When it is Cozy Mystery then this is a must read.

It's October in Salem, Massachusetts and the busiest time of the year with parades, pumpkin everything, tours, and parties which means plenty to report on. Unless the boss's wife has a nephew fresh out of college wanting to break into the news business. Lee is working part time for the station so she decides to do some part time volunteer work for Aunt Ibby at the library. Last thing Lee expected was to end up finding a story while reshelving books. Okay so she found a story and a dead body....Willie Wallace found dead with a pile of sports collectible reference books scattered around him in a locked area...Willie once worked at WICH-TV and Lee is in charge of the anniversary special research, tying both events together nicely. Of course she should have known what she would find while up in the stacks, she say the shiny swirling image after all. It seems like Willie wore many hats and worked with many people back in the day and he was not very reputable. So which is his former coworkers finished him off? What is it about the reference book about the "Boys of Summer" and when is Lee going to be able to go back to working full time? The snoop sisters are at it again and Officer Pete as learned to value their intuition as well as their research skills. Old forgot files might hold the key or maybe just a great new marketing idea to sell advertisement air time. Either way Lee is hot on the trail of a story involving her childhood TV heroes. Perfect book to read this month and I have now added Salem in October to my travel bucket list to be sure!

Princess Fuzzypants here: I have enjoyed ever single one of the books in this series. Maralee is a fascinating heroine, an investigative reporter who sees visions in shiny surfaces. Along with her yummy cop boyfriend Pete, she and her aunt and best friend who reads tarot cards, solve murders. Of course, they are aided by the not inconsiderable talents of O’Ryan the former familiar of a witch. O’Ryan is, of course, a cat.
They all have their work cut out for them when Maralee discovers the still warm body of a former employee of the tv station. Wee Willie has led a rather checkered life so there are few who mourn him but the means of his death are so similar to the death of another former tv icon, Marlee is convinced there must be some connection. The problem is this is a locked room murder without any obvious suspect nor means of egress. It is a puzzler.
Maralee is given the assignment of putting together a 70th anniversary celebration for the station and meets many of her childhood idols. They are all connected to the two dead men professionally. Is there another connection as well? One that leads to murder? Even though I had suspicions about the actual killer, there were plenty of turns and a totally unexpected twist at the end. It was a good tight mystery that was perfect for Halloween month.
Five purrs and two paws up.

Late Checkout: A Witch City Mystery
By Carol J. Perry
Kensington
October 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

While the town of Salem, Massachusetts is preparing for the Halloween season, WICH-TV field reporter Lee Barrett is not in much of a celebratory party mood. A nephew with connections to the station manager is taking over many of Lee’s reporting hours, which does at least free up time for her to help as a volunteer at the Salem Main Library. As much as she enjoys spending time with her research librarian Aunt Ibby, Lee still feels spooked out by the dark and creepy storage area stacks that haunted her as a child. It doesn’t help that earlier Lee had a vision of seeing a man’s foot buried in books among book shelves, and having recently discovered that she is a “scryer” able to see portentous visions in reflective surfaces, she knows it means nothing good. So when Lee does indeed find a body surrounded by shredded books within the stacks, odds are high that a homicide investigation will follow. It also means that Lee’s police detective boyfriend Pete Mondello will be involved, and while he doesn’t fully embrace Lee’s otherworldly talent he respects it enough to follow the trail it leads to the past.

Not only has there been a recent burglary where books where scattered throughout a homeowner’s personal library, Lee’s vision hints to the fate of Larry Laraby, WICH-TV’s former sportscaster who was found dead surrounded by his collection of sports books.
Further research for the station’s 70th anniversary connects Lee not just to the most recent victim, but to the rest of the cable TV’s performing characters. A diminutive gambling athlete-turned-actor, children’s program’s clown, and science-guy magician all have Lee delving into the bygone day of daytime television. Dictates from the station manager’s wife have Lee and her coworkers planning not just for the anniversary kick-off, but donning costumes for a Halloween eve party and of course the town’s annual Witches’ Ball. It’s going to be a hectic time for a reluctant gazer in Salem, and Lee will be hard-pressed to identify a killer when everyone is wearing a disguise.

This is the perfect read for those eager to dive into a light-hearted but still eerie Halloween-themed mystery. Tarot cards, a cat familiar, Lee’s visions, and of course the entire Salem setting create an atmosphere of paranormal intrigue and mysticism. Library lovers will be unable to resist the appeal of a Dewey Decimal 790s clue, linking together sports figures, collectibles, and former athletes. Behind-the-scenes glimpses into Lee’s job are especially fascinating, revealing the talent of editors, camera operators, and of course the reporters as they produce on-the-fly and off-the-cuff clips. The dry wit of Lee’s cynical but not completely jaded coworkers delivers humorous observations and lively banter, propelling the novel through to its suspenseful end. A locked-room-mystery, Halloween setting, and eccentric characters ensure that this fifth of the series is as innovative and compelling as its debut.

Carol Perry has a Late Checkout in a book missing from the library that is implicated in a murder; the Wich City mysteries strike again in supernatural Salem. Field reporter Lee Barrett has her hours at WICH TV cutback so she is volunteering in the library. As she shelves materials in the stacks she finds a dead body. Sports memorabilia and mayhem coincide. Whodunit? Read this lively, slightly paranormal mystery.

Late Checkout was a fun and entertaining cosy mystery. I liked the setting, the plot was engaging and it had a few interesting characters. I also liked the descriptions, both of the setting and the characters. To put it this way, how is it possible to resist a cosy mystery about Halloween in Salem, MA?

It's coming up on Halloween in Salem, MA which and the city is filled with tourists and special events. Lee Barrett's hours at WICH-TV have been cut (nepotism reigns here too), so she volunteers to help out at the library. Oh well, no good deed ..... Unfortunately she finds an elderly man murdered in the stacks. And her looking into that with her Aunt Ibby dovetails with a project for the tv studio's 70th anniversary As always,the books in this series are well written, with an interesting plot and engaging characters. A new Carol J. Perry always rises to the top of my overloaded TBR.