I picked this book up purely because it sounded like cozy fun, but I did not expect to completely love it! This is one of those rare books that I really didn’t want to put down not only because it had an engaging mystery plot, but I really loved the characters.

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society stars Sherry Pinkwhistle, a librarian in the small upstate New York town of Winesap. Though Winesap is charming and quaint, it has had an alarming number of murders recently and Sherry has assisted in solving each and every one of them. The story begins with the murder of an art gallery owner and of course his wife is the primary suspect, but Sherry knows Charlotte couldn’t have done it. What unfolds is a whirlwind investigation where it becomes clear that something isn’t quite right. Sherry has unusual slips of memory and then, rather startlingly, her cat Lord Thomas Cresswell speaks to her. Her cat is possessed by its namesake, who is actually trying to help Sherry because the demon orchestrating all the murders isn’t on his good side.

I will stop going on about the plot details, because any further than what I’ve described gets into major spoiler territory and that’s just no fun. Sherry is an absolute delight of a character and she’s so easy to like even though it’s clear she might not have the saintliest of pasts herself. Father Barry, the brand new and surprisingly young and handsome Catholic priest, along with Janine, and Charlotte help Sherry out in her investigations. The secondary characters, while not as well defined as Sherry, are also a wonderful addition to the story overall. 

Despite this being about murder and demonic possession, it is actually a perfect cozy, atmospheric read and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. I love finding a new surprise favorite story and The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society fits the bill. It has light action, humor, surprisingly emotional moments, and a well executed ending that left things open for a potential sequel, but it wraps up cleanly enough to make a great standalone as well.

DNF
I realize now that I’m not interested in cozy murder mysteries with a 60+ year old main character. Unfortunately I didn’t love the writing style in this book and I found myself bored.

A talking cat and an amateur sleuth who just happens to be a librarian, made this an enjoyable read. A bit more than a cozy mystery, it seems that something is very wrong in the town of Winesap in upstate New York. For such a small town, there seem to be quite a few murders. But have no fear, Sherry Pinkwhistle, the librarian, and amateur sleuth is on the job. Add a demon though, and things get complicated quickly.
This was a different take on a cozy mystery. Who wouldn’t love their cat to start talking. Well except for the demon part. After the murder was solved and I did not correctly guess the killer, there was still a bit more to the story. Not a cliffhanger, but perhaps the set up for another book?? I have to say I enjoyed how Sherry’s mind worked.

C.M. Waggoner wrote my favorite orc romance of all time (Unnatural Magic). This book proves that she can do something suuuper different, and so, so well!

When I picked this up, I didn't put it down again until I was finished. It's a cozy mystery that takes on the question of why cute little towns have an unfortunate/inordinate amount of murders that are solved not by law enforcement but by 60-something librarians. In this book, that crime-solving librarian is Sherry.

I laughed out loud several times reading this. Waggoner brings together a cast worthy of a Poirot novel ... but who eventually figure out they shouldn't really be this narratively perfect in real life. Sherry discovers that the town is being manipulated for the entertainment of a demon, and with the help of hot priest Father Barry, chic art gallery owner Charlotte, fellow "older lady" Janine, and the spirit of (maybe?) Lord Thomas Cromwell in the body of Sherry's marmalade cat, solve both the mystery and the demon infestation.

If you like cozy mystery or cozy fantasy, this is a perfect blend of the two. Plus, like I said, it's hilarious. I will read anything Waggoner writes, but it's always a pleasure when your favorite authors write really good stuff!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

The Village Library Demon Hunting Society is what happens when you binge watch Murder She Wrote and try to wrap your head around how all those people were murdered and noone wondered about the outrageous number dying around Jessica Fletcher (per the author's claim)! This book was so much fun, at least when the demon finally showed up. I found it slow going in the beginning. By the end it was unputdownable for me. Elements of Christie, Murder She Wrote, and Poirot. Being a librarian myself, I loved imagining myself as Sherry.
The whole story felt like the tv show Evil met Aurora Teagarden, with a splash of Sabrina. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
For fans of Rachel Harrison and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix.

An engaging twist on the librarian-as-detective trope. Adding demons to the mix certainly enhances the fun!

Librarian, and part-time sleuth, Sherry Pinkwhistle is a skilled homicide detective with quite a few solved cases under her belt (much to the chagrin of the actual sheriff). But…. isn’t it strange that a town so small has a murder rate comparable to a major metropolitan area? The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society settles you in, with a blanket and tea, for a cozy, small-town Miss Marple mystery before turning its heels and walking straight into the supernatural.

This book is downright clever. The writing itself is lush and jovial. There is so much satisfying foreshadowing woven in that I felt like I was playing detective right alongside Sherry. Something that I really loved was the characters’ sense of narrative throughout the whole story — how Sherry commented that certain things felt out of place for the scene she was in or the genre overall. It really tied everything together for me.

It was a real treat to live inside of Sherry’s head for the duration of this story. A self-described snoop and gossip-monger, Sherry is witty and creative. One minute she leverages her status as a kindly, old librarian to get the information she needs, the next she’s breaking and entering to gather evidence. Her internal (and external!) monologue is constantly hilarious — I’ll save my favorite quips for my Kindle highlights, but she has lots to say about Unitarian exorcists and republican governors… and a pinch of threatening her talking cat with the violence of running the vacuum cleaner.

If you like classic mysteries, cozy tales, and light fantasy, this is the book for you! Especially when we’re all creating our fall TBRs.

And lastly, the fantasy isn’t in the demons, spirits, or Sherry’s talking cat. It’s that this story takes place in a walkable town.

This was a cute, cozy, who did it mystery. I enjoyed the older character and her sass throughout the book. I wanted nothing more than to curl up and have a cup of coffee with her. Great read for fans of clean, cozy, mysteries!

I thought this book was okay. It had the mood and the themes, but not the characters or the plot. It just wasn't my favorite. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like cozy mysteries but can also acknowledge that the genre can be a little silly, this might be the book for you. Slightly self-aware and supernatural, I really enjoyed this book. There are some parts that seem a bit clunky and lacking explanation, but it didn’t bother me much. I really enjoyed the characters and the friendships that sprout up in the strange little possessed town. The talking cat was a plus too.

Murder She Wrote with a splash of the supernatural. Our main character Sherry, a librarian, finds herself, or rather inserts herself, into the middle of a murder investigation. She loves solving murders and making suspect lists. After her cat becomes possessed by a (friendly?) ancient demon, she starts to wonder if something supernaturally foul is afoot. She creates a “Demon Hunting Society” with fellow friends and locals and attempts to solve the mystery.

The supernatural element felt a bit unnecessary and I found myself asking why, but my question was answered towards the end of the book, and I chuckled at the reasoning. At the end of the day, the supernatural element was fun and added a bit of pizzazz. The final chapter hints at a sequel with additional supernatural intrigue. I liked our main character and following her about as she disarms and charms people with her unassuming elderly librarian ways. I look forward to reading the next adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society was a fun and unique read. It combines a bit of cozy mystery fun with paranormal elements in an unexpected way. Our main character Sherry Pinkwhistle is a librarian who has, after relocating to the village, solved several murders. She is very good at it with her eye for detail. But after the most recent murder, Sherry realizes that this tranquil town has had an alarming number of murders. As she comes to believe something else must be at play, her beloved cat Lord Thomas begins talking to her and he seems to be possessed by a demon. With the help of some friends, Sherry needs to solve not just the most recent murder, but also figure out how to rid the town of the demon who has moved in.

I found the story to be very engaging and it held my interest all the way through. There are several unexpected twists and learning about Sherry's backstory added another layer. I wanted to understand how it all fit together and the author kept me guessing until the end. As with many cozy mysteries, there are plenty of potential suspects for murder and opportunities for red herrings. This is an entertaining story and one I will be recommending this fall.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

C. M. Wagonner has written a mystery blended with a supernatural twist. It was an interesting story; however, the twist really didn't come until much later in the book which did throw me off a little.

The characters are well-developed; but I didn't feel any connection with any of them. The story moves smoothly and the few twists in the mysteries were easily explained away by Sherry Pinkwhistle's investigative skills to solve the murders. Sherry eventually begins to realize that their is something strange going in her small community which leads her to do more investigating which is when the supernatural twist comes into play. I confess that I honestly didn't understand why the "demon" chose Winesap, NY and Sherry for her personal entertainment venue.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

Loved this book! Very well done and well written to keep the reader engaged. Great for Halloween season!

Whimsy is the best word to describe this book. Early on, Sherry is shown to relate people in her town to characters. It's almost like this book should be called "If We Were a Story Book." Friends and colleagues are seem through different eyes. For example, the sheriff becomes the mouse sheriff bearing the same name. That concept is whimsical but almost doesn't fit with FMC. Which brings me to my next word choice to describe this book. Sherry is a bit of an enigma but not always in a good way. She maintains some habits that one might expect in a younger girl only to turn around a talk about regency historical romances. In some ways, she is a complex character. We know she must be sharp and observant as she has helped solve other murders but she is also a little silly like her early on talk about her hair not reflecting her character.
The mystery or murder of the week is certainly not your typical procedural murder of the week as demons and a talking cat have been thrown into the mix. Add those demons and talking cat to a town already rife with too many murders and you have a unique concept. You have a unique concept that I wanted to like especially with the plug that this is Buffy meets Jessica Fletcher. That statement is sort of true but not to the extent i would have hoped.
With that said, I struggled rating this book. Sometimes rating a book 1-5 is hard because not all books fit a specific number. Therefore, I would give this book a sold 3.25-3.45 which rounds down to 3 when in reality it is a 3+.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A cozy mystery set in a strange little town that has a demon problem.

Sherry, a local librarian, is really really good at solving mysteries. Her small town seems to experience an exorbitant amount of murders and luckily, Sherry is quite the detective. Sherry discovers that there are greater forces at play in her little town.

This is an interesting, fun read but unfortunately the execution of the book wasn’t my favorite. The characters were odd to me and did not quite fit the story. The story itself, despite excellent writing, felt just thrown together. Overall I liked this book because the concept was really great but the story just didn’t quite come together.

Middle-aged librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle leads a fairly normal existence aside from her recreational detective work since, although her town is small, the number of murders there is not. She discovers one day that something strange is going on, and she, the local priest, and a few friends start eliminating the ancient and demonic forces that are at work in her small village.

Although I thought the idea behind the book was incredibly intriguing, I wasn't as impressed with how well it was executed. The story seemed a little haphazard because it threw the reader directly into the action. That was incredibly unsettling for me since it felt like I was walking into an already-running scene. Though I'm not sure whether I could relate to the main character, she was an interesting figure.

The writing in the book is excellent, and I believe it would make a comfortable read for the approaching fall seasons.

C.M. Waggoner’s latest title combines fantasy and mystery genres to create a page-turning who-done-it.

Town librarian and amateur detective Sherry Pinkwhistle has recently moved to a small upstate NY town where murders keep happening with alarming frequency. None of the other townspeople seem to be concerned with the large amount of murders but Sherry suspects a supernatural element may be at the center of these deaths. Not only will she need her amateur sleuth skills but now she also needs an exorcist.

A charming group of characters creates a pool of potential culprits. With references to the mystery television show Murder She Wrote, Waggoner combines humor, fantasy and mystery for a fun and quick read. Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a cozy murder mystery. I think the premise was really interesting, but unfortunately I didn't find the execution up to par. I felt the pacing was too slow and there seemed to be a lot of detours just to info dump. It's hard with books that blend genres to find the right balance and I think this could be a 5 star read for someone else, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

This fun cozy romp through a demon infested village sends a not young librarian on what seems to be a never ending series of murders to solve. When her boyfriend is murdered and her cat starts to talks, she pulls out all her Miss Marple and Poirot chops to clear her name.