I enjoyed this book very much. Kept me thoroughly interested through one sitting. Look forward to much more by this author.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 341 / Genre: Cozy Mystery

Sherry Pinkwhistle is an elderly librarian with a knack for solving murder mysteries who suddenly finds herself surrounded by murders in her sleepy village. Add some demon shenanigans and suspicious neighbors, and this little old lady has her hands full.

So, I was hoping the old people would be funny and endearing and the demons quirky and unpredictable. Meh. It was just a sleepy mystery with a demonic twist. And I didn’t find any of the characters particularly endearing or interesting.

Thank you, @NetGalley and @BerkleyPub for my gifted copy.

Sherry Pinkwhistle is a small town librarian that keeps finding dead bodies and helping the police solve the murders. It’s quite strange really. Why have there been so many murders? And why do the police need Sherry’s help? When Sherry’s cat starts talking to her as Lord Thomas Cromwell she realizes she may need more help - and enlists the new priest along with some of her friends. Time to hunt down a demon!

This book definitely gave off major Murder She Wrote vibes, just with added supernatural elements (but I wouldn’t call it Buffyesque at all). The main character is likable and quirky with an eclectic group of people around her. You definitely find yourself rooting for them.

What continued to bother me throughout this book was the setting. I just didn’t get NY town in winter. Yes, of course the author told me this is where we were meant to be, but I honestly felt like we were in an English Village. Especially with how everyone spoke. I think perhaps this had to do with the author trying to give off an Agatha Christie vibe. Whatever it was, it didn’t work for me.

This book is a little out there, but more fun for it.

*Thank you to Ace/Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

This was a fun little cozy mystery, our MC gets caught in the middle of something and it just goes crazy from there. I enjoyed this one more than I expected too and I know a lot of people who will love it.

An okay, cozy fantasy book thar may work for others. I just found it to be a little too scattered for my tastes. Started out good, who doesn't love a librarian by day- amateur detective by night main character. The bodies are stacking up in a small village, but Sherry Pinkwhistle has an uncanny knack at solving the case. The cozy mystery aspect of this novel was done well, and I loved the parts where the group of friends came together. What didn't work for me was the paranormal part.. when the cat started talking, I almost gave up at that point. But I continued. I would have liked to have seen the demon-hunting theme explored more. In my opinion, too much was going on, and nothing was given the attention it needed to make it a better read. It was a quick read, and I do think the potential was there. It just missed the mark for me.

I read and reviewed honestly an advanced digital copy from netgalley and the publisher.

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner is a delightful blend of fantasy and humor that centers around a quirky group of villagers who take on the challenge of demon hunting. The story is filled with witty dialogue and charming characters, making it a fun and engaging read from start to finish. Waggoner’s imaginative world-building and clever plot twists keep readers entertained while exploring themes of friendship and community. This novel is a whimsical adventure that will appeal to fans of lighthearted fantasy and those who enjoy a dash of the supernatural.

This was a bizarre but fun cozy paranormal book (that I hope turns into a series) that is a is of Miss Marple and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but this was not it (but in a good way I think, at least mostly). Sherry is a librarian with a knack for helping to solve murders. She doesn’t stop to think why there are so many or why it seems to be her who catches all of the suspects. When Sherry’s boyfriend is killed and she doesn’t want to investigate the reaction is not what she was expecting at all. It soon becomes clear to Sherry and a small group of friends and the town’s new priest that they have some sort of demon problem in their tiny town. This book was full of mystery, fun, and humor. A weird but fun ride.

An interesting concept. I was very intrigued by the synopsis, however the overall story wasn’t quite my taste. As I was reading I felt like it picked up in the middle, or maybe this was not the first in a series. The supernatural element was interesting, but overall this one wasn’t for me.

Village Library Demon-Hunting Society made me snort laugh enough times I knew I was going to review it well!
This novel is a cozy mystery about a librarian named Sherry who considers herself an armature detective. When her boyfriend is killed and her cat is seemingly possessed by a demon, Sherry decides she's going to have to solve this case herself. All of the characters are so very likeable, the story gives me Buffy-like feelings, and overall this was a super fun romp that is perfect for fall.
My only complaint is that I kept trying to decide if this novel was the first in a series or number 2 or 3. Overall that didn't pull me from the story, I just felt like I might have missed something for continuity's sake. I do hope there is a sequel because I want to hang out with this crew of villagers again in the future!

Do you like cozy murder mysteries with a healthy splash of the supernatural? Then I've got the perfect recommendation for you!

Sherry Pinkwhistle lives in Upstate New York's Winesap, a quiet town that's like any other other quiet town...except for all the murders, that is. And though Sherry is a librarian by trade, she is also a super sleuth. But after one murder too many, she is getting suspicious that something else is afoot. And she would be right too, but before she can do anything about it, the next murder victim is a little too close to home and she's a prime suspect. Can she solve this latest murder, clear her name, AND find out what's plaguing Winesap? With a motley group of fun characters to aid her, of course, and a demon that begins to haunt her marmalade cat, Lord Thomas Cromwell.

I don't remember reading a cozy murder mystery combined with fantastical elements before (and it took some while for me to adjust to the co-existing elements of unease and cozy), but it was exactly what I needed even if I didn't know it when I picked it up. It's fun and funny, and what surprised me most in a delightful way was the author's use of popular tropes in plot and character archetypes only to subvert them all while keeping the spirit of such narratives alive. Cheeky self-awareness, for the win. Murder, She Wrote x Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the perfect tagline!

I really hope that this turns into a series; the sequel is already well set up by the end of the first one.

Lesson of the day? Never mess with a librarian 🤓.

The book centers around a librarian who is solving murders. Her lover gets killed and she slowly realizes that people in her small town are becoming possessed.

This was the perfect cozy mystery. But also, I love the paranormal elements thrown into it. The demons, talking cats, and the odd little quirks of the town.

This was a good cozy read. The ending set up for a sequel which honestly, I’d read.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this eARC.

DNF @ 45% because I cannot get into this story and nothing really has happened. The characters are pretty vague and I don't even feel like I have a good feel for the MC. The story drags along and then rushes through the important parts and I just cannot keep my attention. I love the idea, but the execution isn't working for me.

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy; my review and thoughts are my own.

This is a cozy paranormal mystery that features an amateur sleuth and middle-aged librarian named Sherry Pinkwhistle. The body count keeps rising in her quaint village, and after her lover becomes one of the victims, her cat is possessed by an ancient talking demon, and the villagers start acting strange, she begins to suspect that something supernatural is afoot. And that she might need an exorcist as well as the police.

So, banding together with the new priest, who is not keen on demon possession, as well as an array of village friends, who are an eclectic mix of grieving widow and neighborly busybody, they form the Demon Hunting Society. However, it is up to Sherry to solve the case and rid the town of demons.

If I had to characterize this, I'd say it was a mix of Murder, She Wrote and Miss Marple with a sprinkling of the occult. I thought it worked well as a cozy mystery because of its Stars Hollow-like setting and its quirky, endearing characters, but the supernatural elements felt out of place at times. Almost unnecessary. Granted, I did find the Lord Crowell cat possession to be humorous at times. However, I think I might've preferred the story without the paranormal elements because it would have made for a more seamless narrative.

All in all, though, this was lighthearted and amusing. A perfect read for snug autumn vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle has a knack for solving murders in her tiny upstate village. So many solved murders... way more than a tiny village should have. Sherry's starting to realize that something is unnatural. And it all starts to unravel when a close friend is murdered. Her cat is possessed, and it's very convenient that there's a new priest in town. Because Winsap needs more than an amateur sleuth... it needs an exorcist.

Why I started this book: I requested the ARC and it was time to review...

Why I finished it: The description of this, is a cosy fantasy mystery... but I would describe this as cosy mystery horror. Two genre's that don't go together, and yet Waggoner really blended them in a surreal spine tingling mash-up. I admit that I'm not a horror or a cosy mystery reader, so your mileage may very. Unsettling story for this big scaredy-cat reader with a little tongue-in-check nod to the tropes of these genres.

Great premise. Not so great execution. The setting and characters were typical of a cozy mystery, which is my favorite genre, so I thought this would be perfect. The idea of a demon being behind the number of murders in a small town is plausible and made me rush to pick up this book but it dragged so much that I consistently lost interest and had to keep putting this book down. There is set up for a next book in the series at the end but I don’t think it’s compelling enough for me to continue with the series.

When I first started this book I found myself a bit confused as this did feel like a sequel in a series, its not as far as I can tell but there are plenty of references to other cases Sherry has helped solve. Although if this were to become a series I would definitely continue with it.

At first, this book comes off as a standard cozy mystery. Sherry is a librarian who loves classic mystery novels and has her nose in the middle of any murder investigation in Winesap New York. Then after the death of her boyfriend Allen, she wants to grieve, but her friend and weirdly the Sheriff who normally warns her away from cases are badgering and downright yelling at her that she has to investigate! That is just the beginning of the weirdness to come.

While this story isn't exactly action-packed, it kept me entertained from beginning to end. I loved Sherry and how she went about investigating, I didn't catch any of the clues as to who the killer was and didn't put anything together until Sherry spelled it all out. I was just in the story having a great time following along. The characters were a lot of fun, especially the priest, and of course, the cat when Lord Thomas Cromwell possesses him.
I hope we get more in this world, and I'll be looking into other books this author has written.

An absolutely adorable and fast-paced murder mystery unlike any I've ever read. My only complaint is that the very end of the book (after everything was solved) seemed to go too fast and, while I understand the author was probably leaving room to write a sequel, I wish the final bit wasn't in this book. All in all, a great read though! It sort of reminded me of a mix between Benjamin Stevenson and Rachel Harrison.

The book description for The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner had me eager to dive into the story. Unfortunately, the final product does not match the blurb. The writing makes it difficult to get through the story along with the meandering plot. The author tried to create well-rounded characters by giving them a mixture of traits (I envisioned the author with a bag filled with various traits on slips of paper and she would reach to pick out a selection of traits for each person whether they made sense or not). Of course, later in the story, a character may no longer possess one or several of those traits (it was odd). Despite the author’s attempts, the characters were flat (pancakes are fluffier). I found Sherry to be an enigma. I did not enjoy the silly talk about her hair at the beginning (it did not make me eager to continue reading the book). Sherry is supposed to be smart and observant, who has used her skills to solve other murders that have occurred in the town (this town is going to get a bad reputation). The way this information was written made it seem like there was a book prior to this one. The story was all over the place. It seemed like the author could not decide which genre she wanted for this story (is it a paranormal mystery, cozy mystery, or a thriller—maybe a combination), so she tried to combine several into one (which did not work). The plot dragged on and on (the snails in my garden move faster). The pop culture references along with the supernatural bits were not needed. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a story that I struggled to finish (I admit to skimming here and there to get to the end). After I finished The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society, I could picture the author with a big pot tossing in various characters, traits, supernatural elements, and genres, giving it a big stir, putting the mixture into the oven, and the final result is her book. As you can tell, The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society was not for me.

Sherry Pinkwhistle, an amateur sleuth and librarian, investigates a series of murders in her village, but when a personal loss and demonic possession strike, she must team up with the town's priest and friends to solve the crime and cast out the evil.

I didn't fall in love with this one like I thought I would. It had all the makings of something I would enjoy: librarian FMC, mystery/thriller, paranormal aspect but it fell a little flat for me. The pacing was weird and it took a long time for things to get moving along. When they started to pick up, it's like the book had an identity crisis. Ultimately I liked where it ended up, but it took too long to get there, and the mystery reveal was lackluster.
I did enjoy the writer's voice and character development. The story was well written even though it felt disorganized a bit.

Triggers:
Murder
Demon possession

Sherry Pinkwhistle is a bit of a cliché. She is a single librarian in the quaint rural town of Winesap, New York, and she has a cat. And if that’s not enough, she solves murders. Every in the town knows that she solves the murders, and they’re okay with it. When Sherry finds out about another murder, she sets out to investigate. She asks questions, she researches, she turns over her findings to Sheriff Brown, and the killer goes to jail.

Until the killer strikes too close to home for Sherry. The victim is her boyfriend Alan, and Sherry is struck with grief. When her friends come to her and ask if she’s going to solve the murder, she tells them no and sends them away. When Sheriff Brown comes to her and asks if she’s going to solve the murder, she tells him no and sends him away. And she starts to think about exactly what’s been happening in their small town.

There have been an unusual number of murders in such a small town, a really startling number of them given the population. And the investigations that Sherry do are pretty repetitive. It’s like she’s stuck in a routine, like the whole town is. But when Alan died, Sherry was able to take a step back from it and see how absurd it all seems. It’s almost like they’re not entirely in charge of their lives. But how could that even happen? Nothing natural, that’s for certain. So it must be supernatural.

With the help of her friends and the local priest, Sherry sets out to find the demon that is haunting them all. And what she finds is a force more powerful than she expected. The demon embodies her cat, Lord Thomas Cromwell, and they have a conversation about murders and tasty treats that cats enjoy. But the demon doesn’t stay there. She sometimes takes over others, like the sheriff, when she wants them to do exactly what she wants, like throw Sherry in jail when she won’t play along.

Sherry is smart and an expert at research. But will that, and her stray bottle of holy water, be enough to take on the demon that’s been holding their town hostage in an endless loop of murder mysteries, or will they be stuck there forever?

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a mystery like no other. If you’re ever watched Murder, She Wrote and wondered why anyone would agree to go to a dinner party at Jessica Fletcher’s house, then you will enjoy this book. It’s a wild supernatural twist on the cozy mystery genre, and it’s filled with surprises. The story is clever, the characters are smart, and the ending is like no other mystery I’ve ever read.

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was in for with this book when I started it, but the deeper I got into the mystery, the more I loved it. It’s funny and self-aware and smart and offers a fresh twist on the trope of the cozy. Author C.M. Waggoner turns the murder mystery on its head, and it felt a little like a roller coaster, but it was one amazing ride. I would recommend this to anyone who wants an alternative to the usual cozy, and strap yourself in for all those twists and turns.

Egalleys for The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.