I received a free copy of DEAD WITCH ON A BRIDGE by Gretchen Galway in exchange for an honest review. After being fired from the Protectorate, a supernatural law enforcement agency, for being unable to carry out an execution order, Alma has made a life for herself in the town of Silverpool as a jewelry designer and magical focus creator. Awakened by the screams for help from the local fae, Alma rushes out of her house to find Protectorate agent, fellow witch, good friend, mentor, and former lover dead on a nearby bridge. Seeing there is nothing to be done, Alma returns home to find her con-artist father and other sketchy acquaintances have come calling. Instead of investigating the death or other ominous goings-on that develop during the story, the Protectorate is more concerned with harassing Alma about a missing piece of jewelry they believe her father stole. Alma, Protectorate reject, is driven by her nature to do the Protectorate’s job for them by finding the killer and by investigating the other ominous events.

I liked this book. I recommend it to fans of urban fantasy and cozy mysteries. I hope this develops into a series so I can read future books about Alma and her town.

#DeadWitchOnABridge #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. It’s got a great cast of characters, some nice world building and good conflicts. Definite recommend.

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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

I really loved this book, it's the first time I read something written by this author and now I can not wait to read the next one, I loved all the magic part and the way Alma, the main character, grows . The only flaw I can find is that I'll have to wait a long time for the second book and see what happens next to Birdie, with Seth and what Alma's father will do with the powerful object he stole.

Thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book from the beginning till the end,a great story line and a twist you don’t see coming.
I look forward to the next in the series, need to find out what happened to Seth, and to find out what Alma does next.

It's nice to see a heroine that isn't kill, kill kill but feels guilt even when it's them or her. A very entertaining story, twists and turns along the way, thoroughly enjoyable and I can't wait for the next in the series.

Dynamite new urban fantasy series. Terrific world building; interesting, complicated characters; and an exciting, intricate plot. And, as a bonus, it was set in upper Sonoma County, not far at all from my home county of Mendocino. I loved this book and am very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

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

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.

Dead Witch on a Bridge is the first book I read by Gretchen Galway, so I didn’t know what to expect. The book is the beginning of a series called Sonoma Witches, and the action takes place in a world where magic exists, but humans are kept in the dark about it. I find it to some degree reminiscent of the Harry Potter world. Regular humans are referred to as nonmags. Unlike Harry Potter, the action takes place in the present day, and witches don’t necessarily need a wand to do magic, although in at least one instance there’s a reference to a witch getting her wand ready.

The story follows Alma Bellrose, a witch ‘honorably discharged’ with an incurable inability from the Protectorate (witches’ ruling authority) because she couldn’t kill a demon. No longer an agent of the Protectorate, Alma had to find other means to earn a living, so she now sells magic infused beads made of redwood.

Her world is turned upside down when she finds her ex-boyfriend, Tristan dead on a bridge at night. The plot thickens after the sudden visit of her infamous father, a notorious thief accused of stealing a powerful artifact and the Protectorate tries to pin the murder on Alma. Her only chance is to find Tristan’s killer and clear her name.

The demon she failed to kill still visits her from time to time and shamelessly flirts with her.

“I like what you’ve done with your hair,” he said, gracefully dancing out of the way. “The natural curls go with the wild-witch-in-the-forest thing.”
“Just because I didn’t kill you that night doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you now.”The smirk faded from his lips.
“All right. I couldn’t resist. I heard about the Protector’s death and had to see if it was true. I came to see you because…it seemed polite.”
I went over and cleaned up the remains of the towel, this time dumping it in the trash. “Courtesy accomplished, now you can go home and celebrate. Set your own towels on fire.”
“I’m sorry you lost a friend,” he said softly. Delayed grief stung my eyelids. “Well, I can confirm he’s dead. Very dead.”I cleared my throat.
“Let me comfort you.”He held out his arms in a display of faux paternal comfort that was even less convincing than my father’s had been.”

Dead Witch on a Bridge manages to combine fantasy and mystery in a magic book filled with wonderful characters, none of which is what they seem. What I enjoyed most about the story was its lack of predictability. Friends aren’t always friends and enemies aren’t always enemies. It was a real page-turner, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

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