Miss Fitz and the Hot Patchouli Murder: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Cozy Mystery

Missed the first installment, but after reading this one, definitely going back for it. Loved this one with it's midlife relatable heroine, the quirky characters, small town setting and more.

When the local free hippie is found dead, people are shocked. but Miss Fitz realizes that the fourth grade fourth grade genealogy project may just be linked to the man’s death.

As a witch, Miss Fitz find herself being brought onto the case by the local wizard PI to help solve the case. Add an unexpected visit from her in laws, several part time jobs, and managing a home and family and things can be overwhelming. but Miss Fitz will do her best to help solve the case and bring a killer to justice.

This is the first book I have read in this series and it’s rather cute. I can relate right to the midlife changes and having the chicks fly the coop. The concept of Miss Fitz finding out she is a witch this late in life is also relatable, in that we often find our true selves coming out as we get older. We come into our own and shine. The whole is really enjoyable and I’ll be back for more in this series!

After reading I immediately found the first book because I enjoyed this one so much! The characters are a hoot! Small town, midlife problems, and a fun story will grab you from the get go and draw you in for a delightful time! A series I definitely will follow gladly!! Thanks #netgalley and #HawthorneGallupPublishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Miss Fitz has a hectic life with a husband, four children, a plethora of pets (talking ones, the best kind), and several part-time jobs. Oh, and she's only recently discovered she's a witch. When the local lothario turns up dead in her friend's trunk after a PTA meeting, Miss Fitz knows she needs to get to the bottom of it before the wrong person ends up behind bars.

I don't often pick up a book 2 without having read book 1 but when I saw that this book was set in Nashville, Indiana (quite possibly my favorite place) I had to check it out. Everything I love about Brown County made an appearance. There were animals, changing/falling leaves, shops (soap!), family, coffee, quirky country folks, and best of all... Sasquatch. Some of the local landmarks made an appearance like the leaf statue in front of the visitors center and I recognized some thinly disguised locations like Hard Mash Distillery, Salt Pork Road and Fatty Creek Road. Sigh. Reading this book was almost as good as actually being there.

Miss Fitz is the ultimate cozy character, she's a sweet mom, a loving wife, a rescuer of animals, a pursuer of justice and protector of the vulnerable and she's got every woman's dream purse. She's surrounded by some of the most charming (and some of the least charming) people. The setting is serene and beautiful and the recipes drool-worthy. I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is my first book in this series, or in fact by this author and I will definitely be reading more. Well written with an engaging and cosy storyline and well developed characters. Really enjoyable

I missed the first book in the series but I will rectify that.
Great characters and an entertaining whodunit.
Fans of paranormal cozies will enjoy this.
I hope to read further adventures with these characters.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

There were so many positives in the book! First I kept thinking of the quaint part of Salem, MA as I pictured the cute shops in the story with a downtown busy during tourist season. I love there there is talk of neurodivergence and representation in the novel. Miss Fitz truly is your “American mom” with a dirty kitchen and all. Finally, I love a good book with recipes. I really do think it adds a flash of character!

I wanted so much more for this book than it gave me. In terms of a cozy mystery I found it significantly more cozy than mystery. I would have enjoyed a bit more sleuthing around. I also found that there was a lot going on in the book in terms of characters. It was a bit difficult to keep straight as I didn’t feel like I connected with anyone other than the main character.

This is a good read for someone who wants a nice gentle rainy day mystery.

Setting the Scene: Miss Fitz (aka Missy, Melissa, Mrs. Fitzwright), the protagonist, is an overextended wife, mother, friend, daughter, daughter-in-law, amateur investigator, and a new witch. Her husband, Sin, is my favorite character in the book. Both are loving spouses and parents, but the way Sin supports but cares for Missy resounds with me. The kids are fairly "typical" kids for their ages, from early 20s to a 4th grader, with a few exceptions, and the exceptions lend a certain reality to this work of fiction. The two oldest are on the autism spectrum, and particularly the second child. This probably explains a lot about why both are still living at home. Both are high functioning and have jobs, but we see how Miss Fitz deals with them and gets support for herself.. Then, there is the magic. Miss Fitz is new to magic herself, and it seems that one or more of her children may also have the magic gene. That will make for some interesting interaction in future books. The other element that I need in my cozies is the friendships, and Miss Fitz has them. Oh, and I forgot to mention the animals, so many animals, but Coal, presumably Missy's familiar, is quite interesting. So, the elements are all there, a likeable protagonist, a strong relationship, a circle of friends, a little magic, and of course, murder.

What I Thought: This was a cute read. Missy has her hands full with her family, part-time jobs, an upcoming festival, an unexpected visit from estranged in-laws, and a body in the trunk of a friend's car, all making for an entertaining read. However, I thought there was too much name dropping of a peripheral character who was another peripheral character's friend's relative, etc. It cluttered the book unnecessarily. Additionally, while the mystery was decent, the ending was less than satisfying. It was as if the ending of the book was rushed. I do think this series has merit and will read the next book, but I hope some of the clutter is cleared and the mystery plays out more completely. I also would like to see more interaction between the friends. They were all so busy in this book they seemed to only squeeze in time for each other, here and there. That may be part of the realism, but I prefer a dose of fiction here. I did not read the first book, and that might have helped. I never read out of order for a reason, and I likely will go back and read it to try to clarify some things in this book. and get a better feel for the friend relationships and the discovery of the magic.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

I just finished reading Miss Fitz and the Hot Patchouli Murder and I LOVED it!

The overall story was captivating and entertaining. The well crafted characters made me feel as if I was right there alongside them in the story. Miss Fitz is by far my favorite character and I CAN’T to read more about her in the future. Great Job and I definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading a “good” paranormal mystery.

When I requested this I hadn't read the first book in the series. but I will for sure be going back to it. I feel I needed a little more context on the characters and the town to properly enjoy this book.

It's a lot more "cosy" than it is "mystery", and I think I needed a little more of that to really enjoy this read.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The beginning is a bit hard to understand who is who and what they’re doing. I enjoyed the later half of the book and the characters are great. #MissFitzandtheHotPatchouliMurder #NetGalley

This story was quirky and fun. I thought it was very entertaining. The characters are sweet and unique. The story is fast paced and lighthearted. The twists were cleverly placed throughout the plot. I thought this story was captivating.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this strange book

took me a while to get into the book and though it was funny at times i could also put it down and walk away, it didnt really grab my attention which i find strange as its the sort of book i would normally love to read...

aw well you cant win them all

Princess Fuzzypants here: There are some books that hook you from the first page. There are some that take a bit longer and then there are some that have a slow build until all of a sudden you realize you are invested in the story. Miss Fitz was one the last variety. While there are plenty of paranormal characters in the book, the paranormal is almost secondary until much later when the in-laws arrive.

Missy and her best friends are all witches. They never realized that when they were growing up but now, once Missy has stumbled upon her powers, they work together to protect those they love. She is married to a man in whom the magical powers seem to have skipped but his parents are powerful and Missy realizes that some of her four children will carry the gene as well. The story opens when a rather reprehensible man who thinks he is catnip to all women is found dead in the trunk of a car in which Missy is a passenger. Missy is asked to help find the killer by law enforcement- a novel take on the usual cozy. She finds out that the victim has been a busy boy around town and there are lots of folks who may have wished him ill. But did one actually murder the man?

We do find out the culprit and the circumstances but the whole mystery things takes second place for me to the characters. I loved Coal, the familiar who steals every scene he is in. Several other characters, including Missy, are autistic but fall in vastly different places on the spectrum. The challenges and the solutions they must learn is fascinating and enriched the story for me. Also the family dynamic of parents and children was in the forefront and made the book all the more interesting.

I liked that it had layers. Four purrs and two paws up.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Hawthorne Gallup Publishing and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Spooky season is in full bloom and this cozy is jam packed with thrills, chills and all the action one can hope for.

This is a quirky paranormal cozy mystery with plenty of female friendship. I enjoyed the way the ladies supported each other. There's family angst that occurs for anyone who has ever been in a family. I am new to this author and had fun with this cast of characters.

I requested an e-arc of this book through Netgalley and I would like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for accepting me as one of it's early reviewers.

I sadly did not love this book but don't get discouraged yet because it might be for you, in this review I will tell you what I liked about it but also why it didn't quite do it for me.

We are following a middle aged woman who has recently discovered that she is a witch and she is navigating the paranomal side of her life while also solving a murder. This is the second book in a series and I have not read the first one so keep that in mind.

Now the elements I enjoyed were how cozy this book was, it felt akin to the show The Good Witch. It had a strong cozy, small town vibe that I love. It had very positive autism representation as well as the main character havig a chronic illness which is handled beautifully, I loved how supportive her husband was about that. It has some recepies in it as well which I thought was really fun (I'm a cozy mystery newbie but I think this is a common thing in the genre) and I might try some actually.

Now for what didn't do it for me; although the book is a cozy mystery, I felt the mistery part was lacking a bit. For me it was never overly exciting and I didn't feel very invested in the mystery plot. I would've liked to see it unfold a bit more slowly and excitingly, I didn't really predict what had happened but it was because I almost had no clues to go on. I also felt that the characters aside from the main characters fell a bit flat, there was a lot of them and not a lot of connection for the reader to latch on to. I also disliked some word choices, for example "yeeted" and "calm AF"... that kind of thing but this is truly just a personal preference and I'm sure most people don't mind it.

Sadly the negative list is a bit longer for me which is why my rating is on the lower side but I did however have a cosy time with the story and I did discover that I really want to read more cozy witchy stories. If you are considering reading this book and are looking for something light and fun I do reccomend that you give it a go! (You'll probably want to start with the first in the series though)

This is a true cosy mystery and murder with a bit of witchiness thrown in. I haven't read the first book in this series but I don't think it affected my reading of this one.

Miss Fitz is a great character, a mum, an animal lover and rescuer, a wife and a witch. And now there is a murder will she help solve the case? I won't tell!

This is a fun cosy read, entertaining and easy to read. It has everything you want from a cosy, it is cute, is in parts humourous and altogether a good light-hearted book to read.

A cute, lighthearted story that is long on friendship and good vibes.

Miss Fitz and the Hot Patchouli summer, is a light read filled with friends and family and family and very good vibes. I liked Miss Fitz and her husband Sin for having a great relationship after a long term marriage at a young age, and I enjoyed how much fun the town seemed. The story is very cozy and perfect for people who like a warm-hearted read. I wasn’t too interested in the mystery, however. This is more a slice of life than a mystery, but it’s a nice place to visit in Southern Indiana. This was a 3.5 to me, but I rounded up to four.

The second book in the series finds Melissa Fitzpatrick trying to juggle multiple things whilst helping her friends during the busiest season in the town. How inconsiderate then for a murder to happen when she is flat out busy.
I love the characters, where mature women deal not just with mundane family matters but can also get it together and solve the murder.
The book is realistic with a touch of fantasy, enough to satisfy both types of reader, cozy mystery and fantasy mystery. There is humour mixed in with the drama, making this a pleasure to read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ — The cover of this book doesn't do it justice, unfortunately. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What a charming book this turned out to be. It worked well as a standalone. That said, I think reading the first book would be greatly beneficial for background information on these characters. The writing was great. The setting was "cozy". The plot was engaging and kept me guessing. The characters were likable. The only slight issue I had with it, was I felt it dragged a bit in the last 10ish%. Overall, though, this was an entertaining read and I look forward to getting my hands on the next book in this series. 👍🏻👍🏻

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Miss Fitz and the Hot Patchouli Murder is the second book in this new series by Red Tash. It follows Miss Fitz a wife and mom with multiple jobs navigating her life with new magical powers, menopause and being on the spectrum. To say she has a lot on her plate is an understatement Oh, did i mention she can talk to animals too? . She gets dragged in a murder investigation when a slimy playboy is found dead and dosed in patchouli in her friends truck after a PTA meeting. The man was notorious for hitting on women even though he was married so made a few enemies and there's a lot of potential suspects.

Even though I haven't read book one I did get into the characters quickly and feel in love with the quaint setting of Nashville, Indiana. The book is set during an Autumn festival so it has a lot of cozy elements for the fall season. There is also a fun Sasquatch element to the story too. I enjoyed the book immensely and a looking forward to the next installment.

Miss Fitz and the Hot Patchouli Murder was a different type of cozy mystery, that unexpectedly, I found enjoyable on a completely different level.

Melissa Fitzpatrick aka Miss Fitz is a very busy woman to say the least. A blissfully, married woman, a mother of four and involved in just about everything in her cozy little town.

I found this story to be more of an every day life situation with a mystery in the background, then a full on mystery. Miss Fitz somehow balances many things day today and wants to do more on top of it. Being a mom is a full-time job and it’s own, and she adds on many part-time endeavors to her plate. Recently, discovering a touch of magic within her life she’s learning a whole new side of herself. She has children on the autism spectrum, and I love how the book shows how she deals and get support. I did like the mystery that was involved, but as I said, that was more happening in the background.

I felt Melissa was learning to deal with a new magical life. Discovering her child may possess those talents as well and nosy in-laws trying to step in and take over without consulting first. Read Tash intrigue me with this wonderful story.