Eye of Newt

I have read, enjoyed, and forgotten a lot of decent mysteries lately. They were amusing or interesting, but nothing special. Eye of Newt is different; the story is permanently embedded in memory. I will never read anything about Salem, MA, past or present, without mentally revisiting Dietz's Salem. A very few authors introduce you to unforgettable characters, but Dietz manages to pull this off as well. It would be difficult to praise them specifically without hinting at the novel way in which they appear with respect to one another. So I'll just say, getting the parrot involved was a brilliant move, and the subtle ways in which the author allows the reader to make discoveries about her people will be particularly refreshing to those who are tired of having all the facts drummed into them by less skillful writers. Don't be intimidated by the cast list kindly provided before the story begins. It's more menu than map because the tale unfolds easily; once you've started reading, you won't need to refer to the list. Eye of Newt is a very thoughtful and funny book, full of the kind of people you'd like your best friend to live next door to. The novel is satisfying in itself, but I'm hoping it's the first in a series. The complexity of relationships alone suggests questions about the future of the protagonists that readers will be eager to find answered in future volumes. So thank you, Denise Dietz! And more, please. ?

Sydney St. Charles, owner of an apothecary shop in CO, is descended from witches. Too bad she doesn't believe it. While Sydney's charms are popular, it isn't witchcraft that has the town agog - Clive Newton, a member of the rock band The Newts, has been murdered. More `band-related' incidents occur, and Sydney attempts to help with the investigation, but her growing attraction to homeless amnesiac, "John Elway" complicates things for her. Simultaneously, she is trying to solve an ancient family mystery: a parallel murder that happened in 1692, in Salem. She learns more than she expected about her own heritage thru an ancestor's journal. There is `A LOT' of humor in this book - and suspense - mysterious and romantic at the same time. You must like animals (with a sense of humor) also. They don't talk - exactly.....

Sydney St. Charles is the latest in along line of witches but she does not really believe that she is a witch. Living in Manitou Falls, Colorado, she owns and runs an apothecary shop with the somewhat eccentric help of her great aunt Lillian. While she doesn't believe, the tax write off for selling eye of newt among other things is pretty good as is business. She sells all sorts of spells, potions, and talismans but she has nothing to stop gossipers and those that traffic for free in gossip. Business is good, but the trafficking in gossip is at a rare level in this small town. Clive Newton, a local boy to some, and member of the rock band "The Newts" was recently murdered. His body was found in Black Forest, an area that is residential but also zoned to allow horses. But the body wasn't entirely intact and the killer has been every so often, mailing a body part to the surviving members of the band. No one knows why and so far the police haven't been able to find the killer/mailer. And while that is fascinating, Sydney has much more personally important things on her mind. Her niece, Xanthia, is about to turn 13 and party plans of epic scale are underway. During her trip to the store, she makes the acquaintance of a handsome homeless man who is also an amnesiac. As she tries to control her mounting desire for him while helping him to discover who he is and his past, she nicknames him "John Elway" in honor of one of his memories. Then a body part from Clive arrives in a package addressed to Xanthia at her party and Sydney has no choice to become involved in the search for the killer. As the same time, a journal from 1692 involving a deceased relative who lived in Salem is found in the attic. Are the links in the journal and the current case just coincidence or does the journal hold the key to a modern day killer who is becoming more and more bold? This very enjoyable novel scheduled to be released on October 16, 2004 by Five Star Publishing blends two complicated mysteries with interesting characters and a strong sense of humor. Fans of the early work of Marcia Muller or Sue Grafton will delight in this heroine and her occasional irreverent attitude towards the world around her. Part romance, part mystery, and all fun, the resulting novel is often downright funny while at the same time providing a very good tale. Hopefully, this book is the start of a new series from this author. Book Facts: Eye of Newt By Denise Dietz www.denisedietz.com Five Star Publishing www.galegroup.com 2004 ISBN # 1-59414-096-0 ARC Kevin R. Tipple © 2004

In Manitou Falls, Colorado, witch Sydney St. Charles, who does not believe in witchcraft, and her septuagenarian Aunt Lillian, who does, share a home on top of their store Lilly's Apothecary Shop. Currently the town is in an uproar over the murder of Clive Newton of the rock band the Newts as the killer keeps sending parts of the victim's anatomy to the surviving band members. Before his death, Clive purchased a love spell from Sydney. Not long afterward, the band's manager Veronica Sanderson dies in a fire; Sydney is stunned as she sold a love spell to Veronica. Concerned over the link and finding a connection to a journal describing a similar homicide in 1692 Salem, Sydney begins making inquiries. However, she also finds herself distracted with seemingly homeless amnesiac "John Elway" whose only memory is being a Bronco fan. As the attraction grows and she gets closer to the truth, the killer decides to eliminate one nosy witch. This is an entertaining amateur sleuth tale that hooks the audience who will wonder if bewitching spells exist because Denise Dietz casts one on her readers. Fans will enjoy Sydney's struggles with a brilliant murderer who seems tied to her but outside of love spell sales, she has no idea what that is. The Elway and the seventeenth century Salem subplots strengthen a fine who-done-it in which the heroine needs a safety spell to ward off a deadly killer. Harriet Klausner

For a woman who doesn't believe she's a witch, Sydney St. Charles sure works with a lot of spells. The owner of an apothecary shop in Colorado, Sydney is descended from a long line of witches yet she herself doesn't believe that she has the power to cast spells. She'll have her beliefs challenged when she gets involved in the mystery surrounding the murder of Clive Newton, the sexy lead singer of the Newts and whose body parts are being discovered all over town. What's more important (to Sydney anyway) is her meeting with "John Elway," a very hot homeless man with no memory. Despite her growing attraction to him, she begins to detect that John isn't telling her as much as he knows and Sydney soon begins to fear that he may be involved in the murder. EYE OF NEWT is filled with eccentric and entertaining characters, from Sydney's warlock brother to her witch aunt who can do spells but couldn't cook to save her life. Chapters shift from the present to the journals Sydney discovers of a young witch in Salem 1692 who has a tragic past and compels Sydney to discover the girl's fate. Denise Dietz has created an extremely funny and engaging mystery with a heroine who perseveres despite the fact that she believes herself to be an incompetent detective and a worse witch. With its blend of magic, romance, and mystery Dietz begins a series that is sure to please a wide array of readers.