Synopsis:
Astra Arden just wants one quiet week at home.

After a locked-island murder investigation that left the whole team running on coffee fumes and borrowed sleep, she’s earned it. But the moment she walks through the door, she discovers Aunt Gwennie has been secretly dating Detective Briggs—and before Astra can process that, things around the house start going wrong.

Small things, at first.

A shelf collapses when no one’s near it. The garden gate swings shut on Briggs’s fingers. A batch of Gwennie’s famous snickerdoodles tastes like soap. Arden House has always had a personality, but this feels personal.

Then the small things stop being small.

Someone—or something—has Briggs in its sights. And with the human detective dodging hexes he can’t see, Astra has to figure out who’s targeting him and why before the small things turn deadly.

But the deeper Astra digs, the more she realizes the threat isn’t coming from outside. It’s coming from inside the family — from a ghost who can’t let go and a house that takes sides.

Welcome back to Arden House. The snickerdoodles are fresh, the owl is judging you, and the walls have opinions.


Review:
“Interrogation and sisterhood share exactly one technique, and it’s this one. Patience.” (Page 20)

“He’s going to keep coming back either way. He’s got that energy. He’s like if a casserole wouldn’t take no for an answer.” (Page 23)

This series has been doing a great job of shifting focus from having only Astra as the star of the show to showcasing other people in the family. This time, both Althea and Ayla played pivotal roles in figuring out exactly what is going on. Briggs is a good man so it’s great that the family comes together to support him, and while it seemed like the answer to what was happening might have been obvious, it was slightly different than what was expected. As usual, a quick, fun, light, clean read by Leanne Leeds.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯