Funerals & Familiars - A Review & Giveaway

Review

FUNERALS & FAMILIARS by Carmen Radtke
The First Willowmere Mystery 

 

Who knew that when Bex Merriweather reached for the periwinkle hair dye her life would be forever changed. With her hair barely dry news comes that Aunt Violet, the woman who practically raised her, is in hospital and the prognosis is not good. Bex arrives in Willowmere, Oregon to find her aunt has died and she is the prime beneficiary, inheriting her aunt's house and lending library. Currently living in a less than desirable apartment and jobless, thanks to her ex-husband, Bex is ready to accept this new start. She soon learns there's more to the lending library than meets the eye, more to Aunt Violet's cat, Cosmo, and more to Bex herself. Bex is a witch. A fact told to her by her new mentor - Cosmo. Bex needs to learn about her powers and get them under control quickly as the neighbor's recent death has become suspicious and a malevolent force has entered Willowmere.

 

FUNERALS & FAMILIARS is a coming of age story, middle age, but a coming of age nonetheless. I love when women of a certain age come into their power and in the first Willowmere Mystery Bex does just that. Gone is Rebecca Merriweather, meek wife and mother, welcome Bex, the independent woman with locks of blue whose able to stand up for herself as she learns to be a witch.

 

The mystery is complex and I love how Bex, reunited with her childhood friends, works on solving the case as she simultaneously works with Cosmo. While I really like Bex, Cozmo is my favorite character. An intelligent, sassy mentor who's equal parts drill sergeant and comforter all rolled up in an adorable feline.

 

Spunky characters, a sobering mystery, and magickal fun make FUNERALS & FAMILIARS a fantastic start to a new series. I look forward to watching Bex learn more about her powers and see how she and Cosmo keep Willowmere safe!

 

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 Funerals and Familiars (A Cozy Midlife Witch Mystery) Willowmere Mysteries by Carmen Radtke

About Funerals and Familiars 

Funerals and Familiars (A Cozy Midlife Witch Mystery) Willowmere Mysteries
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series Setting - Oregon
Independently Published (May 23, 2025)
Digital Print length: ‎ 248 pages

Midlife can be murder - or magic… Almost fifty and freshly divorced, Bex Merriweather is going through The Change - battling hot flashes and night sweats. Little does she realize that when an elderly relative dies and leaves her a lending library in sleepy Willowmere, complete with cat, her whole life is going to change… Turns out Aunt Violet left behind more than books and home-made herbal teas, like full-blown witch powers, and a small town where murder is very much on the menu. Even Cosmo the cat is no ordinary feline, but a sassy talking familiar. And when rumors about her aunt’s death begin to circulate, Bex has no choice but to embrace her witchy inheritance, and her inner detective. Now the novice witch, armed only with her circle of lifelong friends and a snarky, judgemental cat mentor, must uncover the truth, before her newly acquired magical life goes up in smoke. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, magical mayhem, and heroines who believe it’s never too late for a new chapter—or a little witchcraft!

About Carmen Radtke

Carmen has spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously high pile of books and newspapers by her side.

She has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents and always dreamt of becoming a novelist and screenwriter.

When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.

The shaken but stirring novel made it to the longlist of the Mslexia competition, and her next book and first mystery, The Case Of The Missing Bride, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic competition in a year without a winner. Since then she has penned several more cozy mysteries, including the Genie and Adriana Darling ghost mysteries and the Jack and Frances series set in the 1930s.

Carmen now lives in Italy with her human and her four-legged family. Although she possesses no witchy powers, she’s known to be easily held spellbound by animals.

Author Links

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Purchase Link - Amazon

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