Devi Nair
đ±đ Read on Kobo đ 304 pages â± Duration: ~4 hours đ·ïž Publisher: Kensington Publishing (Kensington Cozies) đ Release Date: February 24, 2026 đ ARC provided by NetGalley
After feeling underwhelmed by the Josie Way series, I was hopeful when Angela M. Sanders announced a fresh start with A Whiff of Murder. Lise Bloom was introduced in Witch and Tell (Witch Way Librarian #7), and I liked her there enough to feel optimistic about her stepping into the lead role. Her gift of reading âfragrance ribbonsâ felt creative and had the potential to set this paranormal cozy apart. I loved the Oregon setting, the quirky side characters, and Sandersâs usual knack for smallâtown charm.
But somewhere between the incense sticks and the melodrama, things drifted a little too YA for my taste. In this book, Lise comes across as far more childish than expected, especially in how she handles conflict. The rivalry with Detective Signe felt rooted in high school grudges rather than adult motivations, which made both characters feel emotionally underdeveloped. Signeâs determination to view Lise as guilty simply because of a shared past rivalry stretched credibility and weakened the investigative tension.
The mystery itself is serviceable, and the clairalience concept remains the strongest element. This feels like a book that wanted to be cozy fun but stumbled in character execution. Still, Sandersâs prose remains smooth, and I can see dieâhard cozy fans enjoying the light paranormal twist.
Would I recommend it? If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a sprinkle of magic and smallâtown gossip, you might find A Whiff of Murder a pleasant weekend diversion. For me, it didnât quite capture the spark of Sandersâs earlier work, but itâs far from a total miss.
Originally posted at viewsshewrites.com.
đ±đ Read on Kobo đ 304 pages â± Duration: ~4 hours đ·ïž Publisher: Kensington Publishing (Kensington Cozies) đ Release Date: February 24, 2026 đ ARC provided by NetGalley
After feeling underwhelmed by the Josie Way series, I was hopeful when Angela M. Sanders announced a fresh start with A Whiff of Murder. Lise Bloom was introduced in Witch and Tell (Witch Way Librarian #7), and I liked her there enough to feel optimistic about her stepping into the lead role. Her gift of reading âfragrance ribbonsâ felt creative and had the potential to set this paranormal cozy apart. I loved the Oregon setting, the quirky side characters, and Sandersâs usual knack for smallâtown charm.
But somewhere between the incense sticks and the melodrama, things drifted a little too YA for my taste. In this book, Lise comes across as far more childish than expected, especially in how she handles conflict. The rivalry with Detective Signe felt rooted in high school grudges rather than adult motivations, which made both characters feel emotionally underdeveloped. Signeâs determination to view Lise as guilty simply because of a shared past rivalry stretched credibility and weakened the investigative tension.
The mystery itself is serviceable, and the clairalience concept remains the strongest element. This feels like a book that wanted to be cozy fun but stumbled in character execution. Still, Sandersâs prose remains smooth, and I can see dieâhard cozy fans enjoying the light paranormal twist.
Would I recommend it? If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a sprinkle of magic and smallâtown gossip, you might find A Whiff of Murder a pleasant weekend diversion. For me, it didnât quite capture the spark of Sandersâs earlier work, but itâs far from a total miss.
Originally posted at viewsshewrites.com.