Heather Blake – The Goodbye Witch

The fourth book in the Wishcraft Mystery series, published May 6, 2014.
Genre: paranormal cozy mystery
Cover: lovely



As Enchanted Village's resident Wishcrafter, Darcy Merriweather has the power to make other people's wishes come true, but what she really wishes is that she had the power to uncloak the invisible man who's stalking her best friend....
Darcy's closest friend and fellow witch, Starla Sullivan, hoped she'd never see her ex-husband, Kyle, again. Two years ago he tried to kill her, and he has been a fugitive ever since. Now Starla claims to have seen him back in Enchanted Village, but it seems she's the only one who can see him. To everyone else, her ex is invisible.
Darcy only wishes his motives were as transparent as the rest of him. Since the police can't arrest someone they can't see, it's up to Darcy to find the secret behind Kyle's latest disappearing act—before he does something they can't see coming….


I love this series, and especially how Darcy Merriweather is learning how to be a wishcrafter. A wishcrafter is a witch who grants wishes. There are lots of rules and regulations to learn, but Darcy loves it all. She is a very caring person, having raised her younger sister when their mother died at her birth, and their father pretty much neglected them after. But when he died, their aunt was finally allowed to tell them about their heritage, and she took them in. Darcy had just gone through a bad divorce, and she sure needed this change in her life. Her sister Harper is more leery of being a witch, but she came with Darcy to Salem, The Enchanted Village, and now owns the local bookshop. Which she has transformed into a place I would so love to visit!
Darcy has also found love again in local head of police and non-witch Nick Sawyer and his little daughter Mimi, who is also a wishcrafter. Her aunt Ve runs some kind of concierge business from her home, and Darcy loves to help her. They make the most impossible wishes come true.

Darcy also found a very good friend in wishcrafter Starla Sullivan. Starla is also divorced, and now happily in love with a man Darcy does not really trust, as he is a Seeker, desperately wanting to be a witch himself. She is not convinced that Vince Paxton truly loves Starla or is using her to find out the truth about witches. But for Starla’s sake, she tries.

And now Starla is scared out of her wits that her ex-husband is back in town, after he tried to kill her two years ago. His family has closed ranks against her at that time, not wanting to believe that their son and brother is capable of such violence. Kyle Chadwick and his family are mani-crafters, meaning they are good with their hands at crafts and such. Kyle escaped prison after being arrested, so why is he back now? He is a fugitive. Darcy will do whatever it takes to help and protect her friend, and Harper certainly will help as well. Starla’s day job is a photographer, and she has taken some pictures of Kyle near the ice-skating rink, but she was so spooked that she left her camera behind when she ran. When Harper retrieves it, they all want to see the pictures, but the memory card has been wiped clean. There is not much Nick can do, but he will alert his officers and be on the look out for Kyle. They know how he looks, as his almost identical twin still lives in the village.

The Chadwick family is not happy with what is happening, and they keep claiming that Kyle cannot possible be in town. His two brothers pay a visit to Darcy and Starla in Darcy’s house, where she and her brother will be staying for the moment, and it certainly is not a good visit. Darcy is convinced they know where there brother is hiding, and Harper sets out to follow them when they leave.

But the next day, Kyle’s body is found in Darla’s livingroom, and Darla becomes suspect number one. Especially police officer Glinda Hansel, a broomcrafter, is after her for murdering Kyle, but the evidence found is only circumstantial. Glinda really hates Darcy for taking Nick from her, although Nick has never been interested in her in that way.

Darcy has her work cut out for her, especially as the Elder herself asks her to snoop around and be her unofficial investigator into this crime, which has to have been committed by a crafter. And Craft laws supersede human laws in this village.
How did Kyle manage to become visible only to Darla? How did he break into her house, or into the police station to steal his wedding ring out of the evidence locker? Who helped him, and why?


I love this series very much. The interaction between Darcy and her family and friends, and especially the familiars, is so lovely to read about and discover. Her relationship with Nick is progressing well, and Mimi is a delight. I would trade her in a heartbeat for my stepdaughter. But there is heart break in this book as well, when a close friend is dying from old age. And how far would Darcy go to protect a love one? Would she give up her sister if she had murdered someone, or would she stand behind her all the way? Difficult choices, but thinking about all these things make her understand the Chadwicks for their choices.
Darcy’s birthday is also coming up, a day she would rather forget, as it was never a happy day for her after her mother died. But Aunt Ve seems determined to have a small dinner party ... or not so small ... I loved that part so much!

10 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian