Lily Ivory faces a thorny challenge in A VISION IN VELVET,
the fifth in Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Mystery
series. The persistence of evil, an ancient oak and a
missing pig slash familiar create a framework for murder.
The solution took me by surprise which is always a treat
when reading a mystery.
Lily's vintage clothing shop turns into Find-The-Pig Central
when Oscar goes missing. Her fear and sorrow is only
exacerbated by the well-meaning efforts of friends. She
knows precisely where Oscar disappeared but her non-witchy
friends' efforts will be of no concrete help. Only solving
an ancient curse has a chance to bring Oscar back, but will
he think the sacrifice she must make is worth it?
Thinking back, I believe this is the best of this series
I've read. The complex issues are key to creating the
tension that ratchets up through Lily's struggles. I also
enjoyed the expansion of information about some of the
secondary characters.
I think that A VISION IN VELVET could be read as a stand-
alone book. Juliet Blackwell is a master at weaving back
story so that it does not interfere with the main thrust of
the book but truly, reading the entire series is a pleasure
well-worth the time and money invested.
Lily Ivory hopes to score some great vintage fashions when
she buys an antique trunk full of old clothes. But she may
have gotten more than she bargained for.
As soon as Lily opens the trunk, she feels strange
vibrations emanating from a mysterious velvet cloak. When
she tries it on, Lily sees awful visions from the past. And
when the antiques dealer who sold her the cape is killed,
Lily suspects a supernatural force might be behind his
death.
Then Lily’s familiar, Oscar the potbellied pig, disappears.
Lily will do anything to get him back—including battling the
spirit of a powerful witch reaching out from the past. But
even with the aid of her grandmother, unmasking a killer and
saving Oscar might be more than one well-intentioned
sorceress can handle.