Ophelia, Abby and Tink travel to the mountains of North Carolina to celebrate the one hundredth birthday of Great- Aunt Mary. Ophelia hopes the only conflict she's going to have to deal with involves her mother or the ever- formidable Great-Aunt Mary, but no sooner do they arrive than strange things begin to happen. Abby seems to go into a decline after discovering a rattlesnake in the house, and it's soon apparent an evil from the past is making its presence known. Mix in malicious neighbor Sharon Doran, and Ophelia is forced to further embrace the abilities she's just beginning to accept.

THE SEVENTH WITCH, Shirley Damsgaard's seventh Ophelia and Abby mystery, is in turns scary, heartwarming and humor-filled, taking the reader on an adventure that makes this book hard to put down. The warmth of the family unit is charming and the message of standing together in the face of adversity strong. Ophelia's acceptance of her power and her willingness to stand up to others, both family and outsiders, is a testament to the love she feels for her grandmother. This is the first of this series I've read, and while it stands alone as a well-written mystery, I definitely recommend new readers start with the first story to fully appreciate Ophelia's journey to become a powerful witch.