SYNCHRONIZED SORCERY by Juliet Blackwell

In the 11th entry of Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mysteries, SYNCHRONIZED SORCERY, Lily and Sailor return home from their European honeymoon and search for Oscar’s mother. Oscar is Lily’s familiar, a shape-shifting gobgoyle masquerading as a pig whose mom was cursed and turned into a stone gargoyle.

While Aidan, the head of San Francisco’s magical community, continues to recuperate, Lily plans to assume his responsibilities now that she is home. When Lily responds to Calypso’s message to come to Aidan’s office, she finds a dead man slumped over Aidan’s desk. Another man shows up, one she spotted on her flight home. Much to her surprise, the stranger turns out to be her half-brother Dragomir Ivory. As she calls the police, Dragomir conveniently disappears.

After dealing with the police investigation, Lily gets home to find Oscar and Sailor at odds since the close quarters in Lily’s apartment make life difficult for a demanding familiar and new husband. Lily also needs to deal with catching up at her shop, Aunt Cora’s Closet, a vintage clothing store. And, according to her Aunties, “a prophecy involving Lily’s coming to San Francisco presumably to lead the magical community in opposition to a supernatural threat” hangs over her head.

Police identify the dead man as Marcus Tinley, a resident of Treasure Island, an artificial island created for the World’s Fair held in San Francisco in the 1930s. Lily’s grandmother and her coven explain that the construction of the island and the erection of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges create a supernatural hot spot in the Bay Area. The hot spot poses a supernatural threat to the area.

Ms. Blackwell fabricates fascinating paranormal stories with compelling magic and mystery elements. The author’s characters are likable and well-developed. The relationship between Oscar and Lily provides humor while the two confront challenging crises wielding their magic. The Witchcraft Mysteries are entertaining and SYNCHRONIZED SORCERY demonstrates the captivating power of Ms. Blackwell’s storytelling skills.

As witch and vintage store owner Lily Ivory steps into her new role as leader of the Bay Area's magical community, she's faced with a mysterious death of magical proportions...Strange things are happening in Lily Ivory's San Francisco. First, she finds a vintage mermaid costume which dates from the 1939 San Francisco's Treasure Island World's Fair – and which gives off distinctly peculiar vibrations. Next, she stumbles upon a dead man in the office of her predecessor, and as the community's new leader, she feels compelled to track down the culprit. Just when Lily thinks things can't get any stranger, a man appears claiming to be her half-brother, spouting ideas about the mystical prophecy involving San Francisco and their family...When the dead man is linked to the mysterious mermaid costume, and then yet another victim is found on Treasure Island, Lily uncovers ties between the long-ago World’s fair and the current murders, and begins to wonder whether the killer might be hiding in plain sight. But unless Lily can figure everything out in time, there may be yet another body floating in San Francisco Bay.