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    Caught Dead Handed
    Caught Dead Handed
    Caught Dead Handed
    Audiobook8 hours

    Caught Dead Handed

    Written by Carol J. Perry

    Narrated by C. S. E. Cooney

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Most folks associate the city of Salem, Massachusetts, with witches, but for Lee Barrett, it's home. This October she's returned to her hometown-where her beloved Aunt Ibby still lives-to interview for a job as a reporter at WICH-TV. But the only opening is for a call-in psychic to host the late-night horror movies. It seems the previous host, Ariel Constellation, never saw her own murder coming.

    Lee reluctantly takes the job, but when she starts seeing real events in the obsidian ball she's using as a prop, she wonders if she might really have psychic abilities. To make things even spookier, it's starting to look like Ariel may have been an actual practicing witch-especially when O'Ryan, the cat Lee and Aunt Ibby inherited from her, exhibits some strange powers of his own. With Halloween fast approaching, Lee must focus on unmasking a killer-or her career as a psychic may be very short lived.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 19, 2015
    ISBN9781494582883

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    Reviews for Caught Dead Handed

    3.5/5

    90 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I was looking for a cozy mystery for Halloween. I grew up in the next town over, so I spent a lot of time in Salem, which made this a fun choice.

      There were a couple of times I was a little disappointed in Lee. Lee is a smart woman, yet a few things went over her head that really shouldn't have, but it didn't take away from the story.

      Considering this is a cozy, Carol Perry went into a couple of dark places that surprised me. This was a nice surprise. I love cozy mysteries, but sometimes I wish they were just a little less fluffy, something between a cozy and a non-cozy. I feel this book is a good example of that, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Not a bad story, somewhat predictable but terrible flat narration
    • 5/5
      Caught Dead Handed (Witch City Mystery, #1)by Carol J. PerryI read these out of order, darn! But it wasn't hard to sort out. Just wish I had paid attention! These are fun cosy psychic mystery books. Lee, the gal of our story comes back to Salem to live in the old house next to her Aunt, sounded like a connected house. Her aunt raised her. Lee widowed. Lee had a few psychic experiences as a child but doesn't remember them. But now, she is experiencing them again after she finds a dead body.Its a great intro to the series. We meet a cat that is from the dead witch and he decides that Lee is where he wants to live with. He seems to know more than a cat should.Fun book!
    • 4/5
      An interesting first book that shows some potential. Lee has returned to her home-town of Salem and shows up for a scheduled interview for an on-air reporter position only to find the job was given to someone else. Through a series of unfortunate events (including finding a dead body) she is offered instead the late-night show: a combination of live-on-air psychic call-in and host for old scary-movie screenings. Figuring she can fake the psychic bit, she accepts the job and adopts the deceased's cat. The result is Lee being up to her eyeballs in the investigation and finding out that perhaps she doesn't have to fake the psychic bit after all. There was a lot to like about this book: the premise reminded me of an old show called "Creature Feature" that was essentially the same thing (minus the call-ins); it was a very popular program on our local TV station, and the MC, Dr. Paul Bearer, was quite a celebrity in the Tampa Bay area. So the story had a nostalgic aspect for me. I liked that Lee, a widow, wasn't mired in melancholy or introspection: she lost her husband, she misses him keenly, but she seems to live in the present, not the past. I like the detective and the romantic potential between the two as well, although there's a definite lack of romantic tension. Overall, it's a well-written book that, just under 400 pages, moved along surprisingly quick. But – and at 3.5 stars you knew there had to be a "but" – the writing is not as smooth as it could be: there's a scene between Lee and her Aunt that's particularly clunky, awkward and melodramatic that could have benefitted from some tweaking. Aunt Ibby's part in this scene feels completely out of character for her, as though she was a different person when it was written. The murder plot was ambitious and might have worked incredibly well, but the author telegraphed the plot twist – a big plot twist – very early in the book and the result was a desire to shake Lee for being so obtuse as to not see it. This made a rather large dent in my enjoyment of the story. Still, the author gets bonus points because she tackles some very, very non-cozy motivations in this book. If sexual abuse is a trigger, you might want to choose a different read. The cat, O'Ryan, is great – the back of the cover says he "...exhibits some strange powers of his own." – which is complete rubbish; he never exhibits any powers beyond his ability to find the comfiest spot in any room. But he's pretty cool nonetheless. I'll read the next book gladly; there's plenty to like in this book and nothing done so badly that it won't likely be fixed in the second book. The author left the possibilities for Lee rather wide open and I'm looking forward to seeing where she goes from here.
    • 3/5
      Pretty good but darker then I expected urban fantasy. I prefer light hearted mysteries with quirky characters, this one had a pleasant main character but many of the other characters were much less appealing.
      One thing I liked is that the "magical" elements are very ambiguous.
    • 1/5
      Boy, I really can't with cozy mysteries. DNF
    • 4/5
      Cute cover. Fun cozy mystery. I'll keep reading the series for Lee, her aunt Ibby, and O'Ryan the cat.Note to self: A couple problematic bits, and the "twist" was one of biggest my pet peeves in a mystery/thriller. Siblings, George and Janice Valen. Marlena, their abusive mother, died under suspicious circumstances (falling down the stairs). Janice is actually Willie, George's little brother, who after years of the sexual abuse, developed dissociative identity disorder. Lived primarily as Janice. Willie killed Yvette and Ariel.
    • 2/5
      This is a decent start to a new series, but I have to wonder how much research or practical knowledge went into it. Some of the "witchy" mistakes I could chalk up to creative liberties, but the 8th Trump card as The Sorceress?? Good grief. Not even in specialty decks, where you might indeed find a Sorceress, would you find it as the number 8 trump. You lost major, major cred points with that one!

      The characterization was good, a few holes in the plot line, but nothing unforgivable. Just a glaring error.
    • 3/5
      I liked the story, I liked the paranormal premise, & I even liked most of the characters.After the death of her NASCAR driver husband, Lee Barrett returned home to Salem MA for a job interview at the local WICH-TV station. Before she has a chance to interview the station manager/owner hires someone else.When going back to her car, Lee comes across a hand; when she looks again, it is connected to the very dead body of the t.v. station's late night psychic. The discovery leads to Lee being given the job of the dead woman.Immediately after the discovery of the dead psychic, another woman is found with her throat slit... and then the killer attempts to steal Orion (now named O'Ryan), the psychic's cat.Lee begins to have visions in the black reflective surface of the dead psychic's obsidian ball... A long forgotten/buried scrying talent she had as a child, which gave her a vision of her parent's plane crash when she was five.I pretty much figured it all out, but it was very interesting and held my attention.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed this book. Some of that may be to the fact I had listened to a couple of very disappointing books for this one. The mystery was interesting and the flow of the book was fast-paced. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and settings for the book and it setup the future series very well. I enjoyed all the characters in the book. Which is surprising for me because there is usually at least one character that annoys me. I liked the main characters of Lee and her aunt, the police and all of the supporting characters at the television station. The book lost a star in rating because the last quarter of the book was pointless. The solution was obvious to everyone but it appeared the author needed to make the book last longer. The author accomplished this by having all the characters lose their intelligence and just basically ignore all the clues. It was not needed and made the book drag on way too long. Also the finale was a little anti-climactic.The narrator was really good especially when Lee was “On-Air” as her TV persona.
    • 5/5
      Caught Dead Handed: A Witch City Mystery
      Cozy Mystery
      Carol J. Perry

      In the city of Salem, Massachusetts happening upon a witch isn’t out of the ordinary or unexpected, finding a dead one is. Lee Barrett is returning to her hometown, and it’s long overdue. Aunt Ibby, the woman who raised her after the tragic death of her parents still lives in the same house Lee grew up in and is happy to have her home. Lee is scheduled for an interview as a reporter at WICH-TV. The problem is, once she gets there she finds out that the job has already been filled. A position opens up just as Lee is leaving, a call-in psychic that hosts a late night horror movie show, Nightshades. The only reason the job is open is that the last host, Ariel Constellation was murdered. Having discovered Ariel’s body on the rocks below the TV station, Lee becomes entwined in the investigation and may even be a suspect.

      Even though it isn’t her ideal job, Lee accepts the position so she can be on the spot in case something else opens up. But strange things start happening when she's working on the set of Nightshades. Lee starts seeing visions in a prop Ariel used, a gazing ball made from obsidian. She talks to her Aunt Ibby about the visions and finds out it isn’t the first time she has had them. At first, she is frightened by the images, but after a while, she becomes intrigued. She starts studying up on the subject, finding out there is more to it than what she ever thought. While working at the TV station, she discovers that Ariel Constellation was a real witch. This is revealed when a coven of witches comes to the station to help Ariel move on to the afterlife.

      This first time Lee sets eyes on River, her soon-to-be confidant, and best friend, she is wearing a cloak with a black hood and is surrounded by protesters. Lee is intrigued and sets out to meet the young woman. Finding in River a true friend and a knowledgeable ally. Lee and Aunt Ibby rescue Ariel’s cat who has been hanging out at the TV station only to find out that O'Ryan, isn't a typical house cat. He has some very unusual abilities of his own. With Halloween just around the corner, Lee needs to find the killer before it's too late.
      __

      Not knowing when the visions will happen or how to explain to the police how she is getting the information she passes on to them is a constant complication. This is made easier by the attractive Detective Pete Mondello, who seems to have taken a liking to Lee. A question of whether or not she can disclose her abilities to him becomes an additional cause for concern. Will he think she is crazy?
      The loss of Lee’s first husband made her a widow at a young age, but she is in no hurry to move on to another relationship. She fights her own urges and attraction for the handsome detective even though she knows she won’t be able to keep it up for long.

      The first time Lee sees a vision in the obsidian gazing ball and talks herself into believing it was a trick of the light is memorable because it is the beginning of the discoveries she makes later on.
      Lee is a fascinating character filled with drive and talent. She knows when to seek the advice of someone more in tune with the witch world, as well as someone older and wiser than herself. She grows throughout the story but remains a loving, kind hearted person that you want to cheer on to success.

      The characters in this story are wonderfully developed, they have very distinct personalities. Lee slowly develops into a top-notch investigator with the help of her bibliophile Aunt Ibby, her BFF, River and Detective Mondello. All of the characters are well thought out, well rounded and entertaining.

      With Salam as the backdrop for this book, it would be expected to have more of the town's history in the story. However, as it wasn’t a factor or integral to the plot, it wasn’t necessary, it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the location, the descriptions of the businesses or the residents.

      This book is fast-paced without sacrificing detail, the characters are a pleasure to learn about. The story and the characters evolve together, making it hard to wait for the second volume in the series. Readers will enjoy this book if they like the work of writers such as Amanda M. Lee or Emma Watts.