Review of Mouse of Cards by Erin Johnson

Congratulation to Erin Johnson on the publication of the fourth book in her Magic Market Mysteries!

A cursed sleuth. A gallery of secrets. Will this cryptic case be her last?

Pet psychic Jolene is still plagued by a hex that keeps her powers on a leash. So when her detective crush asks for help solving a strange murder at the Museum of Magical Artifacts, she hopes to find clues to break her own sorcerous chains. But faced with a web of lies, Jolene’s secret shifter identity might be the very thing that sets her in the killer’s sights. 

Along with her not-quite-boyfriend’s lie-sniffing German Shepherd, Jolene puts her nose to the ground to spring a trap on the culprit. But with the elusive villain apparently able to vanish into thin air, she fears her buried past could come back to bite her. 

Can Jolene disenchant her own jinx before a murderer casts the fatal blow?

Available on Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.

Welcome back to the Dark Moon District where shifters flourish and the mobsters have a little too much freedom. Jolene definitely wishes a certain mob boss didn’t have as much control and reach as he does, but she’ll deal with him as needed.

The mystery in book 4 centres around the death of Geoffrey, the PR person for the Magical Artifacts Museum. Theories abound from office politics to unrequited love to possible dark magic curses as potential motives. There are several suspects, therefore, as almost every museum employee is a suspect. It’s not just the humans who have to be questioned, and Jolene goes on the hunt for the mouse who may have witnessed it all. There are quite a few hilarious moments where that elusive mouse is concerned. The big reveal is pretty intense and brings a major life decision to Jolene’s doorstep.

Fun secondary characters always have a pivotal role to play in cozy mysteries. In this tale, we see Jolene and Daisy continue their, sometimes inane but, often comical banter. We also get a few scenes between Jolene and her best friends Heidi and Will. Those scenes vary from sweet to emotional to laugh out loud. There may or may not be a cult involved! You’ll have to read to find out.

In terms of character development, we see Jolene fully embracing the idea of a new way of thinking. She wants to be a better person and commits to that decision. This book also brings some cold, hard truths to light. How other characters deal with those truths added a depth of emotion to this installment.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and another great addition to the Magic Market Mysteries. I give it 4/5 mouse-free espresso shots.