The Trouble With Magic

Great easy read. Story line keeps you reading. I plan on buying the rest of the series.

The author has a good writing style. However this could not make up for a few things that bothered me: The occasional second person statements that pulled me out of the story. The use of "goddammit", even uncapitalized. A male protagonist who is in his early 20's and smokes. And last, but not least, the constant message on tolerance of witchcraft as a religion. Make it interesting by exploring new concepts-don't make us think about whether it can coexist with Bible Belt religion. I just didn't like this book as much as the ones by other authors, like Juliet Blackwell, who wrote for this series concept.

Alt's "The Trouble with Magic" is a solid, well-researched mystery. She captures the insularity and conservatism of small town middle America perfectly. Alt also does a great job of slowly introducing main character Maggie O'Neil (and the reader) to the tenets and practices of Wicca. The mystery itself is fairly straightforward, so the real appeal of the book lies in its setting and characters. Recommended to fans of Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Mystery series.