Secondhand Spirits: A Witchcraft Mystery by Juliet Blackwell

              Just as with Curiosity Thrilled the Cat, I swear I’ve read this book before.  Again, when I did, for some reason I did not continue with the series.  That is very odd, because now that I have finished reading Secondhand Spirits this time, I want to know what happens next.  It’s funny how things can change with time.  Before, I didn’t read the next book.  Now I eagerly await it.

                Lily Ivory is a witch.  While she fully accepts that is who she is, it is not exactly something Lily is thrilled to admit around others.  In the past, she has found people not too accepting of her witch status.  This is why Lily has spent many years of her life traveling around the world, hiding from those who wish to do her harm.  She would possibly still be doing that if she had not reached an age where she feels the need to find a place to land.  Lily is tired of traveling and she wants to find a place where she belongs.  For Lily, that place is San Francisco.

                Opening up a vintage clothing shop, Lily finds herself making friends like she never has before.  At first Lily tries to keep her being a witch a secret, but circumstances force her to reveal it.  To Lily’s great surprise, her friends accept her for who she is, creating even closer friendships in the process.  That, however, takes awhile to occur.  A lot of other things happen first.        

                The first thing that happens is the appearance of another witch in Lily’s shop.  Not only does Aidan Rhodes strut into Lily’s shop like he owns the place, but he brings Lily a familiar.  A gargoyle-like creature, the familiar is supposed to help Lily with her magic.  Of course, since no one knows Lily is a witch at this point, the familiar cannot stay in his gargoyle-like form.  When others are looking, he turns into a pot-bellied pig named Oscar.            

                Not feeling she has much other choice, Lily accepts Oscar into her life while doing her best to go about her business.  Then a young girl is abducted and a woman Lily just met is found dead.  Lily suspects the supernatural and witchcraft are involved, but how can she tell anyone without revealing she is a witch herself?  In order to solve the murder and help the girl before it’s too late, Lily must reveal her darkest secret, and possibly put the life she always wanted in jeopardy. 

                I really don’t know what turned me away from this series the first time around, but I’m glad I found it again. The characters are great with each having their own unique quirks and personality traits. There aren’t any characters I can truly say I dislike. Some I would not trust, but none I do not like. Oscar in particular I get a kick out of because you never know what kind of antic he is going to get up to next. While I would not say Oscar is particularly badly behaved, he doesn’t exactly behave well either. It will be interesting to see what kind of trouble he gets into with further books.