Occupation: Wonky witch and landlady of the Witch’s Retreat Bed and Breakfast.
Seriously, I don’t know what’s worse—my magic or the body count in what is supposed to be the idyllic British village of Avebury. After that business with the poisoned wine I was hoping for some peace and quiet, but nooo, no way, I should have known better. Peace and quiet are not for me. Maybe Chris—that’s my significant other (boyfriend sounds just so weird)—and I shouldn’t have gone on a hike. But then someone else might have stumbled over that skeleton. Someone with heart problems, for example. But I knew right from the start the sad jumble of bones meant trouble, serious trouble.
How I wish I were wrong.
Oh, so sorry, I should probably introduce myself before I carry on venting.
I’m Myrtle Coldron. Just call me Myr. Most people do. I used to be a grammar school teacher, but when Aunt Eve died, I came to Avebury—and took over the Witch’s Retreat Bed and Breakfast.
Why? Well, uh, to be honest I did a bit more than solve the mystery of auntie’s death. See, I found out I’m a witch. As was my aunt, and she and Dot Wytchett called the last magical beings to Avebury’s Neolithic stone circle, because it’s supposed to have secret powers that boost our magic. And believe me—our magic is in sad need of a boost. It’s wonky at best, and it keeps ambushing me at the most inopportune moments. But where is it when I need it?
Like now.
When I’m in the garden shed with a killer lurking outside.
Yes, don’t tell me. That was mega stupid. I should have left the investigation to my friend, Sergeant Sarah Widdlethorpe of the Wiltshire police, like she kept telling me. But the killer has stolen a magical mirror I need to lift the curse on the coven. That’s not the sort of intel I can share with a police officer, friend or not, right? She’d think I’d gone gaga. If not that, she might have arrested the killer. And then what? Without that blasted mirror, the Magical Misfits will fizzle out like an aspirin in a glass of water.
We can’t have that, so here I am. Hiding behind a door, listening to the soft footfall outside that tells me my antagonist is still there, rat-patient.
What now?
Think, Myrtle, think.
I mustn’t show my magic. I can’t expose the coven. But if I don’t try, I’m just as screwed.
Crap, crap, crap. Why me?
A fizzing noise rushes through the shed, travelling on the moist, green scent of a spring forest. And from my hands tumble silky rose petals, the manifestation of my magic.
Only—why are they pink? They should be deep red?
Hello? What the heck has gone wrong this time?
Read “Out of Body”, third instalment of the Magical Misfits mysteries, and find out!
Out of Body, A Magical Misfits Mystery Book #3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: July 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
A skeleton unearthed, a coven in peril, and meddling villagers with a penchant for mayhem—Myrtle Coldron’s life is about to get wicked.
Myrtle Coldron, owner of the Witch’s Retreat B&B and leader of the Magical Misfits, enjoys a hike and stumbles upon a skeleton. The unwelcome discovery unleashes a series of bizarre events that shake the quaint village of Avebury to the core. And to top it off, she has scary dreams haunting her nights.
With the help of her loyal partner Chris and her quirky friends and familiars, Myrtle must navigate the tangled web of suspects to flush out a killer holding the keys to a secret from the coven’s past.
Should she fail, the Magical Misfits will be history…
About the author
Lina Hansen has been a freelance travel journalist, teacher, bellydancer, postal clerk and science communication specialist stranded in the space sector. Numbed by factoid technical texts, she set out to write the stories she loves to read— cozy and romantic mysteries with a dollop of humour and a magical twist. After living and working in the UK, Lina, her husband, and their feline companions now share a home in the foothills of Castle Frankenstein. Lina is a double Watty Award Winner, and her debut novel “In My Attic” won a First Prize in the 2020 CIBA Awards and was an Indies Today Award Finalist in 2020. The second instalment of the Magical Misfits Mysteries, “Down the Hatch”, won a silver book award from Literary Titan.