The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner – Review

Published: September 24, 2024

Publisher: Ace

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Pages: 348 (Kindle)

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
A librarian with a knack for solving murders realizes there is something decidedly supernatural afoot in her little town in this cozy fantasy mystery.

Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies—and solving murders. But she’s concerned by just how many killers she’s had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count…but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural. But when someone close to Sherry ends up dead, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by what seems to be an ancient demon, Sherry begins to think she’s going to need to become an exorcist as well as an amateur sleuth. With the help of her town’s new priest, and an assortment of friends who dub themselves the “Demon-Hunting Society,” Sherry will have to solve the murder and get rid of a demon. This riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers.

Never mess with a librarian.

I picked this book up purely because it sounded like cozy fun, but I did not expect to completely love it! This is one of those rare books that I really didn’t want to put down not only because it had an engaging mystery plot, but I really loved the characters.

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society stars Sherry Pinkwhistle, a librarian in the small upstate New York town of Winesap. Though Winesap is charming and quaint, it has had an alarming number of murders recently and Sherry has assisted in solving each and every one of them. The story begins with the murder of an art gallery owner and of course his wife is the primary suspect, but Sherry knows Charlotte couldn’t have done it. What unfolds is a whirlwind investigation where it becomes clear that something isn’t quite right. Sherry has unusual slips of memory and then, rather startlingly, her cat Lord Thomas Cresswell speaks to her. Her cat is possessed by its namesake, who is actually trying to help Sherry because the demon orchestrating all the murders isn’t on his good side.

I will stop going on about the plot details, because any further than what I’ve described gets into major spoiler territory and that’s just no fun. Sherry is an absolute delight of a character and she’s so easy to like even though it’s clear she might not have the saintliest of pasts herself. Father Barry, the brand new and surprisingly young and handsome Catholic priest, along with Janine, and Charlotte help Sherry out in her investigations. The secondary characters, while not as well defined as Sherry, are also a wonderful addition to the story overall.

Despite this being about murder and demonic possession, it is actually a perfect cozy, atmospheric read and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. I love finding a new surprise favorite story and The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society fits the bill. It has light action, humor, surprisingly emotional moments, and a well executed ending that left things open for a potential sequel, but it wraps up cleanly enough to make a great standalone as well.