What a witch!

And what an assistant! He’s handsome, powerful and clever — not to mention feline.

Five great magical mysteries in one box set.

Penzi Munro is horrified to find out she’s supposed to be a witch. Not only that, but she has to move her brother and sister from Notting Hill Gate in London to her father’s house in France. That's when the drama begins.

1 : The Witch who Couldn’t Spell — When they arrive at their new home in the little French seaside town of Beaucoup-sur-Mer, they meet their long-lost mother who's been renovating their father’s house for them. Things are a little bumpy at first. And then they get worse. Their mother is arrested on suspicion of murder when a body is found in an ancient fridge in their nightmare of a yard. Penzi is now her mother’s only chance and has to use her newly discovered magic. However, Penzi can’t read her Book of Spells. What’s she to do? Will the High Council of the Guild of White Witches heed her plea for an assistant?

2 : The Witch who Loved Eclairs — Penzi and her family are settling down to their new life in Beaucoup-sur-Mer. At last, Penzi can find out what treasures are stored in the antiques shop attached to their centuries old house on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. However, evil is never far away, even in this quiet little town. It’s not long before Penzi receives an urgent phone call from the mayor asking her to help him with his latest crisis. Felix, Penzi’s multi-talented and sexy bodyguard, tries to stop Penzi from taking up the challenge, but Penzi is a newly committed white witch who says, “A witch has to do what a witch has to do.” So, family life is put on hold again while Penzi adds to her portfolio of spells in her fight to bring the murderer to justice.

3 : The Witch who Got the Blues — The nasty cockroach has its claws in Penzi. That’s what they call the blues in France. Penzi is tired out after moving her family to France, learning to be a witch and solving two murders in under three weeks. Enter Jonny Sauvage, sexy blues guitarist from New Orleans, on tour in France with his band. Golden lad and classic bad boy, he's happy to play his music and sow his wild oats anywhere. Penzi likes him, but it turns out not everyone’s a fan.

4 : The Witch who Found a Pearl — Penzi thinks herself lucky when she finds a beautiful pearl in her lunchtime oyster. Her friend Izzy suggests they visit the oyster farm from which the pearl came. She has no idea she is launching Penzi and Felix on a perilous investigation into the murky history of a region torn by war throughout the ages. Penzi’s self-confidence falters when she stumbles upon a second dead body, but with Felix and her friends Izzy and Garth beside her, she adds the wisdom her lucky pearl brings her to her developing skill as a white witch and surges ahead in her determination to bring the perpetrators to justice.

5 : The Witch who Saved Christmas — Penzi and Felix are once again called upon in the fight of good against evil. This time it's Christmas Eve. A vile and evil monster is trying to sabotage Santa's delivery of Christmas presents to the children of the world. Penzi wants to stay home and have a family dinner, but Felix reminds her that a witch has to do what a witch has to do. Of course, Penzi does what she has to do with the help of the High Council of the Guild of White Witches.

(This story was written for the Christmas season 2016 and is not a true cozy mystery as there is no murder. It is rather a tale of how-to-do-in a nasty monster and is suitable for reading to or with children. However, the vocabulary is set at an adult level so children may need some simplification, which in itself leads to interaction between parent and child at Christmastime. The royalties for the first eight months were donated to UNICEF for the children of Syria.)

Katie Penryn

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