A Mystery Inside of a Fantasy By E. B. Davis

 

Author Elizabeth Pantley has created fantasy mysteries with her Magical Mystery Book club series of four books and a fifth to be released in August. What’s a fantasy mystery? Here’s the premise: In the first book, Shifting and Shenanigans, we meet main characters Paige and her Aunt Glo who have inherited Grandma Gee Gee’s “country inn.” The Snapdragon Country Inn is located in the Colorado mountains. The country inn never seems to have any guests other than those of the book club, but that’s getting ahead of myself. The books are written in Paige’s first person POV.

 

Inside the inn, they find a locked door leading to the basement. After finally finding the key, they discover a huge library under the inn and a talking Siamese cat named Frank, who acts as a guide to the library and throughout the series as comic relief. Each book is bound together with seven copies. The Magical Mystery Book club must have eight members, each member gets a copy of the chosen book. Paige and Glo must find six additional members before they can begin.

 

Outside the inn, they meet octogenarian Zelda Finkelstein, who appears ready to join the book club. As it turns out, she is an old friend of Grandma Gee Gee and has already been a member of the book club. The other five members appear, some sentenced by court order to the bookclub as penance for their wrongdoing, and some have other issues they need to work out—thus the series’ backstory.

 

Once all members have been found (and throughout the series members drop out and new members fill in), they go to the basement library and choose a book. They find that reading the first page draws them literally into the story. The basement disappears and they are thrust into the story’s setting and interact with the story’s characters. To get out of the book, they must solve the mystery, usually a murder. Although most of the members are mystified, experienced member Zelda, along with guide Frank, explain the process.

 

What is interesting? The setting, designed by the books’ “authors” provides details or lack or details, which provide clues. They quickly realize what genre of mystery they are trying to solve—paranormal, historical, or traditional—adding to their knowledge to solve the case.

Sometimes they are in the current time and can use technology, for example, using cell phones to call 911. But the constant is that the country inn goes with them wherever they go. It is where they sleep. When they go to the inn, it is always current day—so convenient to have a hot shower and electricity!

 

Paige wonders:

 

            “…I didn’t know what would happen next in our story, or if this was even a scripted part of it. I didn’t know if we drove the story or the story drove us.” Chapter 22     

 

I recommend these books for the novelty alone. They are a refreshing change of pace and a unique subgenre. I deemed them fantasy mysteries, but the industry may deem them blended speculative mystery novels. Whatever the case, they are enjoyable. The second book takes the group on a cruise ship and yes—they still live at the country inn while on a cruise ship—the author is nothing if not inventive. The third book takes place in the old West, the fourth in a current-day bakeoff against competing bakeries, and the fifth at a haunted island. If you want a beach read that takes you away—this is the series that will do it, and they are on Kindle Unlimited. Press that “Read Now” button!