A Spell of Rowans — Byrd Nash

Swathed in small-town gossip and values, the fantastical novel - combines murder mystery, magic, and mayhem for an exciting tour of a family's history and trauma. - 5 stars, Clarion review As children Mother twisted our magic as part of her games. My talent for reading other people's feelings, my sister who could charm men, and my brother who knows with a touch the history of any object But Troubles and Magic comes in Threes. But when I returned to Grimsby to settle the estate, the police hauled in my autistic brother for questioning. And my sister knows what Mother was really doing at her antiques shop, Rosemary Thyme. Hint: Nothing good. And that hometown boy I dumped way back after high school? He's in Grimsby and thinks he knows the truth about me.- as Vic gets closer to her mother's killer, using her power becomes a double-edged sword: the whirlwind of truths and lies threatens to entrap and drown her, even as her special abilities help her get to the bottom of the various unsolved mysteries. - 5 stars, Clarion review A Spell of Rowans is an entertaining, moving story that readers of family sagas, sibling dynamics, and fantasy set in our contemporary world will enjoy. - Booklife NOTE Trigger warnings for discussion of child abuse and trauma, with an assault scene, suicide, and some cursing.