Chaos during Curses
(2026)(The seventh book in the Mystic Haven Tea Shop Mystery series)
A novel by TJ Costello and Kat McGee
Someone turned Magnus Thornfield's own curse-breaking ritual against him, and now Fiona Shaw has to solve a murder that's literally wrapped in magical chaos.
The storm wasn't natural, the fog wasn't weather, and Magnus Thornfield's death definitely wasn't an accident. Someone used the curse-breaker's own tools to create a magical feedback loop that turned his protective spells into a weapon, and they timed it perfectly with Fiona's weekly tea delivery to ensure she'd be the one to find the aftermath.
Magnus's cottage is a disaster zone of scattered spell components, guttered candles, and supernatural mist so thick it has texture. His red teapot sits in the center of it all, still warm from whatever final brew he'd been preparing when the killer struck. The small cast iron cauldron that usually bubbled with helpful counter-curses now contains something that makes Fiona's eyes water just looking at it.
The murder method was brilliant in its twisted logic: use Magnus's own curse-breaking expertise against him, creating a magical storm that would mask the attack and destroy most of the evidence. With Rowan helping her understand how someone could corrupt protective magic into something lethal and Theo providing moral support from a safe distance, Fiona must solve a puzzle wrapped in deliberate supernatural chaos.
Someone thought they could hide behind magical misdirection and weather manipulation, but they didn't count on a tea shop owner who's spent years perfecting the delicate balance required for proper brewing. The same attention to detail that makes her tea blends perfect is exactly what she needs to untangle a murder disguised as a magical accident. But is it enough?
Genre: Cozy Mystery
The storm wasn't natural, the fog wasn't weather, and Magnus Thornfield's death definitely wasn't an accident. Someone used the curse-breaker's own tools to create a magical feedback loop that turned his protective spells into a weapon, and they timed it perfectly with Fiona's weekly tea delivery to ensure she'd be the one to find the aftermath.
Magnus's cottage is a disaster zone of scattered spell components, guttered candles, and supernatural mist so thick it has texture. His red teapot sits in the center of it all, still warm from whatever final brew he'd been preparing when the killer struck. The small cast iron cauldron that usually bubbled with helpful counter-curses now contains something that makes Fiona's eyes water just looking at it.
The murder method was brilliant in its twisted logic: use Magnus's own curse-breaking expertise against him, creating a magical storm that would mask the attack and destroy most of the evidence. With Rowan helping her understand how someone could corrupt protective magic into something lethal and Theo providing moral support from a safe distance, Fiona must solve a puzzle wrapped in deliberate supernatural chaos.
Someone thought they could hide behind magical misdirection and weather manipulation, but they didn't count on a tea shop owner who's spent years perfecting the delicate balance required for proper brewing. The same attention to detail that makes her tea blends perfect is exactly what she needs to untangle a murder disguised as a magical accident. But is it enough?
Genre: Cozy Mystery