Dead Witch on a Bridge is the first book I read by Gretchen Galway, so I didn’t know what to expect. The book is the beginning of a series called Sonoma Witches, and the action takes place in a world where magic exists, but humans are kept in the dark about it. I find it to some degree reminiscent of the Harry Potter world. Regular humans are referred to as nonmags. Unlike Harry Potter, the action takes place in the present day, and witches don’t necessarily need a wand to do magic, although in at least one instance there’s a reference to a witch getting her wand ready.

The story follows Alma Bellrose, a witch ‘honorably discharged’ with an incurable inability from the Protectorate (witches’ ruling authority) because she couldn’t kill a demon. No longer an agent of the Protectorate, Alma had to find other means to earn a living, so she now sells magic infused beads made of redwood.

Her world is turned upside down when she finds her ex-boyfriend, Tristan dead on a bridge at night. The plot thickens after the sudden visit of her infamous father, a notorious thief accused of stealing a powerful artifact and the Protectorate tries to pin the murder on Alma. Her only chance is to find Tristan’s killer and clear her name.

The demon she failed to kill still visits her from time to time and shamelessly flirts with her.

“I like what you’ve done with your hair,” he said, gracefully dancing out of the way. “The natural curls go with the wild-witch-in-the-forest thing.”
“Just because I didn’t kill you that night doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you now.”The smirk faded from his lips.
“All right. I couldn’t resist. I heard about the Protector’s death and had to see if it was true. I came to see you because…it seemed polite.”
I went over and cleaned up the remains of the towel, this time dumping it in the trash. “Courtesy accomplished, now you can go home and celebrate. Set your own towels on fire.”
“I’m sorry you lost a friend,” he said softly. Delayed grief stung my eyelids. “Well, I can confirm he’s dead. Very dead.”I cleared my throat.
“Let me comfort you.”He held out his arms in a display of faux paternal comfort that was even less convincing than my father’s had been.”

Dead Witch on a Bridge manages to combine fantasy and mystery in a magic book filled with wonderful characters, none of which is what they seem. What I enjoyed most about the story was its lack of predictability. Friends aren’t always friends and enemies aren’t always enemies. It was a real page-turner, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Title: Dead Witch on a Bridge (Witches of Sonoma Book One)

Publisher: Eton Field

Author: Gretchen Galway

Pages: 338pp

Price: $14.99 / $3.99

Alma Bellrose is a hearth witch. Her magic works through wood and herbs -- unlike so many other modern witches, who are obsessed with metals and precious gems. Alma prefers the old ways; she would rather work with her magic then force and control it. Unfortunately, that makes her completely unfit to work for the Protectorate, the paranormal policing agency which (quietly) keeps humans and fae alike safe from demons and other malevolent powers. After her disastrous first mission, when she is unable to kill a demon, she is exiled to northern California. And so she finds herself broke, with few friends and allies, when the local Protector is killed, the fae rise up in revolt, and the sacred wellspring itself is threatened ....

Dead Witch on a Bridge was another lucky find on netgalley. I read the description, immediately downloaded it, and added it to the top of my To Read queue. Needless to say, I will definitely be reading each successive book in the series as Galway releases them.

Alma is a fantastic character. She's a complete softy, loyal to a fault, and tries to always see the best in people. Unfortunately, she also knows just how rotten people can be: her mother abandoned her as an infant, her father is a career thief, and the Protectorate is filled with power-hungry bureaucrats. Being exiled to Sonoma turned out to be a good thing for her: she discovered what her magic can really do. Other witches might look down on the old ways, but Alma has learned to work with wood and flowers and herbs and water, and, in so doing, figured out that her magic is a lot more powerful than anyone realized; it's just not the sort of magic that appeals to the Protectorate.

Plus, she got to make friends with a gnome.

I love the magical system that Galway has developed. Every witch has an inner witchwell, the source of power for their magic. Traditional hearth witches like Alma (and her persnickety mentor, Helen) channel their power through living objects, allowing their power to ebb and flow, come and go. Unfortunately, due to the influence of the Protectorate, most modern witches prefer to contain their magic in precious metals and gemstones, doing whatever it takes to bind and control it.

That same need for control extends to the fae. Never mind that the fae are perfectly capable of defending themselves against just about any threat (even demons, and Alma is beginning to wonder just how many of the demons executed by the Protectorate over the years actually were demons). No, the Protectorate has set itself up as the guardian authority of the paranormal world, and will do whatever it takes to keep humans in the dark, the fae isolated to natural areas, the demons dead and gone, and themselves in power.

Which all ties back to the wellspring and the murder of the local Protector ....

Dead Witch on a Bridge was a heck of a lot of fun: great characters, solid world-building, a neat magical system, and an engaging mystery. Plus a real live lawn gnome. And a cute dog.

Highly recommended to fans of paranormal mysteries, as well as fans of Clara Coulson's Frost Arcana, Helen Harper's Slouch Witch, the Witchcraft Mystery series by Juliet Blackwell, and In Plain Sight by Dan Willis.

Thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book from the beginning till the end,a great story line and a twist you don’t see coming.
I look forward to the next in the series, need to find out what happened to Seth, and to find out what Alma does next.

Interesting world and would definitely read more in the series. Wish there was more depth in terms of the love interest, felt it was a little stifled.

It's nice to see a heroine that isn't kill, kill kill but feels guilt even when it's them or her. A very entertaining story, twists and turns along the way, thoroughly enjoyable and I can't wait for the next in the series.

Dynamite new urban fantasy series. Terrific world building; interesting, complicated characters; and an exciting, intricate plot. And, as a bonus, it was set in upper Sonoma County, not far at all from my home county of Mendocino. I loved this book and am very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of DEAD WITCH ON A BRIDGE by Gretchen Galway in exchange for an honest review. After being fired from the Protectorate, a supernatural law enforcement agency, for being unable to carry out an execution order, Alma has made a life for herself in the town of Silverpool as a jewelry designer and magical focus creator. Awakened by the screams for help from the local fae, Alma rushes out of her house to find Protectorate agent, fellow witch, good friend, mentor, and former lover dead on a nearby bridge. Seeing there is nothing to be done, Alma returns home to find her con-artist father and other sketchy acquaintances have come calling. Instead of investigating the death or other ominous goings-on that develop during the story, the Protectorate is more concerned with harassing Alma about a missing piece of jewelry they believe her father stole. Alma, Protectorate reject, is driven by her nature to do the Protectorate’s job for them by finding the killer and by investigating the other ominous events.

I liked this book. I recommend it to fans of urban fantasy and cozy mysteries. I hope this develops into a series so I can read future books about Alma and her town.

#DeadWitchOnABridge #NetGalley

Gretchen Galway's Dead Witch on a Bridge is the first in a series (Sonoma Witches #1), a kind of cozy witch mystery. Alma Bellrose failed as a demon hunter for the Protectorate and now lives in the quiet and isolated community of Silverpool in the redwood forest.

When her former boyfriend is murdered, Alma finds herself in an awkward situation that could (and does) turn dangerous. Various characters are introduced that will no doubt be further developed in future books, but my favorite is Random, the dog that appears on the morning after the murder and becomes quite attached to and protective of Alma.

The first in this series was fun and has interesting possibilities. :)

NetGalley/ Kobo books
Paranormal/Mystery. Jan. 15, 2019. Print length: 340 pages.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s got a great cast of characters, some nice world building and good conflicts. Definite recommend.

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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

I really loved this book, it's the first time I read something written by this author and now I can not wait to read the next one, I loved all the magic part and the way Alma, the main character, grows . The only flaw I can find is that I'll have to wait a long time for the second book and see what happens next to Birdie, with Seth and what Alma's father will do with the powerful object he stole.