An interesting concept. I was very intrigued by the synopsis, however the overall story wasn’t quite my taste. As I was reading I felt like it picked up in the middle, or maybe this was not the first in a series. The supernatural element was interesting, but overall this one wasn’t for me.

Village Library Demon-Hunting Society made me snort laugh enough times I knew I was going to review it well!
This novel is a cozy mystery about a librarian named Sherry who considers herself an armature detective. When her boyfriend is killed and her cat is seemingly possessed by a demon, Sherry decides she's going to have to solve this case herself. All of the characters are so very likeable, the story gives me Buffy-like feelings, and overall this was a super fun romp that is perfect for fall.
My only complaint is that I kept trying to decide if this novel was the first in a series or number 2 or 3. Overall that didn't pull me from the story, I just felt like I might have missed something for continuity's sake. I do hope there is a sequel because I want to hang out with this crew of villagers again in the future!

Do you like cozy murder mysteries with a healthy splash of the supernatural? Then I've got the perfect recommendation for you!

Sherry Pinkwhistle lives in Upstate New York's Winesap, a quiet town that's like any other other quiet town...except for all the murders, that is. And though Sherry is a librarian by trade, she is also a super sleuth. But after one murder too many, she is getting suspicious that something else is afoot. And she would be right too, but before she can do anything about it, the next murder victim is a little too close to home and she's a prime suspect. Can she solve this latest murder, clear her name, AND find out what's plaguing Winesap? With a motley group of fun characters to aid her, of course, and a demon that begins to haunt her marmalade cat, Lord Thomas Cromwell.

I don't remember reading a cozy murder mystery combined with fantastical elements before (and it took some while for me to adjust to the co-existing elements of unease and cozy), but it was exactly what I needed even if I didn't know it when I picked it up. It's fun and funny, and what surprised me most in a delightful way was the author's use of popular tropes in plot and character archetypes only to subvert them all while keeping the spirit of such narratives alive. Cheeky self-awareness, for the win. Murder, She Wrote x Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the perfect tagline!

I really hope that this turns into a series; the sequel is already well set up by the end of the first one.

Lesson of the day? Never mess with a librarian 🤓.

The book centers around a librarian who is solving murders. Her lover gets killed and she slowly realizes that people in her small town are becoming possessed.

This was the perfect cozy mystery. But also, I love the paranormal elements thrown into it. The demons, talking cats, and the odd little quirks of the town.

This was a good cozy read. The ending set up for a sequel which honestly, I’d read.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this eARC.

DNF @ 45% because I cannot get into this story and nothing really has happened. The characters are pretty vague and I don't even feel like I have a good feel for the MC. The story drags along and then rushes through the important parts and I just cannot keep my attention. I love the idea, but the execution isn't working for me.

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy; my review and thoughts are my own.

This is a cozy paranormal mystery that features an amateur sleuth and middle-aged librarian named Sherry Pinkwhistle. The body count keeps rising in her quaint village, and after her lover becomes one of the victims, her cat is possessed by an ancient talking demon, and the villagers start acting strange, she begins to suspect that something supernatural is afoot. And that she might need an exorcist as well as the police.

So, banding together with the new priest, who is not keen on demon possession, as well as an array of village friends, who are an eclectic mix of grieving widow and neighborly busybody, they form the Demon Hunting Society. However, it is up to Sherry to solve the case and rid the town of demons.

If I had to characterize this, I'd say it was a mix of Murder, She Wrote and Miss Marple with a sprinkling of the occult. I thought it worked well as a cozy mystery because of its Stars Hollow-like setting and its quirky, endearing characters, but the supernatural elements felt out of place at times. Almost unnecessary. Granted, I did find the Lord Crowell cat possession to be humorous at times. However, I think I might've preferred the story without the paranormal elements because it would have made for a more seamless narrative.

All in all, though, this was lighthearted and amusing. A perfect read for snug autumn vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle has a knack for solving murders in her tiny upstate village. So many solved murders... way more than a tiny village should have. Sherry's starting to realize that something is unnatural. And it all starts to unravel when a close friend is murdered. Her cat is possessed, and it's very convenient that there's a new priest in town. Because Winsap needs more than an amateur sleuth... it needs an exorcist.

Why I started this book: I requested the ARC and it was time to review...

Why I finished it: The description of this, is a cosy fantasy mystery... but I would describe this as cosy mystery horror. Two genre's that don't go together, and yet Waggoner really blended them in a surreal spine tingling mash-up. I admit that I'm not a horror or a cosy mystery reader, so your mileage may very. Unsettling story for this big scaredy-cat reader with a little tongue-in-check nod to the tropes of these genres.

Great premise. Not so great execution. The setting and characters were typical of a cozy mystery, which is my favorite genre, so I thought this would be perfect. The idea of a demon being behind the number of murders in a small town is plausible and made me rush to pick up this book but it dragged so much that I consistently lost interest and had to keep putting this book down. There is set up for a next book in the series at the end but I don’t think it’s compelling enough for me to continue with the series.

When I first started this book I found myself a bit confused as this did feel like a sequel in a series, its not as far as I can tell but there are plenty of references to other cases Sherry has helped solve. Although if this were to become a series I would definitely continue with it.

At first, this book comes off as a standard cozy mystery. Sherry is a librarian who loves classic mystery novels and has her nose in the middle of any murder investigation in Winesap New York. Then after the death of her boyfriend Allen, she wants to grieve, but her friend and weirdly the Sheriff who normally warns her away from cases are badgering and downright yelling at her that she has to investigate! That is just the beginning of the weirdness to come.

While this story isn't exactly action-packed, it kept me entertained from beginning to end. I loved Sherry and how she went about investigating, I didn't catch any of the clues as to who the killer was and didn't put anything together until Sherry spelled it all out. I was just in the story having a great time following along. The characters were a lot of fun, especially the priest, and of course, the cat when Lord Thomas Cromwell possesses him.
I hope we get more in this world, and I'll be looking into other books this author has written.

An absolutely adorable and fast-paced murder mystery unlike any I've ever read. My only complaint is that the very end of the book (after everything was solved) seemed to go too fast and, while I understand the author was probably leaving room to write a sequel, I wish the final bit wasn't in this book. All in all, a great read though! It sort of reminded me of a mix between Benjamin Stevenson and Rachel Harrison.

The book description for The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner had me eager to dive into the story. Unfortunately, the final product does not match the blurb. The writing makes it difficult to get through the story along with the meandering plot. The author tried to create well-rounded characters by giving them a mixture of traits (I envisioned the author with a bag filled with various traits on slips of paper and she would reach to pick out a selection of traits for each person whether they made sense or not). Of course, later in the story, a character may no longer possess one or several of those traits (it was odd). Despite the author’s attempts, the characters were flat (pancakes are fluffier). I found Sherry to be an enigma. I did not enjoy the silly talk about her hair at the beginning (it did not make me eager to continue reading the book). Sherry is supposed to be smart and observant, who has used her skills to solve other murders that have occurred in the town (this town is going to get a bad reputation). The way this information was written made it seem like there was a book prior to this one. The story was all over the place. It seemed like the author could not decide which genre she wanted for this story (is it a paranormal mystery, cozy mystery, or a thriller—maybe a combination), so she tried to combine several into one (which did not work). The plot dragged on and on (the snails in my garden move faster). The pop culture references along with the supernatural bits were not needed. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a story that I struggled to finish (I admit to skimming here and there to get to the end). After I finished The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society, I could picture the author with a big pot tossing in various characters, traits, supernatural elements, and genres, giving it a big stir, putting the mixture into the oven, and the final result is her book. As you can tell, The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society was not for me.

Sherry Pinkwhistle, an amateur sleuth and librarian, investigates a series of murders in her village, but when a personal loss and demonic possession strike, she must team up with the town's priest and friends to solve the crime and cast out the evil.

I didn't fall in love with this one like I thought I would. It had all the makings of something I would enjoy: librarian FMC, mystery/thriller, paranormal aspect but it fell a little flat for me. The pacing was weird and it took a long time for things to get moving along. When they started to pick up, it's like the book had an identity crisis. Ultimately I liked where it ended up, but it took too long to get there, and the mystery reveal was lackluster.
I did enjoy the writer's voice and character development. The story was well written even though it felt disorganized a bit.

Triggers:
Murder
Demon possession

Sherry Pinkwhistle is a bit of a cliché. She is a single librarian in the quaint rural town of Winesap, New York, and she has a cat. And if that’s not enough, she solves murders. Every in the town knows that she solves the murders, and they’re okay with it. When Sherry finds out about another murder, she sets out to investigate. She asks questions, she researches, she turns over her findings to Sheriff Brown, and the killer goes to jail.

Until the killer strikes too close to home for Sherry. The victim is her boyfriend Alan, and Sherry is struck with grief. When her friends come to her and ask if she’s going to solve the murder, she tells them no and sends them away. When Sheriff Brown comes to her and asks if she’s going to solve the murder, she tells him no and sends him away. And she starts to think about exactly what’s been happening in their small town.

There have been an unusual number of murders in such a small town, a really startling number of them given the population. And the investigations that Sherry do are pretty repetitive. It’s like she’s stuck in a routine, like the whole town is. But when Alan died, Sherry was able to take a step back from it and see how absurd it all seems. It’s almost like they’re not entirely in charge of their lives. But how could that even happen? Nothing natural, that’s for certain. So it must be supernatural.

With the help of her friends and the local priest, Sherry sets out to find the demon that is haunting them all. And what she finds is a force more powerful than she expected. The demon embodies her cat, Lord Thomas Cromwell, and they have a conversation about murders and tasty treats that cats enjoy. But the demon doesn’t stay there. She sometimes takes over others, like the sheriff, when she wants them to do exactly what she wants, like throw Sherry in jail when she won’t play along.

Sherry is smart and an expert at research. But will that, and her stray bottle of holy water, be enough to take on the demon that’s been holding their town hostage in an endless loop of murder mysteries, or will they be stuck there forever?

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a mystery like no other. If you’re ever watched Murder, She Wrote and wondered why anyone would agree to go to a dinner party at Jessica Fletcher’s house, then you will enjoy this book. It’s a wild supernatural twist on the cozy mystery genre, and it’s filled with surprises. The story is clever, the characters are smart, and the ending is like no other mystery I’ve ever read.

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was in for with this book when I started it, but the deeper I got into the mystery, the more I loved it. It’s funny and self-aware and smart and offers a fresh twist on the trope of the cozy. Author C.M. Waggoner turns the murder mystery on its head, and it felt a little like a roller coaster, but it was one amazing ride. I would recommend this to anyone who wants an alternative to the usual cozy, and strap yourself in for all those twists and turns.

Egalleys for The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.

C.M. Waggoner has created a humorous and smart mystery with “The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society.” Full of references to Buffy and Murder She Wrote, this story combines the best of both to create a funny and compelling mystery novel.
From the very start, I loved Sherry but as the story carries on, we discover more layers to Sherry and more about her life. Trapped in a town where a demon has created a decidedly unnatural environment, the best part of the narrative is how Sherry starts unraveling the secrets and peeling back the layers of truth. Not only does she solve the latest mystery but she does so with style and wit as she also grapples with the demon. The story is clever and the mystery intriguing with a brilliant and well thought out ending.
If you like your mystery with a supernatural angle and plenty of laughs, I really recommend this book. With the blend of demons and the heart of Murder She Wrote, this story is humorous and smart with a protagonist that has a ton of depth to her. And if you don’t fall in love with Sherry, you’re sure to love her possessed cat. What more could you ask for in a supernatural mystery?

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc! 3.5/5 stars rounded down, an enjoyable and surprisingly funny little mystery

when I started this book I was questioning the whole 'demon hunting' aspect of the title but woo boy, I was in for a Ride when the demon part comes in. this started off a bit like you were jumping midway into the season of murder mystery tv show, so I did feel like I'd been missing something that was previously explained. however the basics of the setting and plot get established pretty quickly, so it wasn't confusing for very long. the characters all felt like little caricatures of people, which really lent to the overall air of something being not quite right with the small town. this was definitely more of a cozy mystery, which made the parts with the aforementioned demon all that more jarring, which definitely made the book more interesting to me - the murders at the beginning of the book feel very sanitized and almost removed, despite the fact that they are in fact murders, so the switch up to her boyfriend getting murdered and then the whole demon thing throws you for a bit of a loop and keeps you engaged. overall, just a fun, quick read for cozy mystery fans

This book was fun to read and kept me on my toes as to where the story was going. I wasn’t able to guess who the murder was until it was explained in detail, which was nice. I do, however, think that the book would have been better without the supernatural side of things. I know this is odd, because I picked-up the book precisely because of the demon hunting part, but it just didn’t fit in with the rest of the story, in my opinion.

I absolutely fell in love with the concept, but unfortunately this just didn’t end up being the book for me.

The book felt a bit all over the place, which I feel was partly because there wasn’t much background into the main character and the workings of her life in general. It felt like I accidentally read the second book in a series without realizing I had missed the first. I loved the quirky characters, but they didn’t really fit cohesively into the narrative for me (most likely due to lack of background info).

I do feel like this series has a lot of promise. I love a cozy mystery with a hint of fantasy, and this definitely fit the bill! I plan to read the next book, and look forward to more from this author.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the gifted ARC!

Oh what a fun fun read! Loved the writing style, the pace, the comedy and the cozy horror?
I am an absolute no horror girl. I get nightmares so easily. So when I started reading this book, I definitely had a moment of uh-oh what have I gotten myself into. Second chapter on though, I was hooked. Loved it. No notes.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I admit when I started this ARC I was a wee bit disappointed it wasn’t another book in the world of Unnatural Magic and The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry because I loved those two books and would like more of them. But I also like a cozy mystery so ok, I’ll read about the small town librarian who has been involved in lots of murder cases, way too many murders for a small town. (And then I looked up Murder, She Wrote because I had dim memories of that…). I was enjoying the series, then the demons showed up, the cat started talking and suddenly I was absolutely the target audience for a cozy mystery with fantastical elements in it. I would happily read another book in this world too. I seem to have just added another favorite author to my favorite authors list…. I read a couple hundred books a year. It can be a long list!

Who doesn't like their murder mysteries with a side of demons?

Sherry Pinkwhistle, the local librarian, has been solving a lot of murders around her small town of Winesap. Suddenly, though, she suspects that something strange is happening. Why exactly are there so many murders in such a tiny village, and why doesn't anyone else find it odd? All of the village residents are behaving like this is completely normal and not at all weird.

Sherry is concerned. She realizes that something is definitely wrong when her cat starts talking to her. There seems to be supernatural forces at work, and her cat is possessed by a demon.

I have to admit that this has always been something that has bothered me about cozy mysteries. How could there be so many murders in a small town without anyone thinking that maybe that kind librarian or bookshop owner who keeps solving them might somehow be involved. I love how this book addresses some of that suspension of belief and in a completely bonkers way!

If you enjoy a book that doesn't take itself too seriously and has all the fun elements of a good cozy mystery then then this book is for you!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.