Review: Fatal Storm & Charmed Waters (Cormac and Amelia #3 & 4) by Carrie Vaughn

It was so great catching up with Cormac and Amelia. I just wish these stories were a little bit longer. I hate saying goodbye to these characters.

These novellas are a spin-off from Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series. Cormac and Amelia played very pivotal roles in that series, and with Cormac being my favorite character, I was ecstatic to have some fresh stories featuring him and his ghostly partner.

These stories would probably work just fine as standalones, but I'd still recommend checking out the previous ones because there's a lot of fun adventures and interesting backstory.

In Fatal Storm, Cormac and Amelia arrive at a supposedly haunted lodge to make sure that the psychic is the real deal. Not long after they arrive, though, they get snowed in and a dead body is discovered. The killer has to be one of the guests, but which one is the guilty party?

And, of course, if there's been a murder and Cormac is around, he's always the number one suspect. And this time is no different, which complicates his ability to solve the case.

This felt very much like a traditional mystery, but with the added benefits of some paranormal activity, which was so much fun. The murder victim wasn't the most likable guy, and it seemed like everyone in the house had a reason to get rid of him. I had my suspicions pretty early on but was never 100% sure. Almost everybody else made sense for the crime at one point or another. All in all, it was a really great and fast-paced read. I'd give it 4.5 stars.

How did a mermaid wind up in landlocked Colorado? In an artificial body of water, no less? In Charmed Waters, Kitty and Ben join Cormac and Amelia on the case. They're not there to solve the conundrum of how the mermaid ended up there, though. They're trying to get her back home. It's not an easy task though because there are other people doing everything in their power to stop them.

To complicate matters even more, a viral video showing them interacting with the mermaid hits the web and there's no way to secretly move her. Not now that the reservoir has been turned into a media circus with dozens of news crews and hundreds of gawkers trying to catch a glimpse of the mermaid. Why can't anything ever be easy?

I loved catching up with Kitty and Ben. Plus, it was great seeing their baby boy Jon as well. Cormac's interaction with the little guy was hilarious and so true to character. You could tell he's not a natural with kids, but he tries.

This story moved at a breakneck pace. It had me reading as fast as humanly possible. I didn't see a way for them to save the mermaid. There were so many obstacles, so much that could and did go wrong. They seemed to have the worst luck. But what an exciting and heart-pounding adventure! I really hope there are more stories to come featuring Cormac and Amelia. I can't get enough of them. I'd give Charmed Waters 4.5 stars.

Amazon / Goodreads