Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused

Empty Nest Mystical Cozy Mystery, #1

by

Marcy Blesy

The opening’s craziness and chaos made this an unputdownable debut!

Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused is the first book in veteran author Marcy Blesy’s new Empty Nest Mystical Cozy Mystery series and features retired elementary school teacher and newly-minted empty nester, Julianna “Juli” Tully, as she checks in for a week’s stay to help ease her past her feelings of uncertainty over her new phase of life. Craziness and chaos greet her at the Sand Bur Estate on the shores of Lake Michigan, the location of the “Empty Nest Retreat: Where You Take the Front Seat of Your Life Again,” which was gifted to her by her mother and husband, and is not the spa-like scenario that she’d been hoping for at all. Soon after her arrival, a staff member turns up dead, and as Juli was the last person to see them alive, she becomes the number one suspect in their murder. 

Juli is such a relatable main character as she confronts the bewilderment that greets her upon arrival. She’s confused and turned off by the weird vibes she gets from the start, and feels singled out as the staff seems to focus solely on her during their sessions. The first person she meets there is Nelle, a high-energy sort, eager to please, participate, and support anything healing, but not exactly a relaxing individual to be paired with. Several of the other attendees were downright hostile to Juli’s presence, and when the chef is found dead, the tension really mounts. 

However, things at the Sand Bur are not what they seem, and Juli decides to stick it out to uncover the strange goings-on and, later, clear her name of the murder. While I wanted to rescue Juli myself from the sheer chaos at first, it was the quirkiness of the situation that begged for explanation that hooked me. The author tells a compelling story with relatable characters, and I just had to find out how everything would resolve. 

I recommend DEAD FOCUSED AND HOCUS POCUSED to cozy mystery readers who enjoy paranormal and supernatural elements in their stories. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.