Cozy Mystery

Review: It’s About Time by Carol J. Perry

July 12, 2026

Synopsis:

In this delightfully spooky series spin-off of Carol J. Perry’s beloved Witch City Mysteries, Lee Mondello and her detective husband have plenty of experience solving crimes in Salem, Massachusetts—and now Lee’s Aunt Ibby is starting a sleuthing career of her own in the witch city…

Nothing can spoil the mood at a one-year-old’s birthday celebration like the cops arriving—but it’s not because the party got too rowdy. Instead, Detective Pete Mondello has a search warrant for a tenant’s apartment. When Lee’s aunt Ibby leads the police to Josh Alper’s locked door, she’s surprised to learn that her renter has redecorated . . . with what appear to be masterpieces stolen from a museum back in 1972.

The paintings may be found, but Alper—an artist involved with a shady, cult-like group—is officially missing. So Ibby and her pals, who hold weekly watch parties of their favorite show, Midsomer Murders, decide to jump in and do some real-life sleuthing using the skills they’ve learned from DCI Barnaby. Ibby, a semi-retired librarian, may be in her sixties, but her tech skills are top-notch . . . and with some help from her friends Betsy and Louisa, as well as O’Ryan the clairvoyant cat, that spells trouble for any criminals in Salem.

But when Alper’s body is found in the Salem Woods—felled by an unusually sophisticated weapon—Ibby must buckle down with her team and prove that she’s just as talented an investigator as her beloved niece . . .

Review:

I was not aware that this is a spin-off series focusing on a character from the main series, so I might have missed some details and relationships because of that. Do I think it would have added a bit of context? Probably, but I can confirm that it also works as a stand-alone story.

The overall plot is your typical whodunnit story, but with a bit of magic, a weird cat, and some very determined ladies who will not stop until they get to the bottom of what really happened. Was it a bit chaotic at times? Absolutely. Did some of the connections and discoveries seem a little too far-fetched? Definitely. At the end of the day, though, it was entertaining, had a unique charm, and their persistence felt like a constant push and pull between a bit over the top and endearingly charming.
It’s an easy read for in between books, but it’s not one that will make it onto my list of top reads.

🌙 Recension: It’s About Time (A Wicked Salem Mystery #1) by Carol J. Perry
📚 Genre: Cozy Mystery
📅 Release Date: June 30, 2026
📖 Publisher: ‎Kensington Publishing | Kensington Cozies
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 267
⭐️ 3/5