Kerry Greenwood - Trick or Treat

Devil's Food was brilliant, a remarkable improvement over the second book with the sparkle and magic from the first book in the series. In my opinion, Trick or Treat wasn't quite as bad as Heavenly Pleasures but it didn't quite capture me as the third book did. I felt that it was a haphazard plot involving drugs, ancient treasure, unpleasant history and a gathering of witches. These were all weaved together that only just barely held up as a coherent narrative. As much as I love the character of Meroe, I think there was a bit too much of her and the magic in this book. Meroe is great in small doses and when sprinkled throughout the book (for example, the healing of Kepler's hand) makes it digestible and accepting of the magical and unexplained. However, when there's too much, it just borders on the bizarre (like the over-dramatic scene with Barnabas) and makes the skeptic in me pooh-pooh it away. I still love Corinna, Daniel and the whole cast of characters (Meroe included) so it is easy to press on with the story even if it's not drawing me in completely. While this may not be the best of the lot, I'm glad I discovered this series (thanks to BookCrossing!) and I look forward to more Corinna Chapman adventures.