A cryptic warning from beyond the grave. A small town haunted by secrets. When evil bites, can this witch’s magic stop the deadly curse?

When part-time medium and full-time witch Sidney Grace agrees to help a widow contact her dearly departed husband, she expects a few ghostly complaints – not a cryptic message about murder. But when the widow is found dead days later, Sidney is drawn into a paranormal mystery far darker than she imagined.

A red-eyed seagull stalks the skies. Her shifter friend mysteriously vanishes. And when her grandmother’s closest companion turns up drained of life, whispers of vampire activity send panic through the magical town of Crystal Beach.

As dark forces close in, Sidney must rely on her psychic gifts, her magical pets, and a powerful circle of witches to stop a supernatural threat before it claims her grandmother…and the town for good.

Titles in the Crystal Beach Magic Mystery series include: Cat Scratch Murder ~ Claw of Attraction ~ Feline Like a Suspect ~ A Meowing Suspicion ~ Paws in Space ~ Witch Under Pressure ~ Witch in the Middle ~ A Grave Mistake ~ Tangled in Magic ~ Charmed and Dangerous ~ Paws of Justice ~

(Over the years, I’ve read most of these titles; however, they were not reviewed on this website, so are not linked above.)

This story may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  Paws of Justice
Series:  Crystal Beach Magic Mystery #11
Author:  Karen McSpade
Published:  October 28, 2025
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Paws of Justice is the eleventh (wow!) title in the Crystal Beach Magic Mystery series.  I enjoyed stepping back into this world as Sidney finds herself in the middle of another mystery with magic deeply involved.  

During a session of making contact with a friend’s departed husband, Sidney and the widow are surprised when the grumpy dearly departed wasn’t full of complaints, but a declaration of his own murder… with another one planned.  This, of course, sets Sidney and crew on the hunt for a murderer and tries to stop this future murder from taking place.  In the meantime, there are more spooky happenings in their community than usual, with a red-eyed seagull making everyone nervous.  And… vampires among them?

As always, I’m easily drawn into another Cozy Paranormal Mystery installment of the Crystal Beach Magic Mystery series.  If you’ve followed the series from the beginning, you’ll notice some advancements in several sub-storylines, which I always love to see.  If this is your first time in the series, you won’t be lost, as anything you’d really need to know can be found in either the dialogue or the narrative.  I think this is a series best read in order, but that’s not always possible, so dive in and enjoy solving the mystery puzzle.

I enjoyed Paws of Justice by Karen McSpade; it’s well-written, emotional, full of red herrings, twists, turns, and suspects.  If solving puzzles is your hobby, then you’d feel right at home here. (No, I’m not giving away the killer’s identity – that’s for you to discover.)

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review, giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)