The local Baptist church is holding a combination fundraiser, ground breaking for their new expansion. When the first hole is made it opens up a sink hole that appears to be an unknown basement annex. At the bottom of the hole is the body of a young woman. Maggie overheard the young woman arguing with one of the construction workers, Ty Bennett, now considered the prime suspect.

Maggie’s gut says the police, including her boyfriend Tom, are wrong, and so does Elias, the spirit who has attached himself to Maggie. Elias continues to try to communicate to Maggie what happened and how the murder connects to the old room, but there’s something Maggie keeps misinterpreting.

At the same time, the local church is railing against the witches among them specifically calling Liss out, worrying Maggie about her friend and her friend’s livelihood. Maggie and Tom’s relationship also hits a rocky spot as Tom doesn’t support Maggie’s job or her abilities and hunky Marcus, to whom Maggie feels a mutual attraction, is very supportive or everything Maggie.

Madelyn Alt has created a wonderful world inhabited by Maggie and her friends. Liss is very nurturing toward Maggie, but lets Maggie make her own decisions and sometimes mistakes. Maggie is a smart heroine who will appeal to a variety of readers. The mystery is very clever, linking the past with the present and the supernatural with the visible world, providing just the right touch of woo-woo with a smart mystery.                                                  

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry