I received a digital advance reader’s copy (ARC) of The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society, Sherry is by all appearances your average small town librarian—well, she would be, if it weren’t for her knack at solving murders. And oddly enough, there have been a strangely high number of homicides in the otherwise quaint upstate New York town she lives in. No one else seems to have noticed this, however, and even Sherry herself is only half-aware. But when someone she’s close to turns up dead, things get more serious. Then, her cat Lord Thomas Cromwell starts talking. He’s been possessed, apparently, by an entity that insists Sherry get to the bottom of these murders. So now, not only will Sherry have to solve another murder, she must also discover what supernatural force might be behind all this. Maybe then her cat—not to mention her entire town—will go back to normal.

This is going to sound strange, but I wanted more demons. Also, more society. Not to say that this isn’t a good book, it just felt like a society of one, rather than a group of friends solving a murder, as the title implies. However, Sherry is a great protagonist. She’s a sweet sixty-something lady with quite a spark and a clever mind. So much of her dialogue (both aloud and internally) is so witty and funny, and I loved seeing through her POV. I also loved her banter with Lord Thomas Cromwell, who kind of stole the show a lot of the time.

On the other hand, I really liked the other characters, even if some of them blurred together a little. I wanted more from them, more of them teaming up with Sherry to solve the murders. As it was, she kind of went off on her own. There was potential for this to be a ragtag group of crime-fighters, but it just didn’t quite get there. However, this book ends with the obvious potential for another book (or several), so perhaps that is to come in the future.

That aside, the mystery itself is pretty good. The way that the mundane and the otherworldly mixes together makes for an entertaining read, something more than the standard cozy mystery that this would have otherwise been. The official description mentions Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I can’t really argue with that. It has a similar tone, somehow, despite the cast of characters being quite different demographics.

In the end, The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society was a perfectly enjoyable story. Sherry shines as the main character, her bizarre situation making you root for her all the more. And though I may have wanted more out of some of the supporting cast, what is there is decent. I can see this book being just the beginning of a series, and I’d be happy to check out any future installments. As long as Sir Thomas Cromwell is in it, that is!

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is available now!