"Witches are featured in this new sci-fi thriller."

Paige Winterbourne, a witch, is leader of the American Coven of Witches, a position inherited from her mother. She's also the guardian of Samantha, an orphaned witch who, at 13, hasn't come into her full skills yet, but is already very powerful. Samantha is wanted by her father, a sorcerer and the head of a huge cabal. If he can get her before she reaches her full potential, he can use her for his own ends.

Paige is framed for murder and must enlist the aid of Lucas Cortez, an attorney. Unfortunately, he's also a sorcerer, and sorcerers are hated and feared by witches. Even though her local group of witches has threatened to banish her if she continues to allow his help, she'll have to if she wants to succeed in her quest to keep Samantha safe.

DIME STORE MAGIC is the third in a series by Armstrong featuring a cast of otherworldly characters. Where the first two novels dealt mainly with werewolves, this cast is mostly made up of witches. A few previous characters do show up or are mentioned. Very hard to put down, this story hooked me from the first page. Armstrong usually delivers a very good read and this book is no exception.

Reviewed by Lory Martin
Posted April 14, 2004

Summary

Forget the cackling green hag in The Wizard of Oz, forget Samantha from Bewitched. Real witches are nothing, NOTHING like this. For years real witches have hidden their powers, afraid of being persecuted. They have integrated so well into the community, you could have a witch living right next door and never know about it. Take Paige, for instance, whom we first met in Kelley Armstrong's novel Stolen. Just an ordinary twenty-something who runs her own website design company, worries about her weight and wonders if she'll ever find a boyfriend. Okay, so she's leader of the American Coven and guardian of Savannah, the teenage daughter of a black witch. Really, life is ordinary. But then a telekinetic half-demon, Leah O'Donnell, shows up to fight for custody of Savannah. And although Paige is ready for her, she's not quite so prepared for the team of supernaturals that Leah brings with her, including a powerful sorcerer who claims to be Savannah's father. When all hell breaks loose -- literally -- and Paige is accused of witchcraft, Satanism and murder, the Coven, fearing exposure, abandons her. Cut off from her friends, Paige is forced against her better judgment to accept the help of a young sorcerer lawyer. And she quickly comes to realize that keeping Savannah could mean losing everything else.