The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society

Name: The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: C. M. Waggoner
ISBN: 9780593947937

Author: C. M. Waggoner

Narrator: Cindy Piller

Unabridged: 11 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 09/24/2024

Categories: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Amateur Sleuth, Fantasy, Paranormal

Synopsis

A librarian with a knack for solving murders realizes there is something decidedly supernatural afoot in her little town in this cozy fantasy mystery.

Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies—and solving murders. But she's concerned by just how many killers she's had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count...but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural.

When someone close to Sherry ends up dead, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by what seems to be an ancient demon, Sherry begins to think she’s going to need to become an exorcist as well as an amateur sleuth. With the help of her town's new priest, and an assortment of friends who dub themselves the "Demon-Hunting Society," Sherry will have to solve the murder and get rid of a demon.

This riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers alike: Never mess with a librarian.

About The Author

C. M. Waggoner grew up in rural upstate New York, where she spent a lot of time reading fantasy novels in a swamp. She studied creative writing at SUNY Purchase and lived in China for eight years before moving with her husband to Albany, NY. In her spare time she volunteers, performs kitchen experiments, asks if she can pet your dog, and gardens badly.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Catherine on October 10, 2024

**Many thanks to Berkley and C.M. Waggoner for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!** Of all things you'd think of when someone mentions Lord Thomas Cromwell, a talking cat who BECOMES a version of Lord Thomas Cromwell (via demonic possession...OBVIOUSLY 😉) probably isn't one of them. But here......more

Goodreads review by Mallory on September 28, 2024

This was a bizarre but fun cozy paranormal book (that I hope turns into a series) that is a is of Miss Marple and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but this was not it (but in a good way I think, at least mostly). Sherry is a librarian with a knack for helping to s......more

Goodreads review by Alyssa on May 13, 2024

Well that was interesting. Not entirely sure I didn’t just get possessed by a demon and forced into an acid trip for the last 265 pages. Ending leads to a nice sequel of which I have to admit sounds way more enticing than this one. I liked the concept. Execution was a bit iffy. Characters felt like......more

Goodreads review by bri on October 16, 2024

The author so clearly wanted this to be the next Finlay Donovan and when it wasn’t interesting enough, they tossed in a demon to every 30 pages to try to save it. Spoiler alert: it definitely didn’t. Bullet point thoughts because I can’t be bothered to write full sentences: - Lord Thomas wasn’t even......more

Goodreads review by Maeghan 🦋 HIATUS on & off on March 23, 2025

3.5✨ This was silly! It was entertaining and not serious. I really loved that our FMC (Sherry) was a 63yo woman. It was unique and fun!......more

Quotes

“Imagine if Jessica Fletcher worked in a village library and found herself fighting a demonic murderer with an ironic sense of humour, and you have a sense of how original, funny and fantastical this book is. I laughed my way through this smart, warm-hearted cozy mystery and I know readers will too.”—Freya Sampson, USA Today bestselling author of Nosy Neighbors

“A smart, stylish mystery with just the right amount of demon possession. The perfect read for a dark, stormy night by the fire.”—Auralee Wallace, national bestselling author of In the Company of Witches

“Waggoner melds lush imagery, humor, and a surprise twist into a contemporary paranormal mystery that will have readers clamoring for more of Sherry the librarian.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Sherry is the modern-day meta Miss Marple that we all need in our lives. This book effortlessly delivers a fun murder mystery with a possessed cat, a self-aware sleuth, and a well-meaning priest who missed the day they taught exorcism in seminary. I can’t wait until this book comes out so I can yell “have you read this yet?” at my friends.”—Mur Lafferty, Hugo Award winning author of The Midsolar Murders

"Waggoner makes nimble and entertaining use of cozy mystery tropes while also constructing Winesap’s larger supernatural conflict with careful attention to detail. Meanwhile, plentiful humor and endearing budding friendships give the story heart. Fantasy fans who also watched Murder, She Wrote and wondered about the abnormally high murder rate in Cabot Cove will especially want to check this one out."—Publishers Weekly

"Waggoner doesn't miss a beat."—A.J. Hackwith, author of Toto

"C.M. Waggoner’s The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a stunning blend of genres, a supernatural adventure masquerading as a cozy mystery and by the time readers realize this, they, like Sherry, are too deeply entrenched in the case to let it go. Waggoner infuses the pages with darkly humorous scenes and snappy dialogue, as well as unexpected magical touches that hearken back to the author’s previous fantasy novels, a combination that’s perfect for fans of horror tropes as well as lovers of mystery."—BookPage

“If you ever thought that all Cabot Cove really needed was a visit from Buffy Summers, this is the book for you. Clever, touching, and just a tad dark, The Village Library Demon Hunting Society brings meta to murder in a thoroughly satisfying way.”—Juneau Black, author of the Shady Hollow Mysteries series

"The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society is a splendid genre mashup of cozy mysteries and urban fantasies. Readers who are fans of either genre should give C.M. Waggoner’s tale a shot, as the odds are they will find themselves hooked by this hilarious story."—Fresh Fiction