Memories of Murder by Lara Nance

Memories of Murder:
When Maeve McKenna renounces her witch powers and accepts a low-key nurse practitioner position at a Virginia retirement community, the last thing she expects is a suicide her first day on the job. As the town's sexy sheriff, Paul Sutton, starts looking into the tragic death of his father's friend, Maeve can't help but get involved--with both the case and him. Their informal investigation unveils an old journal that connects the ruins of a nearby asylum and long-forgotten cemetery with the shiny new retirement community's memory unit--and Maeve's Alzheimer's patients. Maeve senses a sinister presence in the old asylum, calling to the patients, but in order to stop it from killing again, she must first conquer some demons of her own and reclaim the magic she's denied herself.

Memories of Murder by Lara Nance is filled with magic and ghosts. This was more of a ghost story than anything else, but I really enjoyed the mystery in the beginning. The romance between Maeve and Paul was sweet and definitely kept me turning pages. Both Paul and Maeve are flawed characters, but that made them more interesting and realistic. I loved Maeve's relatives who are lovingly known as "the Gems," they made the book lighter when dealing with darker themes. Lara mixes Celtic magic with modern times in order to defeat a centuries old evil. What I would have liked to see a little more of was the explanation for why this evil was suddenly released. There was also a character (a cousin of Maeve's) mentioned briefly and if he had been drawn out in more detail, I believe he would have added a little more depth to the story. All-in-all I truly enjoyed this book, it's has just a touch of creepy-ness to have you curling up under a blanket on a cold night.