07-12-2026, 10:17 AM
#45: Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews. Kate and her mate are enjoying a rare night out at a restaurant. A couple seated nearby appears to be enjoying a special occasion; the man giving the woman a gift. It is a gold collar necklace. She puts it on and it immediately contracts and chokes her to death. Still at the restaurant, aiding the authorities, Kate is there when the woman’s family arrives. The mother: clearly an evil witch, detaches the necklace from the woman and puts it on her son; the dead woman’s little brother. Complicated story with many distractions later, Kate quests, fights, and eventually finds the creator of the necklace and rescues the boy. She also manages to finalize several issues unresolved in previous stories.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.