Magical Realism Series Continues in No Love Lost by Jane Glatt
Reviewed by Lisa Timpf
No Love Lost, Book 2 of Jane Glatt’s “Wrap-It-Up Magic” series, resumes the story of Barb Baker and her curious talent for finding what has been lost. Barb, the protagonist of the series’s first book, Lost and Found, is continuing to rebuild a life shattered after the revelation of her husband Richard’s embezzlement schemes. Even though Barb did not know of her husband’s illegal activities, she has lost everything, and many of her former friends refuse to believe she is innocent.
In No Love Lost, Barb has secured a part-time job with an open-minded branch of law enforcement. She uses her talent to generate clues that might help to solve cases, but this form of employment isn’t as satisfying as it might be, partly because Barb’s handlers don’t keep her in the loop about the success or failure of her efforts. Further complications are added when she is asked to work on a case that hits too close to home.
In addition to this job, Barb is also trying to leverage her talent to help people find lost pets. Meanwhile, she’s also assisting her friend Kat with her jewelry business by providing wrapping services when Kat goes to crafters’ markets geared toward Valentine’s Day sales.
In addition to external antagonists, Barb has her own inner struggles as she negotiates family relationships and feelings of obligation and guilt that clash with her sense of self-preservation. Glatt successfully mines the inherent tensions of family interactions to raise the stakes and deepen the characters.
No Love Lost is an appealing story on a number of levels. Barb is a likable character who is dealing with immediate and everyday matters such as making a living and negotiating family relationships. She has been betrayed by family members, people in whom she had a deep level of trust, which makes the betrayal cut more deeply. Barb has insecurities to negotiate, and is trying to balance her desire to use her talents with the need to stay out of the spotlight.
Glatt’s Wrap-It-Up Magic books take us into a realm not often visited in books, that of weekend craft sales. We become more closely acquainted with the rhythms of such events, the ebb and flow, and customer interactions, and because it’s not a frequently-visited venue in fiction, this makes many of the settings fresh and interesting.
As works of magical realism, No Love Lost and Lost and Found deal with magic, but they do so in different ways. Barb isn’t someone who commands a talent as much as provides a conduit for it. The clues revealed by her talent aren’t always straightforward, leaving Barb questioning whether they will be of value. Unravelling the clues becomes a puzzle as the reader wonders, along with Barb, what they really mean and where they will lead. Barb’s magic is a form of power, but it’s also a source of uncertainty, a two-edged gift that can cut in negative ways if it draws too much attention to her.
While No Love Lost can be read as a stand-alone book, readers who are already familiar with the characters after reading Lost and Found will have a deeper appreciation of the events. Readers who enjoyed Lost and Found should find No Love Lost a satisfying entry in the Wrap-It-Up Magic series.
“Lost and Found” Offers a Touch of Magic
It’s hard to restart your life at age sixty-two. But that’s exactly what Barbara Baker, protagonist of Jane Glatt’s paranormal cozy Lost and Found, is forced to do after her husband Richard’s embezzlement schemes come to the attention of the police.
About the Author
Jane Glatt loves that, along with creating original worlds, writing fantasy allows her to indulge her curiosity about an eclectic group of subjects. So far she’s researched synaesthesia, medieval guilds, tidal rivers, cities atop bridges, pirates and privateers, plants used for healing and the history of spying. For that last one she blames a visit to the International Spy Museum (yes it’s a real place), in Washington D.C. For news on Jane’s future releases, visit her website http://janeglatt.com/index.html.
About the Reviewer
Ontario resident Lisa Timpf writes poetry, book reviews, short stories, and creative nonfiction. Her speculative poetry collections Cats and Dogs in Space (2025) and In Days to Come (2022) are available from Hiraeth Publishing in print and electronic formats. Lisa is a member of SF Canada and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association. You can find out more about her writing projects at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/. Lisa is also on Bluesky, @lisatimpf.bsky.social
Book Details
Publisher: Tyche Books Ltd.
Publication date: Nov. 4 2025
Language: English
ISBN: 1230009386495