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The Sacred Well Murders

by Susan Rowland

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3218758,036 (4.68)11
A simple job turns deadly when Mary Wandwalker, novice detective, is hired to chaperone a young American, Rhiannon, to the Oxford University Summer School on the ancient Celts. Worried by a rhetoric of blood sacrifice, Mary and her operatives, Caroline, and Anna, attend a sacrifice at a sacred well. They discover that those who fail to individuate their gods become possessed by them. For the so-called Reborn Celts, who run the summer school, have been infiltrated by white supremacists. Could their immersion in myth be less a symbol for psychic wholeness and more a clue of their intent to engage in terrorist violence? Who better to penetrate their secret rites than an apparently harmless woman of a certain age? Mary agrees to spy on the Reborn Celts, then learns, to her horror, of Anna's passionate affair with the chief suspect, Joe Griffith. With Griffith also the object of Rhiannon's obsession, Mary realizes too late that that these 21st century Celts mean murder. The Reborn Celts draw Mary and her friends into three rites to summon their gods: at an Oxford sacred well, by the Thames on the way to London, and in Celtic London, where bloodshed will restore one of the Thames' 'lost rivers.' Before the fatal night of the summer solstice, Caroline and Anna race to London seeking Mary, who has been kidnapped. Will she end as the crone sacrifice? Or will the three women re-make their detecting family, so re-constituting a pattern of archetypal feminine compassion?… (more)
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Showing 1-5 of 15 (next | show all)
A simple job turns deadly when Mary Wandwalker, novice detective, is hired to chaperone a young American, Rhiannon, to the Oxford University Summer School on the ancient Celts. Worried by a rhetoric of blood sacrifice, Mary and her operatives, Caroline, and Anna, attend a sacrifice at a sacred well. They discover that those who fail to individuate their gods become possessed by them.

Author Susan Rowland has a wealth of knowledge relating to Jungian Studies, which increases the intensity and realism of the psychology of the characters, Add in a depth of knowledge surrounding Celtic traditions and it makes this a compelling detective story with realistically flawed characters. The plot is tense and fast paced with many twists that surprised me and enough intrigue that left me anticipating what was going to happen next. Highly recommended. ( )
  Geezza | Jan 29, 2023 |
The Sacred Well Murders by Susan Rowland is a 47-chapter fictional piece of work involving witches, murder, deadly Celtic rituals, and undercover investigations. The main character is Mary Wandwalker, and when she is approached by an old acquaintance to investigate Oxford, the Reborn Celts, who want to bring back the old Celtic rituals that involve sacrifices, she and her two friends, Caroline and Anne, need to go undercover at the Celtic Studies Summer School. The entire plot is surrounded by mystery and danger, aspects that kept me intrigued and drawn to the book. I liked how there were so many suspects for the murders, but I could hardly guess the real culprit; all the characters had complicated backgrounds, which made them perfect candidates. I also liked how magic and witches were perceived in that world, to the point where I had to double-check whether I had correctly interpreted a phrase or situation. ( )
  Ssteve23 | Jan 5, 2023 |
The Sacred Well Murders for me had every element a good story should have. An intriguing plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. This book is pretty enjoyable overall, and I found it easy to get lost in the pages after getting pulled into the story fairly early on.

The author did a good job of mixing mystery, ancient myth and modern culture into her novel. It struck me, sort of, as a UK equivalent to Donna Tartt’s Secret History, and I LOVE that book. ( )
  Applepole | Dec 13, 2022 |
If you love the combination of mystery and myth...or at least what you hope is only myth...this is more than likely right up your ally. The theme of magic is presented throughout the story. At first detective Mary Wandwalker is skeptical about the magic. Her task of escorting a young woman to a Celtic Summer School brings her to an increasingly strange and unexplained encounters, some of them deadly. They pair soon find when they get there that there is an active cult called "Reborn Celts" who are performing rituals and believe they are going to be gods and goddesses. Personally, I think they've all been popping a lot of different colored pills and smoking weed. I found the plot interesting, for lack of a better word, but too unlikely in the whole. It's a bit gory, definitely fantastical. ( )
  Carol420 | Sep 9, 2022 |
For me, The Sacred Well Murders is one of those books that immediately had me hooked. The setting, the intrigue, the magic, the characters, and the witty and descriptive language of the writing were all there. What starts as a simple job for novice detective Mary Wandwalker, quickly turns deadly when she discovers a group calling themselves Reborn Celts who have deadly intentions. From there, things only get more complicated. The story throws you headfirst into mystery, politics, and magic. Mary is a practical and determined person with deep loyalty to her friends. She was a wonderful character to follow because of her passion, straightforward attitude, and willpower. Her interactions with her friends Anna and Caroline were fun and natural even as things get more complex. I had a lot of fun reading this story. It was compelling from beginning to end and felt very different from any other book I had read before. It had all the elements of a clever classic mystery novel with an edge of dark intrigue. I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoy the murder mystery genre. I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future! ( )
  CurtisCall | Mar 17, 2022 |
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A simple job turns deadly when Mary Wandwalker, novice detective, is hired to chaperone a young American, Rhiannon, to the Oxford University Summer School on the ancient Celts. Worried by a rhetoric of blood sacrifice, Mary and her operatives, Caroline, and Anna, attend a sacrifice at a sacred well. They discover that those who fail to individuate their gods become possessed by them. For the so-called Reborn Celts, who run the summer school, have been infiltrated by white supremacists. Could their immersion in myth be less a symbol for psychic wholeness and more a clue of their intent to engage in terrorist violence? Who better to penetrate their secret rites than an apparently harmless woman of a certain age? Mary agrees to spy on the Reborn Celts, then learns, to her horror, of Anna's passionate affair with the chief suspect, Joe Griffith. With Griffith also the object of Rhiannon's obsession, Mary realizes too late that that these 21st century Celts mean murder. The Reborn Celts draw Mary and her friends into three rites to summon their gods: at an Oxford sacred well, by the Thames on the way to London, and in Celtic London, where bloodshed will restore one of the Thames' 'lost rivers.' Before the fatal night of the summer solstice, Caroline and Anna race to London seeking Mary, who has been kidnapped. Will she end as the crone sacrifice? Or will the three women re-make their detecting family, so re-constituting a pattern of archetypal feminine compassion?

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