K.N. Shields

Salem, New England, many dark nights ago.

It is a time of spells and shadows, of black magic and blood.

And the most famous witch hunt in history is about to begin...

Years later, a young woman is found savagely murdered, a pitchfork thrust through her neck, her body arranged in the shape of a star: the death pose of a witch. Someone - or something - is reviving the terror of the notorious Salem Witch hunts. And only one man - a brilliant, eccentric loner with a dazzling mind and a show more fascination with witchcraft - can keep the evils of the past at bay.

My Thoughts:

Well some books are not what they seem. I really had high expectations for this book and was really disappointed. I thought the book was going to delve into the Salem Witch trails and have the story mixed somehow into a modern day setting. In way it did but not how I expected.

The main characters are Grey, a half red Indian, Archie Lean the policeman and Helen who form the Salem Witch Society to solve the murder. If felt these characters were like Sherlock, Watson and Nancy Drew running around solving a crime. The story started well then just went stale with not really much happening and there is a big chunk in the middle that actually becomes quite boring.

I find if I am enjoying a book I will fly through it and with this one I have been reading it for a week and still haven’t finished a four hundred page paperback. This tells me something, I am not enjoying it and I am just reading the reads and not taking the story in because I just don’t care anymore.

There are good reviews out there for this book so reader don’t be put off by my thoughts. For now I have given up on this book and it is another that will remain unfinished. show less

This one didn't really work for me. From the front cover and blurb on the back it sounded like I was getting a nice gruesome crime novel with heavy occult themes. Even when it appeared to be a historical novel, didn't dampen my enthusiasm. I've not read a historical crime novel before, what the hell, I'll give it a shot.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the book very much. The first half was incredibly slow, and I found myself at several times thinking I wasn't going to bother with it, but after show more about 140 pages or so, things finally picked up and the investigation started getting a little more interesting and more active, but...

Even so, I wasn't completely gripped. The characters were likeable enough, and I did get to like the historical Portland setting, over all I had a meh feeling when the mystery was finally solved.

I don't think I'l be continuing with this series. Not for me. show less