The Divine Circle of Ladies Playing with Fire

This is the fifth book in the Divine Circle series and it is a no holds barred roller coaster ride. Warning: this book is about a crime fighting witch's coven for those who may find that objectionable. In the series we started with the five dynamic women tackling a serial killer, then the murderer of a local family, murderer of the residents of the rehab facility, a serial poisoner, and now they deal with a serial arsonist. The members of the Divine Circle are Cassandra (the Main Character) who runs an herbal business, wise woman and librarian Fiona, doll designer Deidre, wealthy animal advocate Heather, and television chef Phillipa. Each woman has her magical specialty: Cassandra has psychic visions which often leads them to their next show more case and she communicates with animals, Fiona is the groups "finder" with a pendulum, Deidre makes magical dolls and amulets, Heather makes magical candles, and Phillipa is scary accurate at Tarot readings.

The story is as much about the dynamics of women's friendships as it is about crime solving and their wiccan faith. In this installment the ladies are particularly challenged when an arsonist sets fires to animal filled buildings - the Fresh Meadow Stables and even an animal shelter. Young native american recurring character Thunder Pony - aka Tip (tracker par excellent) returns as well as Winifred "Freddie" who is a young psychokinetic whiz. The criminal arsonist is one of two men in town, each of which has a champion in the circle that threatens to tear the close friendships apart.
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This is the fifth book in Riccio's series about a circle of five Wiccan women, their families, and their town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The main character, Cassandra Shipton, is a clairvoyant, and her visions often get the women in trouble investigating crimes. The visions give her enough information to know that something bad is going on, but not enough to clearly identify the villain.

In this volume, the town is being attacked by a serial arsonist. Two men that the ladies know to various degrees are the most likely suspects. meanwhile one of the ladies of the circle is having family trouble with a sick husband.

These books are like coming home to me. I love the characters, the rituals they do as Wiccans, and the plots are good as show more well.

Happily, according to the author's web site, another in the series is due this fall. show less