Barry's setting of Salem, Massachusetts is absolute perfection. She brings the city and its history to life, and she makes me want to board a plane and go there immediately for at least a month so that I can explore everything.
The cold case involving the three murdered women is also fascinating. There were two witnesses to the murders, but one suffered a psychotic break from which she never recovered, and the second witness's memories are as the five-year-old girl she was at the time. This makes any information they give Rafferty difficult to interpret, and of course, the chief has to deal with a town that's ready to conduct another witch hunt.
There are several brilliant elements to this story, but I found it to be in dire need of an editor. "Too much middle" means that the pace slowed down to a crawl several times, and I began to find myself losing interest or wanting to skim. Not good. However, the good does far outweigh the bad, and Barry's mystery lingers in my mind still.
The cold case involving the three murdered women is also fascinating. There were two witnesses to the murders, but one suffered a psychotic break from which she never recovered, and the second witness's memories are as the five-year-old girl she was at the time. This makes any information they give Rafferty difficult to interpret, and of course, the chief has to deal with a town that's ready to conduct another witch hunt.
There are several brilliant elements to this story, but I found it to be in dire need of an editor. "Too much middle" means that the pace slowed down to a crawl several times, and I began to find myself losing interest or wanting to skim. Not good. However, the good does far outweigh the bad, and Barry's mystery lingers in my mind still.
Take witchcraft and new age healing practices. Add some mythology. Place it in a historic Salem, Massachusetts setting. Throw in an atmospheric country estate. Write in an eclectic group of strong female characters. Stir in a mystery and a dash of a love story. Orchestrate everything through a police chief with a history and a story of his own. The end result is an entertaining tale â The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/03/the-fifth-petal.html
Reviewed for LibraryThings Early Reviewers program.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/03/the-fifth-petal.html
Reviewed for LibraryThings Early Reviewers program.
Book Description
When a teenage boy dies suspiciously on Halloween night, Salem's chief of police, John Rafferty, now married to gifted lace reader Towner Whitney, wonders if there is a connection between his death and Salem's most notorious cold case, a triple homicide dubbed "The Goddess Murders," in which three young women, all descended from accused Salem witches, were slashed on Halloween night in 1989. He finds unexpected help in Callie Cahill, the daughter of one of the victims newly returned to town. Neither believes that the main suspect, Rose Whelan, respected local historian, is guilty of murder or witchcraft.
But exonerating Rose might mean crossing paths with a dangerous force. Were the women victims of an all-too-human vengeance, or was the devil raised in Salem that night? And if they cannot discover what truly happened, will evil rise again?
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I enjoyed reading this novel very much for two reasons: 1. I've read The Lace Reader and 2. I've been to Salem Massachusetts and always liked the area and the rich history of the witch trails that I first learned about by reading Nathanial Hawthorne's novel, The House of Seven Gables. The author, Brunonia Barry, does an excellent job of switching between the three time periods of 1692, the Salem witch trial period, Halloween night 1989, "The Goddess Murders" when three young descendants of accused Salem witches from 1692 were slashed and murdered, and Halloween 2014 in Salem where this story takes place. The book is full with information about mythology, Celtic paganism, sound therapy, visions, intuition, and lots of research which makes for an interesting read if you like those subject matters. The characters were well-developed and the plot was intriguing. I look forward to reading the author's other book, The Map of True Places, and I highly recommend this book to those who like reading about the Salem witch trails.
When a teenage boy dies suspiciously on Halloween night, Salem's chief of police, John Rafferty, now married to gifted lace reader Towner Whitney, wonders if there is a connection between his death and Salem's most notorious cold case, a triple homicide dubbed "The Goddess Murders," in which three young women, all descended from accused Salem witches, were slashed on Halloween night in 1989. He finds unexpected help in Callie Cahill, the daughter of one of the victims newly returned to town. Neither believes that the main suspect, Rose Whelan, respected local historian, is guilty of murder or witchcraft.
But exonerating Rose might mean crossing paths with a dangerous force. Were the women victims of an all-too-human vengeance, or was the devil raised in Salem that night? And if they cannot discover what truly happened, will evil rise again?
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I enjoyed reading this novel very much for two reasons: 1. I've read The Lace Reader and 2. I've been to Salem Massachusetts and always liked the area and the rich history of the witch trails that I first learned about by reading Nathanial Hawthorne's novel, The House of Seven Gables. The author, Brunonia Barry, does an excellent job of switching between the three time periods of 1692, the Salem witch trial period, Halloween night 1989, "The Goddess Murders" when three young descendants of accused Salem witches from 1692 were slashed and murdered, and Halloween 2014 in Salem where this story takes place. The book is full with information about mythology, Celtic paganism, sound therapy, visions, intuition, and lots of research which makes for an interesting read if you like those subject matters. The characters were well-developed and the plot was intriguing. I look forward to reading the author's other book, The Map of True Places, and I highly recommend this book to those who like reading about the Salem witch trails.
The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry is the second book The Lace Reader series. John Rafferty is the police chief for the town of Salem, Massachusetts. It is Halloween which is a busy time in Salem and a big problem just landed in his lap. Rose Wheelan has been arrested for the murder of Billy Barnes. Billy along with his pals, James and Monk were tormenting Rose (Billy sliced her check with a knife). Billy's great-aunt, Helen Barnes wants justice. Helen along with many others in Salem, feel Rose is a nuisance and a murderess. They blame Rose for the murder of three women in 1989. It is Salem's famous cold case known as The Goddess Murders. Twenty-five years ago, Rose was a respected scholar in the community. On November 1, 1989 Rose and a little girl were the only survivors of a brutal slaying on Proctor's Ledge. Rose has never been the same since then. She now wanders the city talking to trees and looking for the original hanging tree. John decides to start looking into the cold case and see if he can solve it. He wants to prove Rose's innocence. Callie Cahill has been living in Northampton and working as a music therapist. When she reads about Rose in the paper, she is shocked. The nuns had told her that Rose was dead. Callie is the other survivor of that fateful night. Callie wants to help Rose, and she would love to finally get answers on what happened to her mother. Callie's mother, Olivia was one of the victims along with her two friends, Cheryl Cassella and Susan Symms. It turns out that each person who was present that night was related to a "witch" executed in 1692. Callie, thanks to her visions, will be able to assist John with the investigation. What were the women doing on Proctor's Ledge that Halloween night? Is the real killer a human, a witch, or something far more sinister?
The Fifth Petal sounds like a great paranormal mystery novel. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the final product. There is some nice writing and excellent research, but the novels pace is sluggish (actually, I think slugs move faster). I was never drawn into the story (it did not engage me in any way). The author did not stick with the main storyline. There are a couple of side stories that were unnecessary. The main one being Callie and her music therapy. I ended up skipping through these sections. Brunonia Barry is also a descriptive writer which leads to many unnecessary details. I give The Fifth Petal 2 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). I believe the book needs major editing. The Fifth Petal could be a good book with a little work. I wish the author had run with the supernatural elements (embraced it). It would have made for a more entertaining story. Many readers will be able to figure out the identity of the culprit. Only a couple of clues are needed to work out this mystery (if you can manage to get that far into the book). I was tempted many times to toss The Fifth Petal aside, but I did persevere to the end (which I discovered to be a letdown). Of course, The Fifth Petal has the requisite romance which just slows down the narrative even more (Thanksgiving seemed to go on for days). I found some information to be replicated especially about the 1989 murder (and I forget how many times we are told that John Rafferty is the chief of police). While this is the second book in The Lace Reader series, it can be read alone. The author updates the readers on what occurred in The Lace Reader.
The Fifth Petal sounds like a great paranormal mystery novel. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the final product. There is some nice writing and excellent research, but the novels pace is sluggish (actually, I think slugs move faster). I was never drawn into the story (it did not engage me in any way). The author did not stick with the main storyline. There are a couple of side stories that were unnecessary. The main one being Callie and her music therapy. I ended up skipping through these sections. Brunonia Barry is also a descriptive writer which leads to many unnecessary details. I give The Fifth Petal 2 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). I believe the book needs major editing. The Fifth Petal could be a good book with a little work. I wish the author had run with the supernatural elements (embraced it). It would have made for a more entertaining story. Many readers will be able to figure out the identity of the culprit. Only a couple of clues are needed to work out this mystery (if you can manage to get that far into the book). I was tempted many times to toss The Fifth Petal aside, but I did persevere to the end (which I discovered to be a letdown). Of course, The Fifth Petal has the requisite romance which just slows down the narrative even more (Thanksgiving seemed to go on for days). I found some information to be replicated especially about the 1989 murder (and I forget how many times we are told that John Rafferty is the chief of police). While this is the second book in The Lace Reader series, it can be read alone. The author updates the readers on what occurred in The Lace Reader.
