The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry
First off, my thanks to NetGalley for an advance reading copy of The Fifth Petal. I remember reading The Lace Reader many years ago and wanted to give this new novel by Ms. Barry a try.
In 1989, on Halloween night in Salem, Massachusetts, three young women were brutally murdered while trying to honor their ancestors who were hanged in the Salem Witch Trials. The women were known as the goddesses and carried a dark secret. The child of one of the women, Callie survived, along with the goddesses's mentor and local historian, Rose.
The murders remained unsolved and the case cold, until another suspicious death on Halloween night, in the town of Salem, happens some thirty years later. Enter John Rafferty, the police chief, who is now married to Towner, a gifted lace reader. Callie, now a grown woman and a music healer, returns to Salem to help uncover the truth.
I enjoyed the parts about Salem and the witch trials. From a historical perspective, I found there was a lot to gain from this book. I felt there were many holes in the plot of the story though. I found myself backtracking a few pages too many times to pick up the current story thread. That is never a good thing. The characters didn't make me want to care about them. For example, Callie and her love affair were flat and unemotional, sparking no romantic engagement from me.
If you're a fan of Salem, or like witches and mystery, then I think you will find a lot to like in The Fifth Petal. I want to be fully invested with the characters in the books I read, and even though I learned about a piece of history, I just didn't get there with the rest of the story.
First off, my thanks to NetGalley for an advance reading copy of The Fifth Petal. I remember reading The Lace Reader many years ago and wanted to give this new novel by Ms. Barry a try.
In 1989, on Halloween night in Salem, Massachusetts, three young women were brutally murdered while trying to honor their ancestors who were hanged in the Salem Witch Trials. The women were known as the goddesses and carried a dark secret. The child of one of the women, Callie survived, along with the goddesses's mentor and local historian, Rose.
The murders remained unsolved and the case cold, until another suspicious death on Halloween night, in the town of Salem, happens some thirty years later. Enter John Rafferty, the police chief, who is now married to Towner, a gifted lace reader. Callie, now a grown woman and a music healer, returns to Salem to help uncover the truth.
I enjoyed the parts about Salem and the witch trials. From a historical perspective, I found there was a lot to gain from this book. I felt there were many holes in the plot of the story though. I found myself backtracking a few pages too many times to pick up the current story thread. That is never a good thing. The characters didn't make me want to care about them. For example, Callie and her love affair were flat and unemotional, sparking no romantic engagement from me.
If you're a fan of Salem, or like witches and mystery, then I think you will find a lot to like in The Fifth Petal. I want to be fully invested with the characters in the books I read, and even though I learned about a piece of history, I just didn't get there with the rest of the story.
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