The Fifth Petal
Ratings5
Average rating3.8
Could a witch hunt happen again in Salem? New York Times bestselling author of The Lace Reader Brunonia Barry returns to Salem with this spellbinding new thriller, a complex brew of suspense, seduction and murder. When a teenage boy dies suspiciously on Halloween night, Salem's chief of police, John Rafferty, 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?
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Brunonia Barry has the right amount of setting, plot and character to make an exceptional novel. Take a decades old murder mystery tied into a centuries old mystery, mix in a little mental instability, throw in a dash of ESP, and sprinkle with a healthy amountof lore, then you have an amazing read that will keep you up long past your bedtime. You will not forget these characters. You might even start wondering if they are real.
I would give The Fifth Petal 3.5 out of 5 stars. What first drew me to pick up the book was the setting – I enjoy historical fiction and wanted to learn more about Salem and the witch-trial period. As a fan of police procedurals I was also intrigued by the murder mystery aspect of the plot. The story was interesting and engaging, and for the most part kept me turning the pages. It was a bit too long; the story dragged in some parts, and could have been shorter without losing any plot. Additionally, while you certainly don't need to have read the first book in the series to understand this one, there are a lot of references to the first book (which I had not read, and therefore the many references made me feel I was missing something rather major). Overall though I liked the characters and enjoyed the unique atmosphere of modern-day Salem. A good read for fans of mysteries with a hint of the supernatural.
