The move to a new town is never ordinary, especially for 13-year-old Libby that has just discovered she is a descendant of an ancient witch coven. Taking on life in this town is anything but easy and if she wants to survive, she has to play by the rules. Here, anyone can be a witch or warlock, alive or spirit and deciphering these possibilities can be nearly impossible. Are you a witch?
Welcome to Burning Lake, a small, isolated town with a dark history of witches and false accusations. Now, a modern-day witch has been murdered, and Detective Natalie Lockhart is reluctantly drawn deep into the case, in this atmospheric mystery from Alice Blanchard, The Witching Tree. As legend has it, if you carve your deepest desire into the bark of a Witch Tree, then over time as the tree grows, it will swallow the carvings until only a witch can read them. Until now. Detective Natalie Lockhart gained unwanted notoriety when she and her family became front and center of not one, but two sensational murder cases. Now she’s lost her way. Burned out and always looking over her shoulder, Natalie desperately thinks that quitting the police force is her only option left. All that changes when a beloved resident—a practicing Wiccan and founder of the town’s oldest coven—is killed in a fashion more twisted and shocking than Natalie has ever seen before, leaving the town reeling. Natalie has no choice but to help solve the case along with Detective Luke Pittman, her boss and the old childhood friend she cannot admit she loves, even to herself. There is a silent, malignant presence in Burning Lake that will not rest. And what happens next will shock the whole town, and Natalie, to the core.
'No wonder she's been crowned Queen of Cosy Crime' Mail on Sunday Toil and trouble in store for Agatha! Cotswolds inhabitants are used to bad weather, but the night sky is especially foggy as Rory and Molly Harris, the new vicar and his wife, drive slowly home from a dinner party in their village of Sumpton Harcourt. They struggle to see the road ahead - but then screech to a halt. Right in front of them, aglow in the headlights of their car, a body hangs from a lightning-blasted tree at the edge of town. But it's not suicide; Margaret Darby, an elderly spinster of the parish, has been murdered - and the villagers are bewildered as to who would commit such a crime, and why. Agatha Raisin rises to the occasion, delighted to have some excitement back in her life as if truth be told, she was getting bored of the long run of lost cats and divorces on the books. But Sumpton Harcourt is an isolated and unfriendly village, she finds a place that poses more questions than answers. And when two more murders follow the first, Agatha begins to fear for her reputation - and her life. That the village has its own coven of witches certainly doesn't make her feel any better... Praise for M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series 'A Beaton novel is like The Archers on speed' Daily Mail 'Agatha is like Miss Marple with a drinking problem, a pack-a-day habit and major man lust. In fact, I think she could be living my dream life' Entertainment Weekly 'The detective novels of M C Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status' The Times
October 1912 Deputy Matt Hargreaves is assigned to serve a warrant miles from home, but a simple mission soon goes tragically wrong, and a father and child lay dead. Consumed with guilt, Hargreaves flees from the carnage and begins a downward spiral leading to gut-wrenching hallucinations and a strange passage through an alternate reality. At the same time, Jody Simms is transporting a prisoner. As they pass through an abandoned mining site with a grim history, Simms spills a sick fantasy to his prisoner before realizing his now-revealed secret could destroy him. There’s only one answer to his dilemma: a loaded pistol in a box under the seat. Not far away, a train is crossing the badlands. Among the passengers is Rachel Adler, a stubborn young woman who has spent her childhood in an insane asylum. Now, she has fled Montreal high society and is determined to see the Old West. Her precognitive mother has warned Rachel that a demonic force awaits her in the wilderness, and Rachel’s rail journey will soon lead her to a devil of a man with a plan of his own. So begins The Phantom of Witch’s Tree, a novel that shatters all the shoot-’em-up conventions of the traditional western as it shifts seamlessly between dark fantasy, horror and the supernatural, unleashing a wild ride through an Old West never before experienced.
A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut. In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, Immanuelle Moore's very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement. But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood. Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.
Witch Tree Witch Books, Book 2 History isn’t safe when you can rewrite it. Despite the busy schedule of being a best-selling author, Amy begins to accept her heritage and starts her lessons in the arcane arts with Erda as her teacher. As Amy returns to a quiet life and writes her next novel in the small town of Morton Creek, she and Erda start noticing some things are strangely different. Why are events and people changing around them, when Amy and Erda remember it all quite differently? With a few of the town’s people missing and others appearing back from the dead, what is happening to Morton Creek? Amy and Erda’s confusion and inquisitiveness take them on an eerie journey to a past full of spells, death, and dark magic. They must correct the past to save the present and protect the future, or lose everything they know and love.
Cade Doyle has moved back to his father's hometown of Smithfield, Rhode Island. It is a typical New England town full of history and legends. The city was founded in 1636, making it older than most towns and cities across the country. Roads wind through rolling hills and pass fields of stacked stone walls built centuries ago by the town's founders. Massive oak trees rise high along the side of the roads peacefully signaling Mother Nature's seasons. There is, however, one tree that differs from the rest. It sits in the middle of the street surrounded by a three-way intersection called the crossroads. Scars from screeching tires and metal can be seen on the bark of the thick trunk. Every year, the thin sick-looking branches claw their way up and resist the town's attempts to cut them down. Known as the Witching Tree, its stories date back to the town's earliest days. It is said if a person goes around the tree three times reciting an old incantation, the witch will appear and attempt to kill them. Cade and new friends will find out if the legend is true and dig up a long buried secret within the town.
When a neighbor asks Nancy Drew to accompany her to an old uninhabited mansion, a new mystery opens ups, and danger lurks on the second floor. Nancy finds a witch tree symbol that leads her to Pennsylvania Dutch country in pursuit of a cunning and ruthless thief. The friendly welcome the young detective and her friends receive from the Amish people soon changes to hostility when it is rumored that Nancy is a witch! Superstition helps her adversary in his attempt to get her off his trail, but Nancy does not give up. Persistently she uncovers one clue after another. Nancy’s intelligence and sleuthing ability finally lead to the fascinating solution of this puzzling case.
'A profoundly moving, beautifully written and emotional story' Louise Douglas A tale as old as time. A spirit that has never rested. Present day As a love affair comes to an end, and with it her dreams for her future, artist Selena needs a retreat. The picture-postcard Sloe Cottage in the Somerset village of Ashcombe promises to be the perfect place to forget her problems, and Selena settles into her new home as spring arrives. But it isn’t long before Selena hears the past whispering to her. Sloe Cottage is keeping secrets which refuse to stay hidden. 1682 Grace Cotter longs for nothing more than a husband and family of her own. Content enough with her work on the farm, looking after her father, and learning the secrets of her grandmother Bett’s healing hands, nevertheless Grace still hopes for love. But these are dangerous times for dreamers, and rumours and gossip can be deadly. One mis-move and Grace’s fate looks set... Separated by three hundred years, two women are drawn together by a home bathed in blood and magic. Grace Cotter’s spirit needs to rest, and only Selena can help her now. USA Today bestselling author Judy Leigh writing as Elena Collins, brings you this unforgettable, heart-breaking, gripping timeslip novel set in a world when women were hung as witches, and fates could be sealed by a wrong word. Perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Diana Gabaldon and Louise Douglas. Praise for Elena Collins: 'A profoundly moving, beautifully written and emotional story that skilfully combines two time frames into one unputdownable book. I was completely immersed in Grace’s story from the beginning: despite it taking place 400 years ago. The modern day storyline was also delightful with some wonderful characters. In short a wonderful book by a fabulous author, very highly recommended' Louise Douglas 'With two storylines beautifully woven together to create a seamless tale of love, loss, betrayal and, above all, hope, it’s a must-read. Collins’s detailed knowledge of the period trickles through the tale wrapping the reader in a vivid shifting world as it moves between the 14th century and present day. Cleverly researched and exquisitely written, The Lady of The Loch is a timeless story of hope, family and love. I loved it' Alexandra Walsh 'Such a lovely story of love, hardship, loss & renewal. Heartbreaking yet comforting. A place where I would love to go to and be lost in its memories' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
Massachusetts and weird: not too much of a stretch, some would say. But the authors dug a little deeper and found all kinds of local legends, bizarre beasts, surprising cemeteries, and uncovered the best kept secrets from all over the Bay State. If it's unusual or unexplainable or fantastic, and in the Bay State, you'll find it all here.
