Witch by Lorne Patterson
(Dark Hall Press)
A tale of modern crime entwined with a savage history of religious persecution, Witch will lead you down the proverbial rabbit-hole and dance with you in the dark.
Detective Jamie McFadden is investigating an unnatural death of a pedophile. He is on the outs with his superiors and this could very well be his last case.
In the midst of his investigation he has to travel to Haven, an isolated psychiatric facility for women to interview a patient. This patient could hold the key to his entire investigation and his career.
“Witch” is a frightening and at times gut wrenching tale that seamlessly jumps between 16th century Scotland and the present as the story of Margaret, accused of witchcraft slowly unfolds.
Lorne was able to keep me intrigued with the storyline. His characters were wonderfully developed and life like. The flashbacks, (a major part of the tale) to 16th century Scotland were very graphic and necessary for the story to work. Lorne obviously did his research into the persecution of women accused of witchcraft and was able to really put together some frightening scenes that are not for the feint of heart. Obviously, these things really happened and there were many that were unjustly accused, horribly tortured and put to death during this dark time of mankind’s history.
Detective Jamie McFadden is a very complex character that really gave the tale life. He is your every day man, struggling with his own demons and faults, and ended up being my favorite character in the book.
If you are like me and just love a great story with wonderful characters you will no doubt enjoy Lorne Patterson’s debut book “Witch”, I know I did and I highly recommend it.
Lorne is a new author that definitely bears keeping an eye one and I eagerly await his next book.
