Customer Reviews

Witch Hunt

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I read and enjoyed the first Syd Moore book "The Drowning Pool" so when I saw this book had been brought out I had to read it.

I have not been disappointed at all. This book gripped me and I had to keep on reading page after page.

Set in our time period its about a journalist who is researching the 17th century witch hunts and in particular the Witchfinder General. Its spooky, its a mystery, its a thoroughly entertaining read.

The writer pulls you in and although at first some of the characters seem meaningless in the end it all comes together and makes sense.

I honestly can not wait for more books by this author.

I liked the premise for the novel...it sounded good...but in practice the author treats the reader like a dummy. What is it about endless repetition of the facts, and a character's repeated musing over the same old facts...and cluelessness over the obvious. You want to take the main character and get her to stop whining and get on with the plot, or at least get with it. I think the author lost a chance to make a truely interesting story.

Sadie Asquith is a freelance journalist who decides she is going to write a book about the Essex Witch Hunts, in which 500 women were tried and many of whom lost their lives.

Throughout the book we learn the appalling ways in which women were treated by power hungry men who lorded it over young girls, exploiting them in the most horrific ways in order to get them to confess to witchcraft, sometimes against themselves and in some cases against their loved ones. Once they had confessed to this `crime', they were either hung in front of a heckling crowd, or `swum'.

Sadie's research brings some shocking details to light and she knows that she's on to something highly explosive! Will Sadie live to tell the tale?

This book had me hooked from the very beginning, so much so I was unable to put it down and finished it in just over 2 days! I loved how the characters literally came to life throughout the book. Any horror fans out there will LOVE this book!

Love ghost stories? Then this is definitely the book for you! The PERFECT Halloween read.

I was gripped within the first few pages of the prologue of Witch Hunt, where we witness first hand the gruesome execution of an accused witch in the 16-17th century.
Chapter One switches back to the modern day, to a thoroughly drunk Sadie Asquith, embarrassing herself greatly on a drunken night out, it is then revealed that only earlier that day has she buried her Mother.
Sadie is a journalist and writer, and also a self proclaimed Essex girl. She has a complex interest in the witch trials, as seemingly did her now deceased Mother. We learn some of her Mother’s back-story early on in the book, and how she succumbed to illness reasonably early in life, which gives a much deeper insight into the character of Sadie who narrates the book in the first person throughout; making it a very personal tale.
Before long strange occurrences, phantom emails and text messages, ghostly voices and apparitions manifest, and Sadie begins to worry that the mental illnesses that plagued her Mother for so many years have surfaced in her, being brought on by grief over her Mother’s death. Sadie is not reassured by the advice of police officer friend, Joe, and friend and boss Maggie, who also believe she needs to seek help, but she does begin to wonder if the macabre nature of her research is impacting on her own mental state.
The book was very fast paced at the beginning, leaving me reluctant to put it down, but seemed to plateau midway through the story. This may be a harsh judgement on my behalf as it is in this section that we learn the whole research and background of the witch trials, which illustrates just how much knowledge Moore has amassed on the subject. This has thoroughly whetted my appetite to read more on the witch trials of the 16th and 17th century, as Moore gave so many fantastically written insights into true life records.
During the visions that Sadie is shown, Moore describes the period of time beautifully, leaving you able to see, smell and feel the atmosphere and fear that the hunted women were subjected to, and there were some truly haunting scenes – for me it was the train station!
The page turning pace returned as the book began to reach its conclusion, with Sadie discovering hidden secrets of her past, and the tale concluded (perfectly timed) on All Hallows Eve. The ending was well written and loose ends were tied up, although I did feel the ending was somewhat predictable and I would have liked to have seen more ‘gasp-inducing’ twists to the plot.
I also feel that characters and relationships were only briefly touched upon, leaving the book more of a personal memoir, albeit it a superbly written narrative that I would recommend reading!

What attracted me to this book was the fact that it took place in Essex. Having lived in the County for the whole of my life and knowing the places named - Leigh on Sea, Southend on Sea, Chalkwell, Colchester, Manningtree to name a few I was really interested. Add into the mix the topic of the Essex Witches, the Witchfinder General,a reporter having visions upon the death of her Mother. I just could not resist! In fact found I could not put the book down. To sum up just buy it and read it - brilliant book will stay in my Kindle for reading again at a later time.

I have to asdmit that when i read the back of this book it really sounded fascinating. I am really interested in British history and the subject of witches seems fascinating.However, this book was not in the least bit scary which just made it boring really and i found the characters hard to connect with. Also the ending was rather dissapointing and i think a little confusing.
Overall it really did not live up to what i had expected of it and that is why i have given it only 3 stars.

An excellent book which I could not put down. Brilliant!! Well recommended to anyone who likes history (Essex) and witches!!

Not my normal sort of book but was hooked from page 1!! just couldnt put it down - scared myself a couple of times as i thought the whole thing was quite believable cant wait for more of the same!!

Not my usual sort of read, but I'm so glad I purchased this. I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. It has made me want to look into the history of witch hunts more!

This is an excellent read which weaves historic facts into a most fascinating tale. The reader is unsure who to believe in the beginning, but when finding out something her mother 'forgot' to tell her the reader must surely get firmly behind this bright journalist from Essex. The story kept me riveted as I just needed to know what was coming next.