Friday, April 13, 2007

Season of the Witch

Much like Gabriel Blackstone, computer hacker and self-proclaimed “information thief,” who set out initially to prove that one or both of the Monk sisters were murderers, I found myself being slowly and effectively seduced by the pair as I grew to know them better. Frankly, when I picked up Season of the Witch for the first time I was prepared not to like it simply based on the subject matter. But as I learned more and more about Morrighan and Minnaloushe Monk, two of the most memorable fictional characters that I’ve encountered in a while, I found myself anxious to find out exactly what the sisters were capable of accomplishing – and why they wanted to do it.

Gabriel Blackstone makes a good living by hacking into the supposedly secure computer systems of the corporate world. But he is capable of much more. Blackstone is also an accomplished “remote viewer,” so adept at getting into the minds of others, be they dead or alive, that for a time he was part of a select group of British psychics known as Eyestorm. Unfortunately for all involved, Blackstone’s arrogance caused him to leave the project in disgrace and the experience became a part of his past that he kept to himself. When several years later, a former lover of his and a member of Eyestorm herself, Cecily Franck, asks him to help locate her missing stepson, Blackstone finds his past taking over his present.

Despite the fact that he knows just how dangerous the sisters are and that he suspects them of having killed at least once, Blackstone is drawn so deeply into their world that he almost forgets why he is there in the first place. He is seduced not only by their immense physical beauty and intelligence but by their whole lifestyle and the way that they make him so much a part of their world. Mostert provides numerous plot twists and surprises before the novel reaches its suspenseful conclusion, and along the way the reader finds that any and all of her characters are “fair game.” This is my first Natasha Mostert novel; it won’t be my last.

Rated at: 4.0

2 comments:

  1. Sam, this sounds really good! I've added it to my list and hope I can find it at the library, but if not, will order it. Thanks for a great review~

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  2. Jenclair, I think that this one is hitting the bookstores next week so you should be first in line if you put a hold on it at your library.

    It was a nice surprise to me because I don't read a lot of "Gothic thrillers" anymore and I didn't know of the author before this book; she's South African and now lives in the U.K.

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