Who hunts this
plague-ridden English village? A
human? A demon?
Set
in the Derbyshire village of Eyam in 1666, Betwitcher
is a tense, action-filled thriller. The
story has its roots in history, as Eyam fell victim to the bubonic plague in
1665. But rather than fleeing and
possibly infecting the rest of England, the residents decided to quarantine
themselves. Several hundred people in
close quarters, many dead or dying, armed only with limited medical knowledge,
religion, and superstition. What could possibly
go wrong? Well, according to the book, a
human murderer might appear … or a demon … or both. If you enjoy action, especially of the
gruesome sort, between the ritualistic killings of the demon/human and the carnage
of the disease, it’s hard to find twenty pages without a vividly described
death.
Interspersed
with these grisly scenes, the author delivers equally rich descriptions of
setting. Often, those scenes are dark
and menacing – forest paths at night, decrepit houses, empty streets. But sometimes they are peaceful and serene, a
contrast that author Crowl uses to full effect.
Character development is also a strength. Reverend Mompesson is particularly well done
as the man of the cloth, torn between religion and the science he hopes may
save his village. It’s an eternal theme,
well done in this work.
The
detractions from the story were few and minor.
There were a few mechanical errors – a missing word, an awkward phrase. Second, there were some leaps in reasoning not
well founded. For example, how the
Reverend deduced the meaning of a symbol he found at each murder scenes could
have used additional development. And
finally, the conclusion is a mixed bag.
The way Reverend Mompesson escapes is a bit convenient, but his
‘situation’ at the end raises all sorts of questions for book 2. I’ll be watching for it.
Overall,
Bewitcher is an entertaining and
often grisly mystery well worth the read.
