The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry

I can imagine being fascinated by an ancestor connected to the Salem Witch Trials, especially if it's one of the alleged witches.

In this story everything revolves around the events during 1692-1693. The characters are obsessed to the point of murder.

Callie returns to the scene of the cause of her childhood trauma only to find that it is still fresh in the minds of everyone. The killer is still at large, despite the police having a suspect and plenty of theories about the why and how.

Said suspect has been suffering from mental health issues since the night of the murders. Rose is convinced all evil is caused by a banshee. A paranormal presence with a taste for blood. Are there dark powers trying to compete for control and attention or is it just the ravings of a mad woman?

To this day Salem profits from their turbulent and violent past. I can imagine it isn't as amusing or innocent to the locals though. A little bit like Whitby being filled to the brim with goths and ghouls every Halloween, because that is where Bram Stoker wrote Dracula. It's all fun and games until you have wannabe vampires draped over the headstones in your local cemetery.

It felt as if there was a lot going on, perhaps too much, and the red herring was brought up and beaten to death over and over again. It certainly doesn't lack zest though.

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