Chords of the Cliffside

by Kirsten Bell

Brigid, known to locals as the Witch of the Woods, has always been bound to the ancient forests of Lake Superior. She, along with her coven, protect the lakeshore and its surrounding towns. And while the black soil remains fertile and the blueberries pop from their vines before they should each and every year, the Witch of Woods is watched by the townspeople. She's scrutinized and judged for the ways she interacts with nature - just like her parents were before they were driven from town. But Brigid watches the town as well. Watches and waits because the woods have promised her more than fresh fruits and longs springs. They've promised her revenge.

It's when a Nashville rock band stumbles into the coven's sacred woodland that something long buried is awoken in Brigid. The band is the living, breathing example of the man-made magic known as fame that Brigid hates. Quickly, the band's desire for fame insights Brigid's thirst for revenge, and the chase is on.

Brigid must decide if revenge is a vow or a vendetta, and if Banks is worth getting it wrong. Through spells, lies, and rock and roll, a showdown between fame and magic will prove there is no longer room for both.

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 17, 2026

About the author

Kirsten Bell is an Australian (and Canadian) social anthropologist living in London. She holds a doctorate in social anthropology from James Cook University. Currently Visiting Professor at King’s College London, Kirsten has previously worked at the University of Northern Colorado in the USA, Macquarie University in Australia, the University of British Columbia in Canada, and the University of Roehampton in the UK. The cultural whiplash she experienced from all these intercontinental moves form the basis of Silent but Deadly, which is her first foray into popular anthropology and panders to her longstanding obsession with bodily effluvia and inane questions.