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Bewitcher
'POTENT. GRIPPING. A JAW-DROPPING SHOCKER' Bookworm 'The Bewitcher is sly. Cunning. He's not the knight, sword in fist, charging the enemy. No, no, he's the whisperer, inciting men to do terrible things. He tells them when to kill. And who.' It is 1666 and the Derbyshire village of Eyam is being savaged by a terrible plague. By night, a crazed murderer prowls the dusty streets, the only hint as to why, a jagged cross cut into the victims' chests. Trapped in a dying village, Reverend Mompesson must unravel the mystery and stop the killer or risk the villagers fleeing, carrying the sickness to every corner of England. Nobody can go in. Nobody can go out. IT IS COMING 'TERRIFICALLY TERRIFYING' Bookmark 'A RIVETING THRILLER' Eclipse
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2018
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4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 28, 2020
The story is about a village in Derbyshire that went into quarantine during the plague in 1666. The names and incidents are largely historically correct, which was quite cool. The fictional aspect is that there is a demon behind the murders - or so the villagers believe.
Actually, it was not that difficult to figure out the culprit. But I was not prepared for the twist at the end...
Reading this while in lockdown for covid_19 added an entirely different layer....
Actually, it was not that difficult to figure out the culprit. But I was not prepared for the twist at the end...
Reading this while in lockdown for covid_19 added an entirely different layer....
September 27, 2018
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.
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.
November 9, 2018
This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"It’s 1666 and the plague is visiting the Derbyshire village of Eyam for the second successive year. The new, young vicar, Will Mompesson, makes the courageous decision to quarantine the village, which does not make him popular with some of his parishioners... I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys dark mysteries and doesn’t have a queasy stomach."
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"It’s 1666 and the plague is visiting the Derbyshire village of Eyam for the second successive year. The new, young vicar, Will Mompesson, makes the courageous decision to quarantine the village, which does not make him popular with some of his parishioners... I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys dark mysteries and doesn’t have a queasy stomach."
November 3, 2018
Mysterious and creepy, a page-turning, gory thriller. Loved Mompesson's character arc and was surprised by where his path took him at the very end; great twist. Well done to the author. I look forward to the next installment.
February 23, 2019
Oh my! So dark and twisting
This medieval tale of plague and murder and mysticism kept me rapidly turning the pages. Will anyone be saved? You’ll have to read Reverend Mompesson’s story yourself to find out!
This medieval tale of plague and murder and mysticism kept me rapidly turning the pages. Will anyone be saved? You’ll have to read Reverend Mompesson’s story yourself to find out!
April 12, 2023
this was okay, much better than i was expecting and i kind of went into it blind. i think this book was a gift from my mum and i wasn’t super excited about reading it but was pleasantly surprised, i managed to read it in one sitting which is a good sign but i don’t think i’d really recommend to many people? i’m not super into religious stuff and giving the time period this was set in its hugely important in this context so i found that a little boring, i was however interested in the topic about the plague and how people were dealing with that throughout, altogether it was good just not great? read 2/1/23-3/1/23 3hr
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews