Never Burn a Witch

A Rowan Gant Investigation #2

by M.R. Sellars

NEVER BURN A A Rowan Gant Investigation (Book 2)

THEY BURN WITCHES, DON'T THEY?

Take one part twisted sociopath and add a double shot of psychosis-fueled misinterpretations of Bible scripture and prophecy, then toss in a copy of a fifteenth-century Witch hunting manual known as the Malleus Maleficarum . Mix well. What do you get? An even more twisted sociopath who now believes he is on a divine mission from God to single-handedly resurrect the Inquisition of medieval Europe--and he is armed with the instructions for doing so.   

Set him loose on the world and he becomes a serious problem.   

Set him loose in Saint Louis and he becomes my serious problem.   

My name is Rowan Gant. The police call me their "Occult Practices and Alternative Religions Consultant." That is just their media-friendly spin on what I really am--that being the unofficial Witch of the Major Case Squad.   

You see, there is a bit more to me than just a cranium filled with arcane knowledge of religious history and the occult. I also have this unwanted affliction--I can hear the voices of the dead. To be specific, I hear murder victims crying out to me from the dark hereafter. The more heinous their deaths, the louder they are. Not all Witches can hear them. I'm just unlucky that way, I guess.   

At any rate, you can rest assured, given the torture and murder spree this latest psycho is on, the din inside my head right now is damn near unbearable...

Genres: Mystery, Witches, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Paganism

412 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

A member of the ITW (International Thriller Writers), M. R. Sellars is a relatively unassuming homebody who, in his own words, “tells pretty lies for a living.” Although his penchant for creating fiction began at an early age, he was eventually inspired to pursue a degree in journalism, an endeavor he describes as, “a good chase, even though it got away.” His career plans re-routed, he put a secondary talent – electronics repair – into play. However, this did not deter him from writing and he soon re-focused on his first love, fiction. While he had several short stories appear in minor publications, it wasn’t until 2000 that his first full-length novel, Harm None: A Rowan Gant Investigation, hit bookstore shelves, officially launching the acclaimed paranormal thriller series and its associated spinoff.

All of the current novels in Sellars’ continuing Rowan Gant Investigations saga have spent several consecutive weeks on numerous bookstore bestseller lists as well as a consistent showing on the Amazon.com Horror/Occult top 100. In 2010 a short e-novella featuring a supporting character from the RGI cast spawned a new series, The Special Agent Constance Mandalay Novels, the first full-length book being IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER, which hit the streets November 2011. The second, INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE is slated for release 2018.

Sellars currently resides in the Midwest with his wife, daughter, and a houseful of rescued animals – a population which currently stands at one canine (Vicki the Wonder Dog) and three felines (Roxxy, Nachos el Tigre, and Mac the Klaw) – not to mention the myriad creatures inhabiting the Two-Acre Wood. He often describes the fluctuating menagerie as, “the competition.” At home, when not writing, taking care of the household, splitting firewood, or battling the insidious and invasive Asian Bush Honeysuckle, he indulges his passions for cooking and home brewing.

M. R. Sellars can be located on the web wherever there is a virtual bar serving virtual single malt Scotch, single barrel bourbon, good Irish whisky, and decent beer. In other words, look for him on the major social networking sites.

For more information contact wendy@willowtreepress.com

Reviews

[Doris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mercedes Lackey did much the same sort of thing with her Diana Tregarde stories, only much better.

I didn't much like the first book (Harm None), but I thought it showed enough promise to give a second book a try. But in this one, Gant behaves like an idiot, and a preachy one, at that.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it right after finishing Harm None. I read this book as a part of a bookcrossing bookring. There were several critical comments given by previous readers, which I agreed with. The red-headed descriptions did not bother me in Harm None but they were jarring slaps in the face every single time they came up in NVaW. Every time Felicity appeared, we got a full-blown description that was over-the-top. I hate when authors so obviously have a fetish (for lack of a better term) that is apparent to their readers by the fact that it is brought up so often in their books. Mr. Sellars appears to have a thing for red-heads. I thought it from HN, but it was just possible it was a one novel deal. Nope. He brings up red-heads much too much in the second novel as well, especially considering how many *real* red-heads as opposed to bottle red-heads there are in this world. (I know many more red-headed men than women, btw, and that is counting that the men are natural and most of the women use a bottle.)

Rowan is rather dense in this novel. I wanted to scream at him several times about his stupidity. The first time he attempted to face the killer, I could not understand the reasoning he had for even trying. Why could he not wait for the police who were going to be there in just a few short minutes? The second time was perhaps a bit more understandable.

I am finding more and more often that writers are writing with a movie script in mind and are describing movements that don't need describing and laying out scenes for a movie. Mr Sellars is having that problem in these first two novels. He is not as bad as some novels I have read, but he does have a tendency to do it.

I found myself picturing Rowan like the author photo in the back of the book through NBaW when I had a perfectly satisfactory image from HN previous to seeing the author photo.

Slight spoiler: Both HN and NBaW have open endings. I don't generally mind open-endings as they give an author somewhere to go in future books. However, two for two with nothing wrapped up for either one is a little irritating. I will be really frustrated with this series if this keeps up. I actually could have gotten past the open-ending of the first novel if it had not been brought up several times in the second novel.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, but I liked the first novel better. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. While I have my critical points, I also enjoyed the story. I am not much of a crime novel reader, so this is a fun change of pace. I am left with some questions about witches in real life when reading this novel, which I think is good. I know where to go to get answers, but I hope it leads to non-Pagans learning more about Pagans when they read these books.

[Jimyanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than th efirst book of the series, but not enough better to rate a 4th star.
As with "Harm None", there are both positive things to say about this one and negative things. The negatives are much the same as in the first book; too many typos and "wrong word" type errors snuck through for me to accept from a supposedly professional writer, and the character of Ben Storm, if he's going tom make a big deal about being of Native American descent (what tribe? We never even get as far as that) he really ought not to be so completely without any personality or background characteristics that would make him other than just another cop. Physically, he is described in ways that mesh with that heritage, but he's as completely oblivious to non-traditional religion or culture as any of the rest, until Rowan shows him that his psychic powers work. Was he raised in a government orphanage, with no hint of his cultural background other than that "he's of native ancestry"? If so, it should be mentioned, his character should be more fully developed. As it is, not only is he unaware of the existence of non-traditional religions until his friend fills him in, but he never even has a "my grandmother used to claim similar things; I never saw her do anything like that, though," kind of reaction. Also, and perhaps I'm just expecting a character to have the kind of logical response that I'd like to think I'd have in a similar situation, but if I were a practicing Wiccan, and so was my wife, and there was a nutcase running around executing witches for heresy, I'd LIKE to think that I'd fill my wife in as quickly as possible, and warn her to be on her guard, rather than keeping quiet about it so as not to worry her. The fact that the main character did NOT respond that way struck me as being ridiculously implausible.

On the plus side, the pacing and plot moved well, the story was more than a bit captivating, and if the villain was a bit of a cypher who was pretty much a cardboard cutout, and Rowan's wife and best friend were a bit 2-dimensional, the other characters seemed quite lifelike. In spite of the negatives (and they DO drive me crazy) I actually hve enjoyed both this book and its predecessor, and may well look for more from the series. Great literature they aren't, but they're fun to read for the most part.

[Francisco Velasquez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book for free at a convention years ago and finally got around to reading it. For the most part, it's solid, with decent writing, an interesting premise, and fairly likable characters. However, it's just not as strong as it could have been. Most of the mystery is spent waiting around for the killer to make a mistake, which while arguably realistic, isn't very engaging. On top of that, the ambiguous, cliffhanger ending really felt like a misstep for this kind of story. I also wasn't fond with how women are written, often with torso-first descriptions, and the broad stereotypes used for characters, which never felt truly offensive, but did feel questionable. I do think this could have been great with a bit more consideration and finesse in certain areas. As it is, it's ultimately not "bad", just disappointing.

[Scarlet Mitchell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got autographed copy for free as promotional gift. I haven't read #1 of the series. I was expecting a murder-mystery/detective-thriller written by a modern pagan/witch (which I relate to, as a member of that community, myself).
What I got was triggered and horrified. I threw up in my mouth a little. I didn't get past chapter 4. I'm sure it's a decent book, but I was NOT prepared for the gruesome turn it took. The atmosphere of the story initially read like it was going to be a classic detective mystery/thriller, but the details of the VERY FIRST murder were so horrifically gruesome... If it had been presented as a dark horror or torture-porn type story, I might have been prepared, but I wasn't. If the extreme violence of that first murder were saved for later in the story, I might have been able to cope, but it was his opening bid and I just couldn't read further and I'm still haunted by that initial morgue scene.
I might have continued reading it without that level of violence, but the main character was also a little annoying, dredging up memories of my past when I was a sweet young pagan new on her path and full of bitterness and persecution-complex. Rowan reminded me uncomfortably of my self-involved and misinformed little tribe from the early 2000s. No thanks. I'll leave those people in the past.
I had to be kind to myself and turn my copy in to the second-hand store.

[Ladysatel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Rowan Gant Investigator Series - Set in St. Louis, Missouri

Rowan is still having nightmares from the first case he worked as an Occult Practices and Alternative Religious Consultant a.k.a. the unofficial witch of the Major Case Squad. In addition to helping the police Rowan has his own computer consulting business and is a practicing witch.

When Rowan receives a call to help on a new case he feels it is his duty toaid in the investigation. Someone is targeting witches in the area and executing them in accordance with the instructions in the Malleus Maleficarum, a book used by witchhunters published in 1487 in Germany, also known as the Hammer of the Witches. The book continued to be used by those hunting witches, for three centuries.

As Rowan suspected the crime scene is gruesome and disturbing. The young woman was tortured and then thrown over the balcoony of a hotel. Carved into her flesh is the symbol called the Monogram of Christ. A bible was left at the scene with a certain passage highlighted referring to witches. This tells Rowan that a Witch Hunter is loose and hunting members of the craft

Another call comes in and the crime scene is even more gruesome that the first. Rowan can feel the pain inflicted on the victims and begins to suffer. He knows the victims are trying to tell him something, but he just can't figure out what it is.

The Major Case Squad is called to handle the deaths and more bodies are discovered. Every lead is checked, the police provide protection for friends of the victims, but the hunter managesl to elude the investigators.

Then the hunter comes for Rowan. A nicely paced mystery by the author.

[Shadow Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Girlgeorge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sticking with three stars for this one even though I'm getting used to the author's style choices. Easier for me to read and an interesting storyline , but parts of the book kept me scratching my head wondering why he wrote things the way he did. I am finding it hard to believe, even in a fictional world, there are people either that naive, that smart, that stubborn, and/or that stupid to do some of the things that get done in this book.

With that said...I also caught myself snapping at my husband when he interrupted my reading during the book's climax. I had become so engrossed in the ending I had forgotten to cook dinner.

Overall, I think I'm giving this series more of a chance than I would have if I hadn't met the author. He's an interesting man with some interesting stories to tell and I'm hoping those start appearing more as his RGI series continues. Besides, I already have my autographed copy of book 3 in my hot little hands and it would be such a shame to waste a perfectly good Sunday afternoon by *gasp* working...

Oh, and as a side note? Much less "querying" done in this one!!

[S.E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very much like the first in the series “Harm None” where witches were the target victims. And like the first book, there is one main plot, and we have Ben enlisting Rowan’s help in solving the crime. It was a painful read for me, not because of a bad plot, but because of the suffering, both mental and physical, that Rowan endured the whole time he was involved. It became frustrating after a while because despite the bleeding stigmata and a near death experience through a channeling episode, he could not come up with any significant information to help identify the murderer .

M R Sellars is unquestionably a superb writer and he had me invested in the story merely on his storytelling skills, but the conclusion was an anticlimax for me because there was no concrete resolution. I know it was meant to be that way, to make way for Book 3, but somehow I was still disappointed. All in all, it’s a decent book.

[Jenn Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I can see now why M. R. Sellars is a member of the Horror Writers Association (I think that's the right one.) As a solitary Witch I can honestly say when the killer in this book was using the Malleous Maleficarum as his guidepoint, I was TERRIFIED, much like the main character Rowan Gant. M. R. Sellars really went for it by creating an arch-nemesis for Rowan that is his other balance - you could even say they are yin yang to each other in relation to Rowan's quest for balance with his spirituality versus the killer's quest to balance out the eradication of witches for his fervent Catholic personal beliefs. I can't wait to see what Sellars comes up with next!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this second book in the Rowan Gant Investigations. And it was still good. But I did not find this story as interesting as the first one. Not very in-depth. A lot of fluff and flowery descriptions around a fairly straight forward and brief main story line. Felicity's auburn mane started to go on my nerves, just slightly. And how many times can Ben Storm stroke the back of his neck to indicate deep thought processes? And we still haven't found out, why the killer in the first book did what he did...

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think I enjoyed Harm None more, but this was still an enjoyable read. Its good to have a Pagan writing a Pagan. I agree with catsalive about the Felicity description -- OK, WE GET IT, SHE IS A HOT LITTLE IRISH NUMBER -- but I still enjoyed the story.

Just a quote I liked " ...make a note to ask Ben if there was some statistical reason known only to law enforcement as to why dead bodies seemed to turn up in the middle of the night." pg 207

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent book, but somehow I expected it to be better. It may not be the fault of the writer, but more my fault for not having the proper amount of time per sitting to read it. The plot was pretty good but there were times I wanted to slap some sense into the main character. I'd still recommend this book, though, and am even working on another one in this series currently.

[Kirsten Lenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the Rowan Gant series, this story was both well-written and entertaining. The interactions with the spirits of the victems and the killer, kept me on the edge of my seat. And the end? You'll have to read to see! Well done.

[Lel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a great follow up to the first book. The characters are developing well. The story line has all the power and thrills of the first book and only the promise of getting better as thus series progresses.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is a very good mistery for the mistery lover. Slow start but gets better as you read.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense and delightfully creepy!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right now all I can say about this book is "Don't read it at night." it can and it will scare the hair off your head.

[Annarella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it. Read it at night and I havke to admit that there were a lot of strange noises around :)

[Trish · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too focused on the gruesome.

[Alda · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a great read and the auther is a very charming man!!

[Montanasmith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first one was good and kept me guessing about the killer. Thought I'd give another one a try.

*** not as good as the first one - rather disappointed****

[Marvin]

I read this book as part of the Ghoul Squad three-in-one volume that included the first three books. I read the whole thing in just a couple of days, because I found it hard to put down.

[Linda B.]

Loved it!

[Cynthisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! I give up! This author's purple prose is giving me a headache!

[Dixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. The characters are like old friends. can't wait to read the next one. Keep them coming

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 3 out of 5]

horrific crimes....a witch Hunter using the malleus malefactorum...2torture, execution...inquisition reborn and all wiccans at risk.

[Gigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rowan does it again - a case that tears him up even as he solves it with a little modern magic.