Play Book Tag discussion

I originally picked this out for last month's theme but I was still reading past the deadline. I was pleased to see that it fits Book Club when I found that 2 people tagged it as such. :-)

Since this was by Robert McCammon, I expected a horror story. There certainly was some "horror" to it but this was a historical mystery more than anything. The horror came in the stories about the witch and what the residents who plan to burn her said they saw her do.

It's 1699, just before the turn of the century, when Matthew Corbett and Magistrate Isaac Woodward are on their way to a new coastal town called Fount Royal. Matthew is the Magistrate's clerk and is a young man who has worked for the Magistrate for years, ever since being rescued from a home for wayward boys (and a nasty one it was). His training from Woodward has led to a well-read and spoken, and very inquisitive person. We get a little of his backstory but it is somewhat incidental to the story.

We meet them on the road in foul weather in a wagon without the benefit of an escort. The previous Magistrate never made it to Fount Royal. The weater is very bad and they look for a place to stay overnight. It isn't a good place. Then, when they finally get to Fount Royal, they are not the same two people after their experience but are welcome by the "mayor/developer" and put up in his home. He believes the claims of witchcraft but is determined, in spite of the feelings and fear in the town, to have an appropriate trial. He wants his town to follow the laws of the day. However, the faster this is taken care of, the better as people are leaving the town in fear.

The Magistrate oversees the trial, listening to witnesses, etc. There is no jury, he has the make the determination. However, Matthew has some questions and he and the Magistrate have a difference of opinion. Matthew is only a clerk and can only voice his concerns to the Magistrate, he cannot change the outcome on his own.

This is excellent story-telling, a well-written and clever story with excellent narration for this audio version. The only negatives are that the denouement is dragged out a bit and the scenes of depravity attributed to the witch are quite graphic, not to be shared with children in the listening. This was nominated for an Audie Award in 2013. I'm pleased there are more in the Matthew Corbett and they are also available from Audible.