The Death Pit

Discerning and quick-witted, English scholar Terry Williams travels to Inverness, Scotland, in Strong's second novel (after The Poison Tree). In order to research her thesis on Catherine McCulloch, who was sentenced to death in a 17th-century witch trial, the London University student reluctantly takes a train to Babcock Castle, where Catherine's descendent, Magnus McCulloch, accepts her into his residence. While investigating whether Catherine was burned at the stake for witchery or lesbianism, Terry becomes distracted by the death of Donna Fairhead, a member of a local Wiccan coven whose corpse is retrieved from a local farmer's pit. In search of clues in the Wiccan Book of Shadows, stubborn Terry weaves her way into the Wiccan community. Strong offers rich scene-setting descriptions and sharp dialogue, and submerses readers in the fates of numerous distinct characters related to Terry's investigation. When the body count increases and the Wiccans are terrorized by Inverness locals, Terry begins to find links between Donna, Catherine and herself. Strong emphasizes these connections too insistently. Her plot is innovative, however, charged with erotic energy and rife with tight forensic detail. And it cleverly incorporates the vast Scottish countryside all the way to its harrowing conclusion. (Aug.)