The Fifth Petal: A Novel

Very interesting story set in Salem, MA. 3 women related to the original witches are murdered in 1989..only a small child and an old woman survive.

20 years later events bring that grown child home to solve the mystery of her mothers death. ( )

Brunonia Barry is a very talented writer, and for the most part I enjoyed The Fifth Petal. I loved her earlier book, The Lace Reader, but felt the sequel (The Map of True Places) represented something of a falling off. I'm happy to say, Barry is back on track with the third book in the sequence.

Almost all the characters in the book (and there are a lot of them) are interesting and well drawn, and there was enough suspense to keep me intrigued right up to the final pages. Can't really ask for more than that, right? The story did tend to ramble a bit in the middle section, and that's really what keeps me from giving it a full four stars. Otherwise, this was a fine read. ( )

The Fifth Petal is a sequel (more or less) to Brunonia Barry's previous book, The Lace Reader. It's not necessary to read the first book to understand the second, but certain things are clearer. In Salem, MA, October 1989, three women were killed, one of them leaving a five year-old daughter named Callie. The crime was never solved. On Halloween night in 2014, a young man who is harassing Rose Whelan, a local historian, suddenly dies. Rose is accused of murdering him, and she ends up in the hospital, nearly catatonic. A grown Callie sees Rose, whom she thought was dead, on television and rushes back to Salem, hoping to remember what happened that night.

This was a real page-turner, and it kept me guessing until almost the end. I enjoy Barry's writing style, and the book flows along between past and present seamlessly. Highly recommend, especially if you have read The Lace Reader. If you haven't, you should probably read that book too. :) ( )

The Fifth Petal is a sequel to Barry's The Lace Reader. It begins with the unsolved Goddess murders and then jumps forward 25 years as another murder reopens the Goddess case. Major characters remain and new characters are introduced. Barry weaves witchcraft, folklore, and magic into a story of betrayal and revenge. A good read. ( )

I thought I would like this story more than I did. I mean, Salem. The witch trials. What isn't there to love? I feel like it dragged a bit and I couldn't connect with the main character. I would however recommend this story because I can see why others would enjoy it. Overall very good, just not my cup of tea. 3.5 out of 5 stars. ( )