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It seems that a motorcycle gang has discovered the small town of Summerset, Iowa. The citizens have mixed reactions as no violent crimes have yet occurred, yet suspicions of prostitution and drug use abound. The resident newspaper reporter is sure that the gang will lead to a huge crime increase but until they are caught in the act, there is nothing the community can do. Ophelia Jensen, librarian and reluctant witch, is uncomfortable with the situation but as long as she and her family are left alone, she is able to cope. Darci, Ophelia's best friend, is excited as her cousin Becca is coming for her birthday. Unfortunately her birthday celebration does not go as planned. After losing track of Becca at the biker bar, Ophelia and Darci find Becca standing over the murdered body of a biker. The police are sure that Becca is the murderer and do not seem interest in investigating further. Darci is sure that her cousin is innocent regardless of the glaring evidence against Becca. She begs Ophelia to investigate. Ophelia reluctantly agrees as she is dealing with personal problems. Her adopted daughter Tink is having difficulties with the popular kids, her grandmother is not encouraging the investigation and she believes there is a ghost in her house. All in all Ophelia does not want to deal with using her supernatural abilities in a criminal investigation. As her personal problems seem to have a connection with this murder, Ophelia must do everything in her power to solve the crime and restore the missing order to her life. WITCH HUNT is the fifth book the Ophelia and Abby mystery series. Throughout the series, Ophelia has continued to grow as a character. While she does not always believe in the old ways or in the supernatural, she is now accepting of her abilities. As she accepts her own strengthens and weaknesses she becomes more accepting of other people's faults. In this book, she also has to deal with the problems of raising a child and making sure this child has the ability to survive in the world. I would have preferred that Ophelia had a chance to continue her with her own self-assurance and self-confidence before becoming responsible for another person; but that is not what the author did. I am somewhat leery of supernatural mysteries, simply because many of them tend to be heavy on sex and violence rather than plot or substance, but I enjoy this series. Admittedly WITCH HUNT and the entire series are on the cozy side, but I prefer cozy to superficial poorly-plotted sexual thrillers. Even though I would be comfortable with this series developing a slightly darker and less cozy feel, I can appreciate the sense of familiarity and security Damsgaard creates in this series. By using 'normal' seeming characters stuck in middle-class towns, the problems and situations the characters have can be familiar to all. I hope Damsgaard is able to maintain this balance as she continues the series since it has done so well so far.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, July 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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