In August, I reviewed Book 1 in The Daughters of Dark Root series. I liked the book so much, I threatened to buy the box set of four. Well, I did. And I just finished reading Book 2: The Magick of Dark Root.
This is Maggie Mae’s book. In book 1, Maggie came home to the small Oregon town of Dark Root to join her sisters in caring for their ailing mother. Sasha Shantay, the matriarch of this witchy clan, is aging fast. Now Maggie has officially left Michael, because of his affair with Leah, and is falling for Shane Doler, a handsome cowboy/restaurateur who has a few magick powers of his own. She’s also brought home another surprise.
The quest for a strong wand—hopefully from the Lightning Willow as was her mother’s—and the management of her power are focuses for Magdalene in this book. “The willow cannot only heal people, but extend their lives, indefinitely, perhaps” says Larinda. Though she’s one of the antagonists in this series and not to be trusted, Maggie wants to believe a lightning willow wand will bring her mother back from the dead.
Necromancy is one of the themes in this book. Birth and Life meander through this story in many guises. While Maggie is carrying new life, she discovers she has the power to take life. This deathtouch is something she believes she inherited from her powerful, rebellious father, Armand.
I’ll confess. This was one of the creepiest parts of this story and I had a hard time with it. One night, Eve and Maggie go out to a local bar to make some cash hustling pool. Eve (like her biblical man-wasting counterpart) is dressed in a “tight, black, knit number that sat low in the cleavage and high on the thigh.” She’s also wearing a dash of her mankiller scent. She targets a middle-aged man who’s sitting alone and pours on her charm. Then her pool hustle begins. “Last game. Winner takes all,” Eve says, promising more than cash. All the while, Maggie is watching and managing the shots with her witchcraft. The man, who is now “drunk on alcohol, drunk on desire” starts moving in on Eve and the women get frightened. When Eve tries to leave, he objects and comes after her. Aggressively. Triggered by her own bad experiences with men, Maggie charges at the man, her power running full throttle and kills him. Shades of Thelma and Louise?
“For every spell there was an anti-spell. For every power, an opposing power. If I had the deathtouch, then someone out there had the lifetouch.“
This is not what creeps me out. It’s when they resurrect him and he rises as this giant zombiesque man-baby that they have to care for while they figure things out, that I start feeling yucky. The creepiest part for me is that Maggie suddenly becomes his mother. She treats him like an infant and tells him she loves him. It’s like some strange rehearsal for when her own baby is born. Except he’s not her baby. He’s a creepy guy that would have raped Eve if he had the chance and now he’s not even a guy.
But that’s just me. See what you think.
What will eventually happen to the resurrected Leo? Read to find out.
There are three books left in this series. Will I keep reading? You bet.
To begin with, you should know that Isabel is not the name of the protagonist who lives in the Epitome Apartments and solves the crime in this book. Isabel is actually the name of Ogden Nash’s daughter. For the uninitiated, Mr. Nash was an American master of light whimsical verse, a poet who appreciated tone and rhyme and odd rhyme schemes. In his 1932 poem, which is printed in full at the end of the novel, the unshakeable heroic Isabel meets an enormous bear, a wicked old witch, a hideous giant, and a troublesome doctor. Are they all characters in the saga of our unnamed protagonist? That, dear reader, is for you to discover.
Like Nash’s poem, Dorsey’s novel is light-hearted and whimsical—though frosting serious violent themes like gay-bashing and murder for hire. It’s clever, casual, and abounding in asides. A cozy dramatic mystery written in raw, effectual, and not-so-cozy language. I feel, I must caution you here: Dorsey’s characters are LGBTQ, real, and raw. They live that way and talk as they live. This is the mark of a writer who understands that most of the world doesn’t live in a hallmark card.
Our female hero, her cat Bunnywit, who she affectionately calls F*wit, her lesbian lover, and her diverse crew, are extraordinarily unique characters. This, in and of itself, calls to me. Denis (one of my favourites) is a gay crisis worker and our hero’s best friend. He calls on her for help when his friend Hep—she’s Hep because of her uncanny resemblance to Katherine Hepburn—Hep’s granddaughter gets murdered. If you don’t know who Katherine Hepburn is, I suggest you google her as our hero recommends, or watch an old movie called The African Queen—or at the very least, google images of the movie—to get a picture of what Hep may be like except for her white spiky brush cut. Katherine Hepburn would never go for that; then again, she might if she were alive today.
Maddy—full name, Madeline Pritchard—goes by the same name as her grandmother, and is a prostitute with a drug problem, so Hep assumes the police won’t care much about her murder. Denis does though, and knows our unnamed hero, a “downsized social worker” who got locked up at age fifteen and is considering becoming a prostitute herself in order to pay her bills, will too. And so the story begins with our hero drafting personal ads to sell herself as a pansexual play-toy for hire.
Denis dresses our hero up to resemble Maddy in her hooker boots, and she and Maddy’s girlfriend, Vicki cruise the streets searching for clues. During her perambulation, our unnamed detective meets a homeless Asian woman in the subway named Jian who knows Maddy and recognizes the boots. (The thigh-high boots are a recurring motif as Bunnywit falls in love with them. Cats!) When she invites Jian home for a meal and a bath, the two quickly become lovers.
Other characters of interest are Roger, a homicide detective and one of the hero’s ex-lovers. And the hero’s Christian cousin, Thelma. The Christian question dominates the story as Thelma’s church supports a group of skinheads called “Soul Patrol” who use their placard as a crowbar to beat up gays and anyone else who gets in their way. Our hero, who provides footnotes, for the proper terminology to describe her gender identity—bisexual, ambisexual, pansexual—is targeted by this Christian hate group and suffers at least one major beating that lands her in the hospital.
Dorsey subtitles her work a “postmodern mystery, by the numbers” which, in and of itself, requires a professor to unravel and a whole lot of philosophical jargon which I’m not prepared to tackle. Suffice to say, the “postmodern” phenomenon grants Dorsey a license to run amok with language, style, and social morality. I say, “Yay, Dorsey.” Her narrative is structured in short, numbered, and wittily titled scenes with footnotes and casual asides. Moreover, her narrative flips at her discretion between first, second, and third points-of-view. Please don’t be put off by this. Dorsey explains as she does it, and you never feel like you’re not a crucial part of this narrative. In first-person the private detective tells her own story. In third-person she narrates the actions of others because she’s not there and can’t share their experiences. And, in second-person, she speaks directly to the reader about the writing process. “We put in what’s necessary to build character, create mood, and advance action” and leave things out that are boring “habitual actions.” Dorsey promises never to knowingly fool the reader by “withholding clues” and admits she hates those “Jeffrey Archer twist-in-the-tale things.”
To solve Maddy’s murder, our hero’s crew visit some unusual locations. The night of her murder, Maddy was seen with two nasty looking characters and a very tall and memorable drag queen who the crew think might be responsible for the young woman’s murder. Denis, Hep, our hero, and her lover, Jian, dress up and cruise the clubs searching for this enchanting being.
If you’re looking to cruise with a Canadian Lisbeth Salander (think Dragon Tattoo) you may discover that Isabel’s Adventures work for you. Our hero triumphs over every evil thrown at her as does the unflappable Isabel. She’s not only our postmodern poster woman, she turns the tables on evil and is a necessary hurrah in our chaotic world. Oh, and did I mention, she’s Canadian, as is the city where the story is set?
Published by ECW Press, October 2020 #ExceptionalCanadianWriting
*As reviewed on the Ottawa Review of Books, October 2020
We often hear of English historical exploits but less often from the cultures overtaken. Spirit Sight opens a unique and colorful window into Wales 1282—a historic moment when Edward Longshanks, the English king is bent on destroying the Cymry (the Welsh) and taking control of their land. Powell’s sensory description takes us there and keeps us there with emotional moments, adventure, romance, and an interweaving of history and imagination. Though marketed for young adults—as is the case with all excellent YA fiction—it will be of interest to an adult audience too. And the cover is beautiful.
The first book in the “Last of the Gifted” series, the tale is told by dualing teen protagonists—Hyw (16) and Catrin (14)—a brother and sister separated by war for much of the book. These two are the “last of the gifted” as both have supernatural powers. Hwy’s ability to merge his spirit with animals and birds makes him both a horse whisperer and a unique spy for the Cymry. As a hawk, Hwy is able to gain insights and strategies unknown to others. Inherited gifts from the maternal line, Hwy’s Uncle Gawain, has a similar ability with horses. At first, Hyw only sees through the hawk’s eyes, but as his gift develops he is able to physically shift with a “grinding of bone on bone” and transform physically.
Cat is a clairvoyant who is able to see the future in a drop of water. Her alarming psychic visions speak of the genocide of her people. A strong rebel warrior in the making, she gathers her girlfriends together to dress as boys and learn to fight outside the castle gates. Together, this brother and sister hold the key to squelching this impending terror. Their interweaving stories are colorful, emotional, and riveting and we want to see more of them.
These are the days when the Prince of Wales was a true Prince of Wales. Llewelyn ap Gruffydd united the country and was given that title in 1267, though Edward, the English king, continued to terrorize the Welsh people and castles. In 1282, Llewelyn’s younger brother, Dafydd, fought back and his attack escalated into a war. With plenty of action, we see Arthurian shades in the characters, culture, and quests.
In an initial heartbreaking scene, Llewelyn is executed on the battle field. Hyw runs to him and while staring eye to eye in a last breath, the prince’s spirit merges with the boy. And so, we share both points-of-view throughout the tale. This “circle of three” forms a powerful union to fight against the invading English.
Marie Powell is a professional writer, editor, and journalist with a long list of published books for children and young adults. Well researched and beautifully written, Powell keeps us riveted with this, her debut historical fantasy. History and magic are intertwined effortlessly to cast a spell over the reader. At the end, we are left with a castle under siege and a craving to read Book Two: Water Sight. Look for more at mariepowell.ca where you can watch a wonderful book trailer and learn more about “The Last of the Gifted” Published by Four Tails, June 2020
*As published in the Ottawa Review of Books, December 2020
With shades of Easy Rider and Bonnie and Clyde, in his latest crime novel, Dietrich Kalteis takes us on an archetypal magic flight through 1973 British Columbia. As Blake Snyder would say, it’s the Golden Fleece. Revamped and dirtied down, this “road movie” illuminates, not only the crime, but the character of the thieving protagonists.
Kalteis writes brash, raw, dirty, and gritty like no one else. So, it’s tough to have sympathy for the beautiful Bobbi Ricci, who hooked up with 60-year-old “Maddog” Palmieri or Lonzo, as the Italian crime boss likes to be called, because she likes the money and the “tough-guy routine”. To root for a character they need some redeeming qualities—Bobbi makes that hard and Lonzo makes it harder. Her descriptions of Lonzo leave us wondering if riding in the boss’s limo and high-end dining out in Vancouver is worth the price.
Apparently not. Five months in, Bobbi’s had enough of Lonzo with his “graying hair, combed in a swirl to hide the pink dome, bluish veins like a road map above his ankles, [and an] ass like a deflated tire.”
Not a woman to be trifled with (which might be one of her redeeming qualities) Bobbi plans her escape.
Enter Denny Barrenko. An American draft dodger who demonstrated against the Vietnam War then flew north, he landed in Vancouver and worked for a time as Lonzo’s limo driver—which is where he first saw Bobbi in the rear view mirror. Then Lonzo fired him and ripped him off. Seeking retribution, Denny breaks into Lonzo’s place in the midst of Bobbi’s escape. She catches him and forces him to help her run with two of Lonzo’s Gucci bags containing half-a-million dollars in secret cash. Bobbi’s drugged Lonzo and just to add insult to injury, they take his caddy. And so, fifty pages in, the magic flight begins.
None too smart and driven by emotion, Bobbi calls Lonzo from a pay phone in Squamish to gloat and get the last word—a mistake that gets assassin, Lee Trane on their tail.
A hair-raising escapade fueled by impulsive choices, this page-turner kept me up most of the night. I love any kind of road story, especially one that comes with down-and-dirty drama, a trail of stolen vehicles, a police chase, devious underdogs, and a map: Vancouver, Squamish, Whistler, Lillooet, Smithers, Ripley, and eventually, Killick, Alaska. It also comes with a fabulous 1970s soundtrack, all the details of the decade, and masterful descriptions, all in Kalteis’s casually clipped style.
I’ll leave you to discover for yourself what the title alludes to. Where’s The Cradle of the Deep? Do Bobbi and Denny get caught or do they escape the police, the assassin, and others they’ve met along the way? Does their relationship grow into anything more than mutual Lonzo-haters and escapees? And the half-a-million dollar question—what happened to the cash?
Watching this clip makes me tear up. This is what happens when you write a man’s story and spend years researching and getting to know him. Falling in love with your characters is something we all hope to do.
In To Kill a King, I tell the story of Old Croghan Man and the witches who travel back in time to Iron Age Ireland to save their friend, archaeologist Sorcha O’Hallorhan.
“Her fingers flew to the butterfly tattooed on the back of her neck. Her friend, Yasaman, had designed it for her when she finished grad school. It was her symbol of freedom. Sorcha never wanted to be a professor bound to lecture halls—all she ever craved were the wild places and their stories. Now she was deep inside Ruairí’s story. Sometimes the butterfly brought her joy; other times, inspiration . . . but always a sense of hope. And she needed all three in this moment for her heart was breaking to see her man so broken.”
Sorcha just wanted to warn Ruairí of his fate until she saw him and fell in love. How could she leave him to be ritually murdered and cast in a bog to cure for two thousand years?
Though he’s lost and grieving the loss of his lover, when Estrada realizes his fiery friend, Sorcha O’Hallorhan, is trapped in Iron Age Ireland, he demands that Cernunnos take him and Dylan back through time to rescue her. The Horned God obliges but states the rules: you cannot change history or develop bonds with anyone. How can Sorcha, the spirited archaeologist, survive this prehistoric warrior culture? Assuming she’s fey, Ruairí’s unscrupulous rival wants her power; but worse still, Ruairí’s lover, the wicked Crow Queen, wants her dead.
Can Estrada use his Wiccan powers and magician’s skills to defeat these Iron Age Druids and bring his friends home without changing history?
A spin-off of To Sleep with Stones, Book Four tells the story of archaeologist Sorcha O’Hallorhan’s deepest desire. Watch for this romantic, time-traveling, prehistoric thriller today and find out what it takes To Kill a King.
COMING MARCH 21, 2021!
#time-travel romance #Irish historical romance #historical fantasy thriller
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