Book Review: The Witch by Freida McFadden

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The Witch by Freida McFadden

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Rural Massachusetts, present day. Julia Barlow has lost her job and her apartment in one fell swoop, so she retreats to Pemberton, her family's centuries-old estate. She tells everyone she's there to keep an eye on her ageing grandmother. Really, she just needs somewhere to hide.

But Pemberton isn't much of a sanctuary. The grandfather clock stops at 3:41 every morning, the lights flicker, and a voice keeps crying for help outside her bedroom door, even though there's never anyone there. As Julia digs into the house's history, she uncovers the story of a woman executed for witchcraft in 1692, and a tangle of family lies that someone has worked very hard to keep buried. Because some secrets don't die. They wait.

The Witch plays with the reader's sense of the paranormal in a way that invites just one more chapter before bed or your bus stop, and keeps you guessing about Freida McFadden's intentions for Julia and Caroline, the dual POV protagonists. We get to share Julia's sense of unease as it becomes clearer how many of the new faces in her life at Pemberton have something to hide. Meanwhile, Caroline's story carries an inherent tension and foreboding from the backdrop: Massachusetts in 1692, the height of witch hunting.

Both women find themselves constantly renegotiating who to trust, including themselves, until they're confronted with the reality of the true monsters who darken their door. Pour something warm, pull the blanket up and maybe leave the hall light on: this is the perfect spooky-season read.

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In 1926, five spiritual mediums disappeared from a remote Vermont island, leaving only their dresses hanging from an oak tree. A century later, a film crew arrives to tell their story, and history starts repeating itself.

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

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Two teenage girls vanish on fireworks night in a small town where everyone thinks they know everyone, and the officer on the case has her own reasons for needing to bring them home.

One sentence that will convince you to read The Witch

A grandfather clock that stops at 3:41, a voice crying for help in the dark and two women three centuries apart: The Witch will have you sleeping with the lights on and second-guessing all the characters you trusted.

Looking for even more twisty mysteries and thrillers that you just can't put down? Check out our 10 murder mystery books that keep you guessing and 10 books that feel like The Whisper Man. And if you're looking for a different read altogether, take a look at our other articles below.