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Le Grimoire
Jane Stanton Hitchcock's second novel is a chilling and unpredictable story in which the powers of darkness and pathology lurk just beneath the surface of modern life. Her first novel, Trick of the Eye, was nominated for both the Edgar Award and the Hammett Prize for "best first mystery novel." Now Hitchcock practices her narrative skills even more convincingly in this sinister thriller about a vulnerable young woman drawn deep into a web of evil who must unravel the coils of her own sexual identity and womanhood. Beatrice O'Connell's orderly life is shattered when her father, a gentle man preoccupied with rare-book collecting, is viciously murdered. Discovered missing from his library is a seemingly harmless fifteenth-century grimoire - a manual of black magic or, as some would believe, the "work of the Devil." What is the secret of this apparently unprepossessing volume that powerful people are prepared to risk so much to possess? Does it contain a demonic spell? Or is the map for a hidden treasure buried within its timeworn pages? And so what begins with the casual acceptance of a book of black magic with obscene illustrations ends with the discovery of a vast contemporary witch-hunt. With the help of a chain-smoking occultist, a libidinous social worker in Spanish Harlem, and a remorseful ex-husband, Beatrice struggles to piece together the puzzle...in Oklahoma, where the book first surfaced; in upstate New York, home of an enormously wealthy foundation with strong ties to the Church; in London, where the daughter of a Nazi official sheds light on one corner of the dark Nazi past; in Italy, where a demented former Vatican official forces Beatrice to pay an uncompromisingly high price for a vital piece of the puzzle. And finally in Switzerland, where she must confront evil incarnate in the most direct way imaginable. Exposing evil that is at once centuries old and efficiently modern, and probing the dark paths of sexuality and madness, Jane Stanton Hitchcock
380 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
34 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
Jane Stanton Hitchcock
14 books222 followersJane Stanton Hitchcock was an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. She wrote several plays but is known mostly for her mystery novels Trick of the Eye, The Witches' Hammer, Social Crimes, One Dangerous Lady, Mortal Friends, and Bluff, which was the winner of the 2019 Hammett Prize. Hitchcock also wrote the screenplays for Our Time and First Love.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
June 25, 2008
The lesson I learned from reading The Witches' Hammer is this: just because it says 'Hitchcock' on the cover, no matter how much I may want it to, this does not mean I'm about to read a deliciously complicated mystery worthy of old Alfred. And this is my own damn fault, because a big part of why I bought this book is because the name 'Hitchcock' grabbed me. Sure, not Alfred. But once the name got my attention, I read the blurb and saw a review snippet that called the thing 'elegant', so I thought, okay, I'll give this a shot.
On the surface, the core of the plot is sound. We've got a youngish heroine whose book collector father is murdered when he acquires a notorious grimoire, and the blurb promises intrigue as she and her ex-husband and an occultist book collector track down what the deal is with this grimoire. We've got the obligatory Secret Society that's an offshoot of fundamentalist Catholicism. We've got the heroine wandering all over the world as she tries to put all the pieces together.
But here's where the book falls down: the vast majority of it is just people talking to one another. There's hardly any interesting action, and most of this is at the end, far too late to keep me from wishing that the characters would stop yapping to one another and get into a good ol' fashioned shootout or car chase or brawl in a dark alley.
Right in the wake of this is the other issue I have with this novel, which is to say, a lot of the aforementioned character dialogue is caught up with gender politics--as personified by the heroine and her ex-husband sniping at one another about how "you guys want this" and "you gals feel that". This got pretty tiresome to read after a while, and wasn't helped much by the description of how the grimoire equated women with evil, ravening succubi. Don't get me wrong, this is potentially powerful stuff to write about; for me as a reader, though, this particular story didn't handle it well. It came across more heavy-handed to me than anything else.
Now, all this said, I should also give this book credit for doing a few unusual things. It is unabashed in giving us a heroine who plain flat out does not care for sex, and the experiences she has towards the beginning of the plot don't particularly resolve this question for her. Neither do either of the main male characters, which surprised me, and which I rather respect--"I don't know if I like sex, but I certainly didn't like it with you" is a refreshing attitude to see in a novel. I was also rather startled by the final fates of the main characters, on which I won't elaborate here, since that involves spoilers.
All in all this was ultimately unsatisfying to me, though there's enough here that it could work for a different reader. For me, two and a half stars.
On the surface, the core of the plot is sound. We've got a youngish heroine whose book collector father is murdered when he acquires a notorious grimoire, and the blurb promises intrigue as she and her ex-husband and an occultist book collector track down what the deal is with this grimoire. We've got the obligatory Secret Society that's an offshoot of fundamentalist Catholicism. We've got the heroine wandering all over the world as she tries to put all the pieces together.
But here's where the book falls down: the vast majority of it is just people talking to one another. There's hardly any interesting action, and most of this is at the end, far too late to keep me from wishing that the characters would stop yapping to one another and get into a good ol' fashioned shootout or car chase or brawl in a dark alley.
Right in the wake of this is the other issue I have with this novel, which is to say, a lot of the aforementioned character dialogue is caught up with gender politics--as personified by the heroine and her ex-husband sniping at one another about how "you guys want this" and "you gals feel that". This got pretty tiresome to read after a while, and wasn't helped much by the description of how the grimoire equated women with evil, ravening succubi. Don't get me wrong, this is potentially powerful stuff to write about; for me as a reader, though, this particular story didn't handle it well. It came across more heavy-handed to me than anything else.
Now, all this said, I should also give this book credit for doing a few unusual things. It is unabashed in giving us a heroine who plain flat out does not care for sex, and the experiences she has towards the beginning of the plot don't particularly resolve this question for her. Neither do either of the main male characters, which surprised me, and which I rather respect--"I don't know if I like sex, but I certainly didn't like it with you" is a refreshing attitude to see in a novel. I was also rather startled by the final fates of the main characters, on which I won't elaborate here, since that involves spoilers.
All in all this was ultimately unsatisfying to me, though there's enough here that it could work for a different reader. For me, two and a half stars.
June 14, 2016
Was eine spannende Geschichte über Hexenverfolgung und ein kostbares altes Buch über schwarze Magie sein könnte, entwickelt sich von Seite zu Seite zu einem dümmlichen Plot. Um der Bibliophilen-Geschichte den nötigen Kick zu verleihen, lässt die Autorin ihre Heldin einen sexuellen Selbstfindungstrip durchleben, bei dem sie sie mit verschiedenen Männer ihre verschiedenen, unter anderen sadomasochistischen Bedürfnisse ausleben lässt (damit es am Ende ein Happy End geben kann, verlieren ihre Verehrer bis auf einen im weiteren Verlauf ihr Leben). Um den unglaubhaften Charaktere Tiefe zu verleihen, lässt sie sie Dialoge führen, die plumper nicht sein könnten und von Plattitüden über Feminismus, Sexualität, Geschlechterpsychologie und Kirche nur so strotzen. Fazit: Zeitverschwendung.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2018
3.5 *
I bought this book at a fair for low-priced books and was in fact attracted by the famous Hitchcock name, only to find out at home that I had let myself be deluded and had picked a book by a different Hitchcock. The story as such is OK and I liked the sequences where the main character travelled around the world in search of the murderer of her father. Some interesting historical facts about witch haunts and the inquisition are interwoven with the story. The pace is rather slow in the first half of the book, to accelerate in the second half where it becomes more tensive. The last chapter could have been further elaborated and I found the ending, while appearing to be very promising, a bit inelaborate.
I bought this book at a fair for low-priced books and was in fact attracted by the famous Hitchcock name, only to find out at home that I had let myself be deluded and had picked a book by a different Hitchcock. The story as such is OK and I liked the sequences where the main character travelled around the world in search of the murderer of her father. Some interesting historical facts about witch haunts and the inquisition are interwoven with the story. The pace is rather slow in the first half of the book, to accelerate in the second half where it becomes more tensive. The last chapter could have been further elaborated and I found the ending, while appearing to be very promising, a bit inelaborate.
July 30, 2012
I found this a very unusual, confounding, but ultimately quite enjoyable read.
The book starts out well, with the murder of the the father of the main character - Beatrice [that's not a spoiler - it's noted right in the book's jacket] setting off a chain of ominous and exciting events that turn her previously safe and uneventful life completely upside down, and start her on a hunt for not only the murderer, but the answer to what is behind the book she believes is at the heart of these shocking events.
The supporting characters are well-written. They are interesting and clever, but you can't tell who is a "good" or "bad" person, and trying to decide who to trust and how much with the various people Beatrice becomes involved with as she doggedly investigates her father's murder is a good and interesting aspect that adds to the book substantially.
A caveat - at about the mid-point of the book, the author throws in a bit of feminist rhetoric and some rather overblown diatribes that Beatrice says and thinks. This section, although marginally related to the ultimate conclusion of the plot, stops the momentum of the story almost cold. I found myself wondering whether it was even worthwhile to continue reading because that had no interest for me at all. Let me encourage you to push past this!
This section doesn't go on all that long, and the author does get back to the hunt for the murderer and the solution to what's really going on, and I promise you - the ending is MORE than worth the wait!!
The last third or so of the book is a complete balls-to-the-wall thrill ride that is full of suspense and clever twists that will keep you pinned to your chair until the very end. Trust me on this - get a drink refill and go to the bathroom before you start reading chapter 19, because from that point to the last page, you won't want to put the book down - at least, I couldn't!
The book starts out well, with the murder of the the father of the main character - Beatrice [that's not a spoiler - it's noted right in the book's jacket] setting off a chain of ominous and exciting events that turn her previously safe and uneventful life completely upside down, and start her on a hunt for not only the murderer, but the answer to what is behind the book she believes is at the heart of these shocking events.
The supporting characters are well-written. They are interesting and clever, but you can't tell who is a "good" or "bad" person, and trying to decide who to trust and how much with the various people Beatrice becomes involved with as she doggedly investigates her father's murder is a good and interesting aspect that adds to the book substantially.
A caveat - at about the mid-point of the book, the author throws in a bit of feminist rhetoric and some rather overblown diatribes that Beatrice says and thinks. This section, although marginally related to the ultimate conclusion of the plot, stops the momentum of the story almost cold. I found myself wondering whether it was even worthwhile to continue reading because that had no interest for me at all. Let me encourage you to push past this!
This section doesn't go on all that long, and the author does get back to the hunt for the murderer and the solution to what's really going on, and I promise you - the ending is MORE than worth the wait!!
The last third or so of the book is a complete balls-to-the-wall thrill ride that is full of suspense and clever twists that will keep you pinned to your chair until the very end. Trust me on this - get a drink refill and go to the bathroom before you start reading chapter 19, because from that point to the last page, you won't want to put the book down - at least, I couldn't!
February 2, 2019
So far I have read several books by Jane Stanton Hitchcock and enjoyed all of them "The Witches' Hammer" is totally different from the others I have read. It's tells a fascinating tale but felt more like a conspiracy theory involving ancient books used by a fanatical Vatican splinter group. Not really the type of story I am used to reading, although definitely well written with many plot twists and turns.
September 22, 2014
The only reason I finished it is because I did not want to let the $7 or so I paid on Kindle go to waste - but it would have been wiser to just toss the book and say good bye to the money. What a horrible read! While easy to read in terms of language and writing style (which helped me to quickly skip across pages after the first half or so, the only way I could handle this!), the content was so ridiculous (what did I expect from a book with that title?), far fetched, silly, cliche, and, at times, horrifying and kinky in the worst way (I have read very good books with horrifying, even kinky, content), that it made me cringe and despise the book. Well, even the language sometimes made me cringe due to its overused cliched phrases and platitudes. Yes, the writing had flow, and some short stretches showed Stanton's usual skills, but the whole thing sounded like a teenager was trying to put together some terribly simple minded sex/witchcraft story, trying to make it sound grander by throwing historic elements in, as well as some "erotic" scenes (they were anything but....) without ever getting to understand the characters and their dynamics. It was like a kindergartner's painting by number with shock value thrown in. Even though there seemed to be some historic research behind it, the implementation of the historic, factual knowledge failed completely. The characters were so predictable, one dimensional,clunky and super cliched, I hated all of them, not just the obvious villains. I am not a reader who has to "like" the characters, i.e., I find the unlikeable ones often the most intriguing, if they have depth and seem complex and real. These don't, whatsoever, on any level, in any shape or form.
I have read three other "social crime" novels by the author, which I enjoyed very much, so I was simply curious how this would turn out. I can't help but think Stanton Hitchcock was just "playing around" with this book, writing it on a whim, as an experiment, to make fun of this genre? Or did she really try to produce a story about a woman and her "erotic discovery", as so many reviews seem to point out? I don't know. One thing is certain: The write-ups on this book which frequently mention the erotic aspect of it either haven't read it, or haven't read any good erotic novels. If being forced to spank an old geezer's bare bottom in a witch cellar is your kind of erotic discovery, be my guest, read the book.
In any case, the attempt failed. It should have never been published, but rather been hidden at the deepest depths of the lowest drawer where failed attempts at novels find their eternal resting place. If this were a movie, it would be a B movie of the lowest quality. In fact, reading it felt like watching the worst sort of B movie.
I have read three other "social crime" novels by the author, which I enjoyed very much, so I was simply curious how this would turn out. I can't help but think Stanton Hitchcock was just "playing around" with this book, writing it on a whim, as an experiment, to make fun of this genre? Or did she really try to produce a story about a woman and her "erotic discovery", as so many reviews seem to point out? I don't know. One thing is certain: The write-ups on this book which frequently mention the erotic aspect of it either haven't read it, or haven't read any good erotic novels. If being forced to spank an old geezer's bare bottom in a witch cellar is your kind of erotic discovery, be my guest, read the book.
In any case, the attempt failed. It should have never been published, but rather been hidden at the deepest depths of the lowest drawer where failed attempts at novels find their eternal resting place. If this were a movie, it would be a B movie of the lowest quality. In fact, reading it felt like watching the worst sort of B movie.
April 23, 2009
Periodically, I'll read books solely because the title grabs me. Case in point: "The Witches' Hammer". As it turns out, the book is a mystery in the Knights Templar/church mythology genre, which was a pleasant surprise.
I wish I could say the same after having read the book.
The premise of the book - 35 year old divorcee discovers her father's murder is tied to a grimoire that he recently acquired, and goes on a quest to avenge his death, discovering church intrigue and pagan knowledge along the way.
While the historical mystery sections flowed smoothly, and Hitchcock obviously did an immense amount of research on the subject (on a complete side note: "Malleus Maleficarum", or "The Witches' Hammer was the title of a Season 3 "Supernatural" episode) - it als, there's a subplot regarding the protagonist, Beatrice O'Connell, and her sexual awakening that's just...bad.
Every time I read a sex scene, I mentally detached from the book, scratching my head at the appalling metaphors.
Yeah, even after typing it out, it still sounds clunky, which is a shame, considering the premise of the book is pretty cool.
I wish I could say the same after having read the book.
The premise of the book - 35 year old divorcee discovers her father's murder is tied to a grimoire that he recently acquired, and goes on a quest to avenge his death, discovering church intrigue and pagan knowledge along the way.
While the historical mystery sections flowed smoothly, and Hitchcock obviously did an immense amount of research on the subject (on a complete side note: "Malleus Maleficarum", or "The Witches' Hammer was the title of a Season 3 "Supernatural" episode) - it als, there's a subplot regarding the protagonist, Beatrice O'Connell, and her sexual awakening that's just...bad.
Every time I read a sex scene, I mentally detached from the book, scratching my head at the appalling metaphors.
Embarrassed by the memory of her own passion, Beatrice started to put on her sweater. Diaz tried to help her, but she pulled away....
"Are you okay?" he said.
"I don't know," she answered in a barely audible voice.
"You haven't done anything wrong."
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Why do I feel as if I have?"
"Because you've just met your wolf," Diaz said, putting his arms around her. "And you don't know her well yet. She frightens you."
"That wasn't me."
"It's part of you."
Beatrice's mouth was quivering. She didn't want him to see her cry. "Can I blame my wolf?" she asked.
"If you like. But she's nothing to be ashamed of."
"I am ashamed." She started to weep. "I'm so ashamed."
"Don't be," Diaz said, kissing her tears away.
"You don't understand. It's not just about me."
"Who is it about?"
"My father. I've been a fool, Luis - such a fool."
"No. You've only been asleep. And now Sleeping Beauty has awakened. And she's a wolf. There's no going back."
Yeah, even after typing it out, it still sounds clunky, which is a shame, considering the premise of the book is pretty cool.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2007
Not the best book I've read, but engaging. I reacted to this the same way I did to DAVINCI CODE--not the most technically strong book with many flaws (1D and 2D characters, "coinky-dinks" up the wazoo, serious suspension of disbelief moments, etc.) but it kept me turning the pages through to the end. It'd be a good read for fans of DAVINCI CODE, though this one deals with a medieval grimoire linked to the Malleus Maleficarum and the witchhunts of the Inquisition. It's also got a lot more sex scenes than the cover text ever hinted at (I bought the book as a bibliomystery and read it to get me thinking on contemporary book-collector-driven fiction.). Still, a fun book and an alleged "feminist thriller" from 1994 (as noted on Amazon) that deserves a 2.5 star out of 5 ranking. If I were blurbing this, it'd be "DaVinci Code for the View."
February 6, 2016
I liked this book but didn't quite follow the whole feminism thing going on. The story revolves around Beatrice, whose father is murdered when he receives a grimoire from a patient. Beatrice must then find her father's murderer and avenge him. It is an interesting story but weird to read how the author feels that all women are still prejudiced against due to the medieval book The Witches' Hammer.
August 25, 2022
Witchcraft, feminism, sex, misogyny, and religion would have been great as it’s own plot. IF this book focused on that, there was a lot of potential.
Murder, Catholic underground cult, money chasing, traveling to find answers for your father, that’s a GREAT story too.
There are good plot points in this book, and the themes here can work together in harmony. For me, the story didn’t work well together.
Murder, Catholic underground cult, money chasing, traveling to find answers for your father, that’s a GREAT story too.
There are good plot points in this book, and the themes here can work together in harmony. For me, the story didn’t work well together.
May 7, 2020
The weirdly graphic sexual subplot didn’t add as much as the weirdness of it took away, and the denouement was rushed compared to the slog that was the rest of the book.
March 5, 2023
The Witches' Hammer was an interesting feminist heroine-action thriller-meets-conspiracy theory secret society story. It delivered Jane Staton Hitchcock's trademark twists and turns, and the ending was a wild ride with lots of surprises and unexpected events. It centers around the journey Beatrice O'Connell takes in avenging her father's death, as she discovers it was a secret society of misogynist-witchburning throwbacks called the Defensores Fidei. They are modern men inspired by Medieval-age texts on pro-monarchism and deep religious-based misogyny. Their secret society finds its way to Beatrice O'Connell's father, who they kill in their campaign to retrieve their sanctified book, the Malleus Maleficarum (it is a real book), when he wouldn't sell it to them.
Beatrice has meeting after meeting with people who reveal more details on her father's book collection and the networks he had in the book collector's business. Although a story centered on book collectors and academics would normally be dry and uneventful, Hitchcock infuses some father-daughter drama and sexuality into the mix. It was not as exciting as her other novels, and the book hits a wall many times from the extensive feminist dialogue Beatrice has with her ex-husband Stephen and with the other men she encounters.
Overall, the mystery of who kills her father unravels, and she serves as the heroine of the day, slaying the evil-doers and making off with their money. I didn't find much satisfaction in the ending, where she survives but her ex-husband doesn't, and there isn't much of a happy ending. In typical Jane Stanton Hitchcock fashion, there is a large amount of money to be made at the end, but the idea that Beatrice would just get off taking millions from a powerful secret society just seems unplausible, even by her standards. I found the deep repentance her ex-husband gives her, time and again, with no sense of reciprocity from Beatrice, also was a major upset. He cheated on her once, they divorced, and even as she cheats on him, and learns that her father did the same to her mother, her heart still is closed off. This was a major blunder in the plotlines, because so many characters speak with Beatrice about the nature of men's versus women's sexuality, and it feels like it was all for naught. Why moralize and sermonize about the subject when no one changes their mind and doesn't matter by story's end? Is Beatrice so jaded and heavy-handed that she can't forgive and move on?
It was a downer to read this book to the end. The Defensores Fidei was contrived as a part-Nazi art looting, part-Traditionalist Catholic secret society could make for a good series. It's a very creative idea with a lot of potential.
3 STARS, although this was not Jane Stanton Hitchcock's best novel by a long shot - I recommend Social Crimes, it follows the same storytelling style but it's a far better story.
Beatrice has meeting after meeting with people who reveal more details on her father's book collection and the networks he had in the book collector's business. Although a story centered on book collectors and academics would normally be dry and uneventful, Hitchcock infuses some father-daughter drama and sexuality into the mix. It was not as exciting as her other novels, and the book hits a wall many times from the extensive feminist dialogue Beatrice has with her ex-husband Stephen and with the other men she encounters.
Overall, the mystery of who kills her father unravels, and she serves as the heroine of the day, slaying the evil-doers and making off with their money. I didn't find much satisfaction in the ending, where she survives but her ex-husband doesn't, and there isn't much of a happy ending. In typical Jane Stanton Hitchcock fashion, there is a large amount of money to be made at the end, but the idea that Beatrice would just get off taking millions from a powerful secret society just seems unplausible, even by her standards. I found the deep repentance her ex-husband gives her, time and again, with no sense of reciprocity from Beatrice, also was a major upset. He cheated on her once, they divorced, and even as she cheats on him, and learns that her father did the same to her mother, her heart still is closed off. This was a major blunder in the plotlines, because so many characters speak with Beatrice about the nature of men's versus women's sexuality, and it feels like it was all for naught. Why moralize and sermonize about the subject when no one changes their mind and doesn't matter by story's end? Is Beatrice so jaded and heavy-handed that she can't forgive and move on?
It was a downer to read this book to the end. The Defensores Fidei was contrived as a part-Nazi art looting, part-Traditionalist Catholic secret society could make for a good series. It's a very creative idea with a lot of potential.
3 STARS, although this was not Jane Stanton Hitchcock's best novel by a long shot - I recommend Social Crimes, it follows the same storytelling style but it's a far better story.
August 29, 2025
I know this was written in 1994, but that's no excuse for the rapey vibe (especially if you buy that the magic in this story is real in the context of the story) or the all but ringing endorsement for cheating. But that's what you get when you have the attitude that people are incapable of repressing sexual attraction. I don't buy it and I am giving one star to every book I read that does this as it reduces people to little more than automatons that are slaves to their sexual urges and removes agency. Nobody, regardless of gender, of sound mind is incapable of saying no to those urges. I'm really quite tired of reading that garbage. Do people allow sex to happen when they don't want to have it? Of course they do, but reinforcing the narrative that people don't have a choice is fucking abhorrent.
August 27, 2019
I loved Bluff, so I thought I'd try another book by Jane Stanton Hitchcock. The Witches' Hammer was written 25 years ago, and her writing and plotting has improved a great deal since then (Bluff is a much better book).
I thought it was interesting that she found much of the same information that was used almost 10 years later in The Da Vinci Code. Hitchcock's writing style is better than Dan Brown's, but he was better at moving his plot forward quickly.
While I love the plot idea that finding a single book that can trigger multiple murders, there was way too much talking among the characters and not enough action until the second half of the book.
Even though it was slow paced, I was intrigued by the complex story and would recommend it.
I thought it was interesting that she found much of the same information that was used almost 10 years later in The Da Vinci Code. Hitchcock's writing style is better than Dan Brown's, but he was better at moving his plot forward quickly.
While I love the plot idea that finding a single book that can trigger multiple murders, there was way too much talking among the characters and not enough action until the second half of the book.
Even though it was slow paced, I was intrigued by the complex story and would recommend it.
March 7, 2017
Addictive fun
I chose this book hoping for one thing but was treated to another. Five stars because it kept me hooked and ended up a "one sitting" read. (I love it when that happens!!)
Were there moments of suspending my realistic beliefs, yes. Were there some moments of "how many lives does this kitty (woman) have?", yes. But don't you see?? Thats the fun of fiction for me. I get to check out of my world and into the authors.
My only real disappointment was the story finished. Fun ride on a day off.
I chose this book hoping for one thing but was treated to another. Five stars because it kept me hooked and ended up a "one sitting" read. (I love it when that happens!!)
Were there moments of suspending my realistic beliefs, yes. Were there some moments of "how many lives does this kitty (woman) have?", yes. But don't you see?? Thats the fun of fiction for me. I get to check out of my world and into the authors.
My only real disappointment was the story finished. Fun ride on a day off.
April 18, 2021
I find the story interesting, it's hard to put the book down. I only gave it four stars because I think the ending could have been better. Sure, the ending is interesting, but maybe it ended too soon. As the story slowly unfolds at the beginning, the ending is somehow killed by a quick conclusion. The subject matter is also interesting, as the story could be true. I picked up the book by accident, I read it in a week so that when I was working I could only wonder when I could find the time to read it further.
August 8, 2024
C'est un livre intéressant pour ses réflexions féministes au sujet de la sorcellerie et de la manière dont les femmes sont perçues par la religion et les extrémistes. Néanmoins je déplore que l'histoire ait voulu se concentrer sur trop de thèmes, notamment celui de l'amour et de la sexualité libre qui est survolé sans être approfondi. On ne ressent pas vraiment la menace de la société secrète avant la fin, rendant l'action peu présente malgré un scénario qui s'y prêtait. Néanmoins l'histoire était divertissante.
October 30, 2019
Brilliant !!
Ms. Hitchcock writes the most interesting, complex and intriguing stories. The Witches Hammer is a great example and will grab a hold and take you on a wild ride. Her descriptions and character development are superb and story line fascinating. If you haven't enjoyed her books in the past, I would encourage you to look her up. I can't wait for more.
Ms. Hitchcock writes the most interesting, complex and intriguing stories. The Witches Hammer is a great example and will grab a hold and take you on a wild ride. Her descriptions and character development are superb and story line fascinating. If you haven't enjoyed her books in the past, I would encourage you to look her up. I can't wait for more.
March 30, 2023
Dreadful The plot that we have all read many times and there was not one iota of change. Nothing new or exciting, but predictable, trite, boring. If I could give it a half-star, I would. I must admit I skim-read it once I decided it was the same old same old. The ending was predictable. Why do we women continue to write stories about stupid, vapid, weak women?
September 24, 2017
What's the deal with all the smoking references that had nothing to add to the story line??
February 2, 2019
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ It started off really strong- and then petered out like a misfired firecracker.
July 29, 2019
A bit too dark for my taste.
I can't stay that I've enjoyed reading this book. Maybe that's because I'm not in stories about witches and ancient organizations.
I can't stay that I've enjoyed reading this book. Maybe that's because I'm not in stories about witches and ancient organizations.
didnt-finish
August 6, 2019Dnf 90% dont wanna read
October 10, 2019
Listened to this book. Quite surprised I finished it.
August 4, 2020
C'est un ouvrage fort, brillant et féministe. Il se dévore.
October 16, 2020
Not impressed with writing style, dialogue, and some scenes just didn't seem to fit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2022
Love all her books. I’ve reread them all so many times. Usually every other year or so.
I wish she would write more books
I wish she would write more books
April 7, 2024
Bleh,,,could not get into it
July 8, 2025
drawn out
Good story, but really drawn out. I almost gave up on it a number of times. The ending was predictable, but satisfying.
Good story, but really drawn out. I almost gave up on it a number of times. The ending was predictable, but satisfying.
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