Scott A. Lerner - The Wiccan Witch of the Midwest - Review & Giveaway

About the Book

Samuel Roberts, a lawyer in Champaign, Illinois, has just moved to a new home to escape the memories of his old place—the stray body parts left by evil entities as well as traces of his relationship with Susan, who left him because he couldn’t stop risking both their lives trying to save the world. That leaves Sam free to fall in love again. Sam falls hard, suspiciously hard, for Bridget Gillis, a beautiful fortune teller who also happens to be a witch and a member of a coven. The village that encompasses the coven was founded by Bridget’s great-great aunt, also named Bridget and a dead ringer for her descendant. The new relationship quickly gets complicated. It is two days before Halloween, and Bridget is about to be tried by her fellow witches for the crime of practicing dark magic involving the blood of children. The punishment is to be burned at the stake. Bridget needs an advocate, and Sam is the perfect man for the job.

Sam brings in Bob, who is suspicious of his best buddy’s sudden passion. The two of them have until the Witching Hour on Halloween to clear Bridget’s name and find out who is killing the local children. As they comb the area for clues, quiz the locals, and take a crash course in witchcraft and Wiccan customs, Sam and Bob can’t shake the question: is Bridget a good witch or a bad witch?

The Wiccan Witch of the Midwest is the fourth book in the Samuel Roberts Thriller series, which began with Cocaine Zombies and continued with Ruler of Demons and The Fraternity of the Soul Eater.

My Review

Sam's father once told him: "If you're bored, go out and play." It's a little tidbit of advice he's never really forgotten, even though it's not exactly a winning strategy for a lawyer plagued by the supernatural. Based on the strange things he's encountered over the past year or so, Sam seriously doubts that he's going to live a long life, especially when twenty crows swoop down and surround him with their black-eyed stare.

After receiving such a dire omen, the message he gets from a dominatrix-like fortune teller is no less disturbing. She emphatically states that, "There are many people who are uncomfortable knowing about their destinies." But apparently Sam is not one of them. When she agrees to read his Tarot cards, she's perplexed by what she sees.

First Card
His Past
The Tower
He has seen great evil and has survived it.
Second Card
His Present
Ten of Swords
He is trapped. Evil is trying to hold him in place.
Third Card
His Future
The Devil
He is addicted to his struggle with darkness.
Fourth Card
How He Will Deal with His Future
Death
He is learning to deal with the darkness that has been haunting his past.

But for Sam, her reading raises more questions than answers. When he asks if there's anything he can do to change his fate, she responds, "We have free will, so the future is not set in stone, but it rarely changes."

Despite his trepidation, Sam finds himself insanely attracted to her. He's thinking about returning to her purple Victorian house and asking her out—until he learns that her quaint little neighborhood is what locals refer to as 'The Village of the Damned.' His lovely fortune teller is thought to be a witch, and a very powerful one at that, one accused of killing innocent children and using their blood to perform dark magic.

But Sam ignores all of the warnings, believing her to be innocent. His lawyering instincts even kick in when he agrees to defend her.

By taking on her case, Sam's motto becomes; "Life is about risks. You can't always play it safe." He puts everything on hold to work tirelessly on her behalf. Reading ancient spell books and brushing up on the basics of Wiccan philosophy, he immerses himself in the world of the occult. Yet what he finds most intriguing is the history of her sequestered community. Hidden among the cornfields of Illinois, it was meant to be a safe haven for those born with magical gifts, offering them a place of protection against the persecution of the outside world.

Yet Sam fears the threat may be coming from within when one of their own is found dead, chopped up and laid out in a refrigerated display case with price tags listed for each body part.

The gruesomeness behind such an act is not lost on Sam. The killer means to send a message—anyone who comes to the defense of the fortune teller will meet a similar fate. Sam's just hoping his seductive client really didn't kill those children, and he's not just falling under her spell.

***

The Wiccan Witch of the Midwest can be purchased at:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Formats/Prices: $4.99 ebook, $13.95 paperback
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 230
Release: October 31, 2015
Publisher: Camel Press
ISBN: 9781603812917
Click to add to your Goodreads list.


About the Author

Author and attorney Scott A. Lerner resides in Champaign, Illinois. He obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and went on to obtain his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. He is currently a sole practitioner in Champaign, Illinois. The majority of his law practice focuses on the fields of criminal law and family law. Lerner’s first novel and the first Samuel Roberts Thriller, Cocaine Zombies, won a bronze medal in the mystery/cozy/noir category of the 2013 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Awards. The second book in the series is Ruler of Demons. The Fraternity of the Soul Eater is book 3. Book 4, The Wiccan Witch of the Midwest, will be released on Halloween, 2015.

Links to connect with Scott:
Web Site
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Blog Tour Site


About the Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway