The Witches' Hammer

Another murder mystry but one that is easily read. I read one to 5 pages a night and the book is sufficiently inner-linked so as to allow reading in short sessions

Today,The DaVinci Code and Angel's & Demon's have stormed the literary scene as bestsellers. A lover of mystery thrillers based on historical facts enmeshed in conspiracy, spirituality and religious themes ... I, along with the PR hyped masses, ran to read The DaVinci Code. After reading, scratched my head and wondered what the big fuss was all about. Yes, facinating theories but explored in much more depth by other authors, read like a made for TV book, hollow characters making predictable decisions. The PR hype was way over the top; leaving my appetite unsatiated and wanting more. I first read The Witches'Hammer in 1995, my first introduction to Jane Stanton Hitchcock. I loved it then and love it now. 10 years later, rereading The Witches Hammer; I could not put the book down, even upon a second reading. It is that good! You owe it to yourself to read Jane Stanton Hitchcock's The Witches Hammer; a well written psychological - mystical thriller exploring themes of sexuality, religion, witchcraft, the physical and spiritual complexities of our human exsistence. Full of moving intrigue, a plausible storyline, realistic modern characters. Jane Stanton Hitchcock was way ahead her time and the masses in 1995 were not ready for her style of writing, depth of insight and originality in storytelling. This book would make great a movie. We deserve original stories by great storytellers. I believe Jane Stanton Hitchcock is one of those writers that has what it takes, to write a great novel of our times, transcending time and space. I urge her to step back in time, save chick lit for later (hers is good,too) ... Please treat us with another great novel similar to The Withes Hammer.

I found this book to be intriguing, this was the first book i have read of Stanton Hitchcock. the referrences to Grimoires and Santeria really appealled to me for i practice the supposed "Dark Arts" myself.

Its not easy to write a realistic thriller about witches and witchhunters set in present day New York, but Jane Stanton Hitchcock pulls it off beautifully, with humor, variety and utterly wonderful prose. The characters and their motivations are utterly believable, in fact I think I've met some of them under other names! The activities these characters engage in are something we confidently tell ourselves is a part of the dead past. The combination makes this a truly scary novel, with its reminder that while witch hunts may no longer exist outside of the pages of novels, misogyny, repressed sexuality, scapegoats and obsession with and fear of the other did not die out with the thees and thous and funny hats of Salem, but are alive and well in our own century. An excellent read.

This extraordinary book grabs you by the lapels and pulls you into a complex, mysterious dazzling story from the opening page. It shimmers with sexuality, delicious details, humor and a true understanding of what it's like to be an intelligent woman. That's the point. It's a page turner, a treasure chest of wonderful imagery, but it's also a serious book about women and their history in society. I loved every sparkling scene, every bit of perfect dialogue, every skillful twist of plot. What a writer!