Witch Hunt: A Novel

I read a couple of reviews about the book before I got it, and bought it anyway. I found the book to be quite good. I enjoyed the characters very much, and enjoyed the dynamic between the witch and her primary pursuer. The motivation for the witch is questionable, but nonetheless, the writing made this book very readable. The ending was extremely poignant. I recommend it for a nice, just before bedtime read.

Others have compared it to "The Day of the Jackal" and I would have to agree. Not one of Rankin's "Edinburgh" series, this was originally written under a pseudonym (Jack Harvey) and is a Special Services thriller. It begins with a bang -- literally -- off the coast of England -- a mysterious woman is coming into the country, and she's not exactly arriving at Heathrow. Through the plodding work of people who read newspapers carefully, and keep records of odd things that happen, a couple of branches of counter-terrorism/counter-espionage units suspect that a well-known paid assassin -- known to be responsible for some political assassinations -- has entered the country. The assassin is known as the Witch -- and she's a beautiful woman who uses sexuality and an ability to change her appearance to her advantage. One of the people involved in the hunt is a recent retiree, who has a serious grudge against the Witch, and knows a lot about how she functions because he's been trying to catch her for so long. Several junior members of these agencies -- both British and French -- are part of the team that follow up on a number of clues that may or may not lead to the Witch. There's a big summit of world leaders in London in a few days, and everyone is anxious to catch the Witch before the conference. The action moves quickly in this procedural thriller -- you realize how little the anti-terrorist forces have to work with, and how much is a matter of perceptiveness and making the most of the little you have. This is the first of a three part series, and I intend to go on and read the next two.

Poor Mr. Crane, he owned a small yacht, needed money and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When he is offered £5000 to pick up a lone woman from another boat off the English coast and to drop her somewhere else off the coast, he agrees. The woman isn't very talkative, but she does pay the money, then she swims the last few meters to shore. Shortly thereafter, the boat explodes and it's hasta la vista Mr. Crain. The other boat explodes as well and now the infamous female assassin know as the Witch is safely and anonymously ashore in England. Or so she thinks, because unknown to her a young intelligence tech reports the loss of two boats in the same night to his boss. Six years earlier a fishing boat exploded off the coast of Japan, around the time of a peace conference, and the keynote speaker wound up dead. Intelligence agents thought the Witch had entered the country on that boat and destroyed it to cover her tracks. Today there is an international summit in the works in London and it looks like the Witch is back at work. Now the story turns into a thrilling battle of wits between Ex-Special Branch agent Dominic Elder Elder and the Witch, reminiscent of the battle between the Jackal and Commissionaire Claude Lebel in Frederick Forsyth's classic "The Day of the Jackal". I particularly liked how Elder guided the younger operatives on the hunt and you know, like in Forsyth's book, I sympathized a bit with the Witch and I knew how it had to come out, however there was a twist I didn't see coming which made the book all the more thrilling. So, even though the book originally came out a long time ago with Mr. Rankin writing under the name Jack Harvey, it seems as fresh as his latest Rebus novel, but I did sort of miss the old curmudgeon.

Ex-Special Branch agent Dominic Elder comes out of retirement to aid with the investigation of a boat explosion when it appears that his long-time nemesis, a chameleon-like assassin dubbed merely Witch, may be responsible. The fishing boat sank in the British Channel during the wee hours of the morning, and the evidence points to murder. Using the boat as transportation from France, Witch left a subtle trail to announce her arrival in England. But she also left a message --- a personal one for Elder. Bluntly, she warned him: Don't bother looking for me. You won't find me. I will find you. But that is the least of Special Branch's worries, if Elder's intuition proves correct. He has seen her work firsthand and knows her to be a truly frightening enemy, an enemy who always seems one step ahead of the authorities. Who does Witch have in her crosshairs this time? It is due to the sharp eyes of young Michael Barclay that the investigation is launched at all. His thoroughness, however, lands him in hot water with his boss, who sends him to France in Inspector Doyle's footsteps to meticulously retrace his every move. Finally understanding the need to think outside the box, Barclay uncovers a new lead --- with the help of a resourceful police escort, Dominique. Aside from her invaluable translation (his French is, at best, meager) and guidance around Paris, Michael finds her deliciously attractive. But he manages to conduct a fairly good investigation despite his growing personal interest. Back in England, Elder badly wants to capture Witch. It almost seems like a personal vendetta. In an effort to cover all bases, he takes Doyle and another inspector under his wing, realizing his own skills have softened during his years away from the game, years off after an abrupt retirement following an operation tersely referred to as Silverfish, nothing more. With the upcoming summit of world leaders to be held in London, Witch's target seems obvious. Maybe too obvious. Elder and his team follow the leads she feeds to them, but wonder whether they are gaining on her or if it's all a merry chase. WITCH HUNT is a well-paced thriller with something for everyone: drama, mystery, romance, and humor. --- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

They call her Witch because of her abilities to change her identity, "seduce" her opponents and her victims even without meeting them, and completing the kill; she is the ultimate cold blood professional assassin. This "Cassandra Chameleon" is so good at her trade, she is a legend. New Scotland Yard investigates the sinking of two ships in the same night near Folkestone and off Calais; several counterintelligence agencies worry that the incidents parallel events in other places over the past few years that culminated with assassinations. MI5 fears that the sinking is the calling card of the magical Witch in England to kill a VIP. As the cops follow clues, espionage agencies in Britain and France struggle to cooperate to stop the ingenious femme fatale assassin who obviously targets some worldly figure or why else hire the best? However this time Witch knows she must be even more cautious to avoid mistakes because besides her hefty fee this job is personal, which means emotions could hamper judgment. WITCH HUNT is an exhilarating espionage thriller that hooks the audience once the key cast is introduced and fans get over the fact that Rebus is not here. The story line moves quickly forward with several plots tied together through the Witch link in a sort of Sink the Bismarck kind of way as several groups independently give chase. Separately these various counterspy agencies and police force know they will fail, but if they can bury their jealousies and work as a team, together they might succeed; that is the timely message that Ian Rankin furbishes in his action-packed multiple perspective Sink the Witch thriller. Harriet Klausner