In 1594 in Orkney, Scotland, Alison Balfour became the first of over 70 women to be executed on charges of witchcraft. She had been accused of assisting a man in killing his brother. C.J. Cooke, a proven master of historical and gothic horror, has written a novel that is simply ideal for the Halloween season.

THE BOOK OF WITCHING jumps between Alison’s story and a present-day narrative involving a young woman named Erin. She, along with two friends, was badly burned in a fire on an island off of Orkney. Her boyfriend, Arlo, was killed, and her best friend, Senna, is missing. Now, Erin’s mother, Clem, is sitting at her side while she is in a temporary coma, hoping to learn how a supposedly simple camping trip could have gone so tragically wrong.

"C.J. Cooke knows how to scare you, and her combination of the historical and the imagined storylines about actual witching in our world is the stuff of legend."

Alison’s story begins with a letter written from Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney, to King James VI in which he outlines his plans for dealing with witchery in his land. It is truly chilling and taken directly from the historical record. Alison lives in Fynhallow on the Isle of Gunn in Orkney with her husband and young son and daughter. A known healer and a master of potions, she is also a member of an ancient sect of conjurers known as the Triskele. As long as she can remember, she recalls being in the presence of the infamous Book of Witching, to which her mother and grandmother introduced her. In spite of all of this, Alison is an honorable woman and a doting mother who only uses her potions and talents for good.

Clem is joined shortly after the incident that befell Erin by her ex-husband, Quinn, and both are there when Erin finally wakes up from her sleep. She barely has any memory of what happened and seems confused. She also claims not to be Erin but someone named Nyx. Back in 1594, we witness a very important meeting between Alison and John Stewart, Master of Orkney. He was brought to her by Thomas Paplay, who she once had healed. Stewart is requesting magical aid in killing someone, but Alison refuses.

Father Colville is there when Alison is arrested for treason and explains that Thomas, who was tortured to death, confessed before dying that he was working with her to take Patrick’s life. She eventually will be put on trial in a case that is impossible for her to win as the religious elders of the parish attempt to rid her of the devil and all evil that is obviously inside her. With few people standing by her side, Alison is doomed to the fate that history has handed her.

In the present, Clem and Quinn seek answers about what happened to Erin and why Senna is still missing. They find notes from Erin that indicate a damaging statement: Arlo’s hands need to be bound. While Clem removes this page so the police don’t see it, she and her ex-husband decide to travel to Fynhallow to search for answers. They will come face to face with the Triskele, which Erin is now a member of, and they will get answers --- most of which are more horrifying than they ever could have imagined.

THE BOOK OF WITCHING is brilliant and mesmerizing from start to finish and contains a final act that will have readers simply riveted. C.J. Cooke knows how to scare you, and her combination of the historical and the imagined storylines about actual witching in our world is the stuff of legend. Boo!