‘Black Witch Moon’ by Colin Garrow is a horror blended with historical fiction. A novella that is set in a London of 1625 and it centres on Lizzie Pickin and whether she is a witch or not. I have read Colin Garrow’s work before and have loved every minute, so I jumped at the chance to read this horror in a historical setting, a perfect mix of genre’s for me.
The first book in a series so I am looking forward to the next one I enjoyed it that much. We see Lizzie Pickin being put to death for being a witch. Being the 1700’s witchcraft was the scourge for everyone and anything out of the ordinary was met with the noose. Dr Winter is the doctor for Bethlem Asylum witnesses Lizzie’s death and finds himself wondering if she has been wrongfully accused. His feeling is so strong he begins to investigate everything around the accusation and resulting execution. He really feels she may have been innocent as he digs for the information needed.
A small story with so much packed into it. The 1700s are brought to life vividly by Colin Garrow’s detailed descriptions of everything. The fact that during that time witnesses weren’t the most reliable. Everyone had their reasons for their accusations, some it was fear, others it was just to shift blame or take the spotlight off them and their activities. There were always ones who made money out of it also. No one cared enough to bother about accusing people and putting them to their death.
The narrative keeps you guessing all the way as to what the real truth is. Is Lizzie innocent? Or is she a real witch who has the powers of magic after her death? I found Dr Winter pretty interesting. His feelings of guilt at being involved with Lizzie’s demise was something I am sure plenty of practitioners felt in varying degrees back then.
A novella that put me on edge right to the end. It made me feel sad about the women put to death in those times due to superstition and wonder about what the truth was in this story.
A great historical horror story that I would recommend.
Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and Colin Garrow for my gifted copy of the book
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