screenshot2 An author I’m particularly fond of suggested I might like The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and of course on his recommendation, I had to pick it up.

I’ve long been fascinated with wise women and the Salem Witch Trials, so Tom was right, this was a book that I enjoyed.

Our heroine, Connie Goodwin, is a PhD candidate determined to complete her doctorate in history.  At the behest of her mother, she agrees to sort out her grandmother’s house, readying it for sale.  Connie finds a mysterious book by a Deliverance Dane that aids not only in her research, but in unlocking secrets in Connie’s own life.

Set in 1991, but interspersed with snippets of tales from the 1690s and the Salem Witch Trials, the story of Deliverance Dane and her legacy is revealed.

While not a page turner for me, Physick did hold my interest, especially trying to figure out the machinations of Connie’s dissertation sponsor. At times, I found it challenging to decipher the 1690s English, but it did add an authenticity to the flashbacks in the story.

You know there is more to this story as you read it, but Howe reveals them in a way that I didn’t completely see coming, always a nice change of pace.   And I love the setting. I could easily picture both old and new Salem as the story unfolded.

The funny thing is, as I was cleaning out bookshelves, I discovered that I had long owned a copy of Physick which for some reason I never read.  So Tom was spot on that the book would appeal to me- something made me buy it previously.