The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

May 25, 2009
Set in Cambridge and Marblehead, Mass., Howe's propulsive if derivative novel alternates between the 1991 story of college student Connie Goodwin and a group of 17th-century outcasts. After moving into her grandmother's crumbling house to get it in shape for sale, Connie comes across a small key and piece of paper reading only “Deliverance Dane.” The Salem witch trials, contemporary Wicca and women's roles in early American history figure prominently as Connie does her academic detective work. What follows is a breezy read in which Connie must uncover the mystery of a shadowy book written by the enigmatic Deliverance Dane. During Connie's investigation, she relies on a handsome steeplejack for romance and her mother and an expert on American colonial history for clues and support. While the twisty plot and Howe's habit of ending chapters with cliffhangers are straight out of the thriller playbook, the writing is solid overall, and Howe's depiction of early American life and the witch trials should appeal to readers who enjoyed The Heretic's Daughter
. The witchcraft angle and frenetic pacing beg for a screen adaptation.

July 27, 2009
Howe's novel moves back and forth between the summer of 1991 in Salem, Mass., and the 17th-century witch trial era, as college student Connie Goodwin chances upon a mysterious book written by the elusive Deliverance Dane. The characters are thin and the plot predictable, but Katherine Kellgren does her best with the material. Her voice is pleasing, her pacing and emphasis good, her diction clear but conversational. Most of her characters are distinguishable and reasonably represented, but the exaggerated British accent she adopts for the villain makes him more comical than terrifying. A Hyperion/Voice hardcover
(Reviews, May 25
).

Graduate student Connie Goodwin stumbles upon a seventeenth-century manuscript belonging to the enigmatic Deliverance Dane. Goodwin's focus on New England witchcraft in her graduate studies at Harvard provides a platform for listeners to understand the cultural nuances behind Dane's mysterious narrative. Katherine Kellgren has a timeless voice that makes her a good choice to narrate a novel set in both the 1990s and 1690s. Although her vocal characterizations never stray too far from the voice she uses for the narrative, she believably depicts both genders and centuries. Her subtle American accent cleverly hints at the possibility of British origins, adding credence to the compelling seventeenth-century tale spun by Dane. Listeners will find themselves entertained as well as educated about a misogynistic chapter in American history. J.T. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine