The Witch of Belladonna Bay

May 15, 2014
Fourteen years ago, the night her mother died, Bronwyn Whalen ran away from Magnolia Creek, Alabama, and never looked back; now her family is in crisis, and Bronwyn knows it's time to mend the rifts in her heart and her home.Bronwyn has made a life for herself in upstate New York, worlds away geographically and emotionally from her Alabama hometown. She's a famous photographer and has embraced a nomadic professional life and a quiet personal life, alone on a farm with her partner, Ben. But a single phone call changes everything when she learns that her brother Patrick is in jail for killing her childhood best friend, Charlotte. Bronwyn knows her brother couldn't kill anyone, but since he confessed, she'll have to untangle a whole mess of mysteries to get to the truth-which means she'll have to go home and get started. Of course untangling current mysteries often means looking to the past and occasionally to the future, particularly when a family has magical tendencies. Palmieri's second magical family mystery is steeped in a vibrant mix of Southern charm and gothicism. Sometimes the sleuthing seems a little red herring-ish as Bronwyn ambles from clue to clue and suspect to suspect, and the mystery often serves the family drama more than the other way around. But Palmieri is a delightful writer, and we are drawn in by her characters, descriptions and worldbuilding. Weaknesses in plot construction are offset by the author's lively prose and her ultimately affirming exploration of dark and light. A fascinating look at magic, mystery, family and love with a Southern gothic flair.

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May 15, 2014
Bronwyn Whalen left her old name, BitsyWyn, back in Magnolia Creek, Alabama, along with her younger brother, Patrick, and her alcoholic father, Jackson. A call from Jackson has her returning home after 14 years to prove that Patrick is not guilty of her childhood best friend's murder. She finds that not much has changed. There's still a paralyzing mist over Belladonna Bay, her father would still rather drink than talk about her opium-addicted late mother, and she still feels drawn to Grant, who has secrets of his own. The biggest surprise is Byrd, Patrick's daughter, whose powers are stronger and maybe more dangerous than those of any of the Whalen women. As Bronwyntries to exonerate her brother, she'll have to face the truth about herself and the great love she feels for Byrd. High on southern charm, fans of Sarah Addison Allen will appreciate the magic realism with a hint (just a hint) of romance. Byrd can be a bit precocious and the language throughout is a little salty, but reading groups may enjoy sorting out the book's sometimes complicated mythology.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)