The 5th Witch [Mass Market Paperback]

Graham Masterton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2008

A crime cartel is using four witches to hold L.A. in a grip of fear. No one CA stop them—except the 5th witch!

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Black magic, mobsters and evil witches hold La La Land hostage, making Masterton's latest batch of chills and chuckles (Prey) scarier than a writers' strike. Along with most of the city, Det. Dan Fisher, West Hollywood Homicide Division, is horrified as international crime czars take over law enforcement in a bloody coup with the spooky aid of the Quintex of 350-year-old witch Rebecca Greensmith, who's able to be in five places (and bodies) at one time. She's backed up by a Haitian witch, Michelange DuPriz, who works for the zombie Jean-Christophe Artisson; by Miska Vedma, a Russian witch helping White Ghost Vasili Krylov; and by others. Haunted by the death of his wife, Gayle, three years earlier, Dan lives next to good witch Annie Conjure, who pitches in. Rebecca's malevolent forces kill some of L.A.'s A-list, and Dan will stop at nothing to save his fair city and put an old ghost to rest. Masterton, a veteran horror author notable for his dark humor and snazzy plotting, pulls off yet another clever thriller. (Apr.)
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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 325 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (May 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843957905
• ISBN-13: 978-0843957907
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for a plane ride, April 29, 2008

By 

Ravenskya "Princess of Horror" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The 5th Witch (Mass Market Paperback)

Short Summary:
The three main mafia/gang lords of Los Angeles have suddenly found new girlfriends, and they aren't afraid to use them. They have apparently shipped in witches from across the globe who are willing to act as their personal magical bodyguards. Much to the dismay of the police, innocent bystanders and restaurant guests who now find themselves in extremely dangerous situations... like spontaneously combusting. It's up to one down and out cop and his "white witch" neighbor to figure out how to stop them.

This was a very fast read, I started and finished it in the Emergency Room waiting area before we even got to go back to the second holding tank. I read the back of the book to my husband and he laughed "Witches and gangsters, I can't imagine why THAT hasn't been done before." But ignoring his scoffing I plunged ahead anyway and from the start, this book was promising.

Crazy deaths right from the beginning, police baffled, powerful witches on the arms of gang lords... it sounds a bit off when said outloud, but it was going very well. I was drawn in, curious and eager to continue. The beginning is by far the very best part of this book, it's down hill from there but thankfully the slope is gradual. It isn't until you get to the last 50 pages that you realize that Masterton is running out of room to wrap this tale up, and unfortunately the ending feels like a real rush job. Still, the ending was okay, not great, but tolerable.

My biggest issue (which also seems to be a recurring theme in Masterton books... the few I have read at least) is the lack of time passing. Everything occurs in a flash, no one seems overly concerned other than the main characters and the resolution is disturbingly easy. I never found myself worried over our main characters because nothing they did seemed overly hard or stressful. There really weren't any nail biting moments or pages where you find yourself checking your armpits to see if the sweat has soaked through your shirt. I guess that's it... it doesn't evoke any emotion. If you're on a plane or have a long car ride this book will do nicely, but it won't change your world or turn you into a raving Masterton fan.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fast read, May 22, 2008

By 

G. Harris "sweetheart278" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 5th Witch (Mass Market Paperback)

Dan Fisher, a Los Angeles detective is about to have his world turned upside down. The city of angles is being taken over by the three most dangerous drug lords around, and they have new girlfriends that can make you do anything from puke toads and worms to having hundreds of S.W.A.T men ripped to pieces by monsters. Now Dan must find a way to beat them before they take over the whole city. This is where his neighbor Annie comes in. She a a low level witch and that may be what Dan needs to get the job done. But Annie might now be all that she seems to be either.


I have always loved reading Graham Masterton, he is a great writer and storyteller. The only down side is, i whip through his book within a day and am left wanting more. I give the 5th Witch 7 sculls on the shiver scale. A very fast read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Fatal Femmes, May 24, 2008

By 

Deidra Cox (Garrett, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 5th Witch (Mass Market Paperback)

I have a love/hate thing going on with Graham Masterson--when he's good, he takes you to another place, a new plateau where time ceases to exist, example--for me, EDGEWISE, a great little book!! But when he misses the mark, it's bad.

Friends, THE 5TH WITCH is awesome!! The crime lords of Los Angeles have discovered a new and exciting way to avoid the annoying trials and tribulations of local law enforcement from enfringing upon their turf--witchery!! There are four wickly seductive witches and each crime boss lays claim to one of them. The four witches are part of an intensely powerful coven that is governed by a fifth witch that dates back to the 1700's.

The hero Detective Dan Fisher is wonderfully flawed. Three years earlier, he was driving home from a wedding with his fiancee,they crashed and she died. He has never fully recovered from this, continuing to blame himself for her death, to the point that her ghost has started visiting him at night, seducing him and leaving bizarre messages. Or is it really her?

Add to the mix, Dan's next door neighbor Annie who just happens to be a pretty darn good witch herself. And Annie seems to want to help put a stop to the reign of terror that is spreading like wild fire. Or is she?

That is the fun of THE 5TH WITCH!! Nothing is quite like it seems. Masterson has put a lot of time and research in the details and it makes the meat of the story feel authenic. Also, I loved the way that each of the witches were from a different ethnic backgrounds and their magick spells and practices reflected that.

All in all, I loved this book. I had a hard time putting it down. I just wanted to keep on going and isn't that a sign that the writer has down their job well? So, I would really recommend THE 5TH WITCH!! Just walk very soft after doing so. You never know who or what may be lurking about and you don't want to tick them off:)