Customer Reviews

Bell, Book, and Murder: The Bast Mysteries

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

_Speak Daggers to Her_, _The Book of Moons_, and _The Bowl of Night_ are some of the best fiction about modern witches I've seen yet. And the main reason why is the heroine, Bast. In Bast, Rosemary Edghill creates a delightful heroine with a deep belief in the Goddess and magic--and also with a barbed tongue that deftly skewers the politics and foibles of the Pagan community. Even if there had been no plot in these three novels, I would have kept reading just to "listen" to Bast talk. And as an added bonus, there *is* a plot.

_Speak Daggers to Her_: An old friend of Bast's dies of seemingly natural causes in her apartment. Bast discovers that her friend had gotten mixed up in a cult--could this be related?

_The Book of Moons_: Probably my favorite of the three, because of the historical speculation. Several New York Wiccans find their Books of Shadows missing. Then, an obnoxious newbie shows up at a picnic brandishing a book he is certain is the BOS of Mary Queen of Scots. Then someone ends up dead. How are all these things connected? Read on...

_The Bowl of Night_: Bast thought the most confusing part of the Samhain retreat would be sharing a cabin with handsome ceremonial magician Julian. But when a local fundamentalist preacher ends up dead on the campsite, things keep getting weirder...

I'm not sure how well these books work *as mysteries*, since the solution is generally not hard to figure out. I guess I'm just used to the sort of mysteries with 85 red herrings, and no concrete clues until the last two pages, when suddenly the culprit kidnaps the sleuth and reveals the whole plot. Actually, I find that I like Edghill's more straightforward style better, since the mystery is gradually revealed in layers instead of completely hidden and then suddenly sprung on the reader. I just want to warn readers of the more usual sort of mysteries that these work a little differently.

As for me, I like them. I only wish this were an ongoing series.

I won't recap all the reviews which tell you that the Bast novels are both unpretentious and Wicca-accurate, but I will agree that that's true. The greatest of these for me, though, is unpretentious; that is, these aren't fantasy nor yet the kind of self-aggrandizement and self-marginalization that sometimes stalk the Wiccan community. And--it's a real pleasure to say this after the last Wiccan murder mystery I had to review--these are WELL WRITTEN. Yes, really! Edgehill knows how to use commas, adjectives, and similar arcana as well as she knows how to cast a circle--and that, my friends, is a rare and beautiful combination. Magic (or, if you prefer, magick) without BS, self-delusion, sentimentality or misuse of the semi-colon--need I say more?

It's true that the mysteries aren't very mysterious, but I don't think they're meant to be (and in real life, of course, the spouse generally *did* do it.) These aren't really books about how to solve mysteries; they're about the ethical dilemmas that come with believing what we pagans say we believe, but often fall down on in practice. They're about our responsibility to act when we see a problem, and the risks that action entails, and the way Wicca both helps and doesn't help us to do it. Anyone who ever said she wanted something beyond Wicca 101: these books are it.

The Pagan world is a refreshing backdrop for a trio of well written mysteries. What is really amazing is how the author guides the reader into the story and the personality of Bast. I find that I feel her confusion, joy, sorrow and fear. In the first book Speak Daggers to Her the murder? stirs Bast's anger. In the second book The Book of Moons Bast is stalked by the killer. Her peril is so real that I found my heart racing. The last novel The Bowl of Night the author gives us a wonderful lesson that just as there are all kinds of Christians, there are all kind of Pagans but fanatics are just as dangerous no matter what their religion. The solution to the mystery broke my heart even though I solved the crime much sooner than Bast.

This is an excellent collection. I hope she write more tales of Lady Bast.

It is really refreshing to see a talented author come out with fresh ideas focusing on the world of Wicca and its followers. "Bell, Book and Murder" is a compilation of three murder mysteries--"Speak Daggers to Her," "Book of Moons," and "The Bowl of Night" set in the hectic world of New York City and featuring a spunky heroine, Bast who just happens to be a Wiccan. With her first novel in the Bast series, Edghill introduced readers to the often hectic life of a New Yorker living her life as best as she can in a world filled with mystery, mahem and magick. Edghill's Bast is a quick witted, savy New Yorker who just happens to be a practitioner of one of the most misunderstood religions in the modern world: Wicca.

Edghill writes with so much enthusiasm and possesses an almost uncanny knack for her characters that when you're reading the Bast mysteries, as they've become to be known, you almost forget that these are works of fiction. The dialogue is fresh, vibrant and exciting and this reviewer loved her scoops on people in the Craft. While the names have been changed to protect the innocent, friends of this reviewer who are a part of the New York Wiccan Community, have provided me with insights and revelations as to the possible identities of her books' real-life counterparts.

This reviewer found the three book series so enjoyable that he can't wait for the next book to come out. When will the next book be released Ms. Edghill? Your loyal Bast fans can't wait!

This volume gives us three books in one, each featuring Bast, a modern Witch from New York. She's a wonderful character - intelligent, real, spiritual, down to earth - breaking many cliches, both of the genre and the real world. The books give an interesting insight into Wicca and the N.Y. Neo-Pagan community without ever being preachy; Bast's lifestyle and religion is integrated into the stories without ever being an excuse to slip around plot points. There's no supernatural solution, no cheats, but Bast's beliefs and Goddess are always there in the background, part of her life. The mysteries themselves are also well plotted, and the rest of the characters well drawn. The only reason I give this book 4 stars rather than 5 is that I guessed "whodunnit" (or why) rather too early... but perhaps those not involved in Wicca or the occult would have less of a clue!

Nowhere on Amazon's page does it say that this is really just "Speak Daggers to Her," "Book of Moons," and "The Bowl of Night," all combined into one book. Only buy this if you don't have any of them already.

Rosemary Edghill has written made great contributions to the Mystery genre with her 'Bell, Book and Murder' series. I highly recommend this series to all Pagan mystery novel readers...whatever variety of Paganism they might pracatice. One of the things I like so much about this series is that Edghill is respectful of ALL varieties of Paganism without being overly pedantic or PC about it. So, if you don't subscribe to the Wicca school of Neopaganism, don't worry, there's still something in these novels for you.

That having been said, Edghill's main strengths as a writer are her ability to create very interesting, complex and likable characters that the reader can relate to and care about, as well as present unique perspectives and thoughts on the Pagan community and faiths in all of their diversity. Being a long-time fan of the mystery genre, I find the plot-lines of Edghill's novels to be a little weak and on the formulaic side. I knew from the first few pages of the books "who-dunnit" but kept reading the books anyway just to get to know the characters better and see how they would solve the problems presented to them.

The 'Bell, Book and Murder' series makes a great soak-in-the-tub read! Enjoy.

A friend recommended "Speak Daggers to Her" to me, as she knew I was a fan of the Diana Tregarde mysteries. The recommendation proved to be accurate, though the two trilogies have nothing to do with each other.
Where Tregarde exists in a contemporary fantasy world of Mercedes Lackey's making, Bast exists here. In our world. No levin bolts, vampires, Aztec gods, or immortal body-thieves.
Bast herself is uncomplicated and unpretentious-- even when she is being what she jokingly refers to as "The Lone Ranger of the Wicca." Her commentary on the Pagan community is dead-on, and if you are a Pagan, you'll spot people you know.

The novels are each independent of each other; certain characters come in and out of the three novels, and there's a continuity to them, but each plot is self-contained. I do recommend reading them in order, though, so you can see how her relationships with the various characters change. All-in-all, they are an excellent read.

I was introduced to this trilogy through "The Book of Moons," and immediately fell in love with Ms. Edghill's writing style. I've read the entire trilogy over and over, and they've now become cozy friends when I just need to relax for a little while with a cup of tea.

What I find refreshing in her novels is how real and everyday most of the characters are. Contrary to the normal media portrayal of those who follow Pagan faiths as either dark, sinister people who scurry into dark corners and live in a strange "underground" reality OR... whacked out New Agers who are stuck in the hippie era, Ms. Edghill writes them honestly-- real people. Working real jobs. Wearing everyday clothes. Talking like everyday people. With no preaching whatsoever.

Amazing.

Each of the story is a murder mystery. The fact that the community involved in each of these books is Wiccan/Pagan is the flavor for the setting, but the easy route to blame the murders on unseen forces isn't used, which I greatly appreciated.

My non-Pagan friends have also enjoyed the books, and appreciated the subtle explanations for faith-specific terms that they might not have known otherwise.

I highly recommend the series. They're fun, easy to read, and easy to escape into-- just what leisure reading is all about.

This is a collection of the three "Bast" novels - nearly the total of the series to date (one short story is missing). Bast, AKA Karen Hightower is a thirtysomething wiccan living in NYC. As she is quick to point out there is nothing supernatural about her, she is simply a practicing member of the local pagan community. The mysteries are entertaining but not very complex, the true interest here is the story of Bast and her communitity. Bast and the other characters are all well drawn and shown - warts and all. The stories take place over the course of a few months June through October.

"Speak Daggers to Her" begins with the death of a wannabe Wiccan and introduces most the rest of the characters that will appear in the other books. "Book of Moons" concerns the thefts of various Books of Shadows and escalates to murder and fraud. "The Bowl of Night" moves the action out of the city to a pagan festival and murder of a ranting local.