Crone's Moon: A Rowan Gant Investigation: A Rowan Gant Investigation (Rowan Gant Investigations) [Paperback]

M. R. Sellars (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rowan Gant Investigations | Publication Date: October 2004

WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK, ROWAN GANT HEARS THEIR WHISPERS

A missing school teacher, decomposed remains in a shallow grave, and a sadistic serial killer prowling Saint Louis by the semi-darkness of the waning moon…

This is EXACTLY the kind of thing Rowan Gant has no choice but to face. But, this time his bane, the uncontrolled channeling of murder victims, isn’t helping; for the dead are speaking, but not necessarily to him.

Rowan once again must skirt the prejudices of police lieutenant Barbara Albright as he and his best friend, homicide detective Ben Storm, race to save a friend…and perhaps someone even closer.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A member of the ITW (International Thriller Writers) and HWA (Horror Writers Association), M. R. Sellars is a relatively unassuming homebody who, in his own words, considers himself just a "guy with a lot of nightmares and a word processing program." He is the author of the Rowan Gant Investigations series, the Special Agent Constance Mandalay series, as well as other works of thriller and suspense fiction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: E.M.A. Mysteries (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967822149
• ISBN-13: 978-0967822143
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,464,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW), and of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), M. R. Sellars is a relatively unassuming homebody who, in his own words, considers himself just a "guy with a lot of nightmares and a word processing program." Legend has it he started making up stories to entertain a stuffed bear during his single digit years, then began writing them down sometime around his early teens when the growing catalogue of fiction started causing him to experience migraines. Although he had several short stories and newspaper articles published during his early adult life, it wasn't until 2000 that his first full-length novel, Harm None: A Rowan Gant Investigation, hit bookstore shelves, officially launching the acclaimed paranormal thriller series.

Sellars says that the biggest adjustment he has had to make with his writing career is coping with the time spent away from his family while traveling on promotional tours. Still, he approaches the necessity of public appearances with the same humorously deadpan and satirical wit that he applies to life in general, stating, "As long as I have an RC Cola and a bag of peanuts, I'm all good, Bubba."

All of the current novels in Sellars' continuing Rowan Gant Investigations saga have spent several consecutive weeks on numerous bookstore bestseller lists as well as a consistent showing on the Amazon.com Horror/Occult top 100.

Sellars currently resides in the Midwest with his incomparably amazing wife, equally fantastic daughter, and a feline he describes as, "the competition." At home, when not writing or taking care of the household, he indulges his passions for cooking and hanging out with friends. In order to satisfy his lifelong dream of being a satirical humor columnist for a major metropolitan newspaper, twice each week he removes his glasses, dons blue tights and a red cape, then blogs about the incredibly bizarre world that is his life as a writer, husband, and father. It has been said that his blog articles sometimes blur the line between fiction and reality. To that Sellars responds, "What line?"

M. R. Sellars can be located on the web wherever there is a virtual bar serving virtual single malt Scotch, single barrel bourbon, good Irish whisky, and decent beer. In other words, look for him on the major social networking sites.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Serial Witchery, March 8, 2005

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crone's Moon: A Rowan Gant Investigation: A Rowan Gant Investigation (Rowan Gant Investigations) (Paperback)

With this volume, the 5th in the Rowan Gant Investigation series, Sellars stakes out new ground, some of which I'm not entirely comfortable with. Let me start out by saying that I read and watch a lot of horror - I'm comfortable with a fair amount of violence. And violence really isn't the issue here but whether it contributes to the plot, is gratuitous - used in place of a plot. Crone's Moon skates very close to that latter and it bothers me since, after all, this is supposed to be an investigation, not a torturing.

This time Gant discovers that the blackouts that started during The Law of Three were actually due to a connection with a different series of killings by yet another serial killer. To make matters more complicated, Gant's wife Felicity has interfered with Gant's own connection to the spiritual and has managed to get hooked into the same circuit that has been zapping Rowan. Felicity becomes as frenzied as Gant in trying to stop the crimes and both seem to drive each other into fits where the connection to the victim threatens to kill one or both Gants. Throw in a lot of chasing around and some arguments with the authorities and you pretty much have the entire plot.

Other than the collusion of Felicity, this is pretty much standard Gant fare, although I wish Sellars would just once take the time to work out why all this keeps happening instead of just describing what a witch would call a 'bad hair day.' But there are only two plot devices in play, Rowan's arguing with his wife, and the secondhand violence suffered by witches in connection with the victims. And the latter is where most of the writing effort went. So instead of a few shocking episodes to set the atmosphere we get a continual flow of spooky epileptic fits and stigmata. This build tension for a while, but it also bogs down the plot. So you get to wince at the secondhand torment of the Gants and wonder why all this is happening to the main characters.

We never really get an answer. Instead, the conclusion is a frantic chase, followed by a very short wrap up. And now we have two witches who can't maintain enough self-control to be truly effective instead of one. And an Indian police detective who keeps calling people 'white man' and 'fire hair'. How you react to this will depend one what you are looking for. What I wanted was a mystery story with a couple intelligent witches (yes, there are intelligent witches). What I got was a standard fare serial killer suspense thriller with some spooky parts.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars four stars for the fifth book, December 14, 2004

By 

Emily Flippin Maruna "The Handmade Experiment" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crone's Moon: A Rowan Gant Investigation: A Rowan Gant Investigation (Rowan Gant Investigations) (Paperback)

Rowan Gant wakes up to find that he's had a seizure. He's had these before and gets the sinking suspicion the malady has more to do with his practice as a witch than it does failing health. When Rowan and his best friend Detective Ben Storm witness the mayor's daughter being kidnapped and the headless corpse of a local school teacher is discovered, Rowan's suspicions become concrete. Once again, he is channeling the pain and torture of a serial killer's victims.

Felicity, Rowan's wife, and a strong witch in her own right, tries to protect Rowan with a binding spell. Unfortunately, the spell backfires, putting her on the receiving end of the victim's calls for help. With both witches being pulled into the ethereal world, they need the help of Detective Storm, his sister, psychiatrist Helen Storm, and old pal FBI special agent Mandalay in order to catch the killer before he strikes again.

M.R. Sellars's action packed paranormal suspense, CRONE'S MOON, is the fifth book in the Rowan Gant Investigation series. I've enjoyed each and everyone and highly recommend this book for those who like the genre.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable paranormal investigative tale, October 31, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crone's Moon: A Rowan Gant Investigation: A Rowan Gant Investigation (Rowan Gant Investigations) (Paperback)

Months have passed since witch Rowan Gant has worked police cases and he hopes that phase of his life is over, but on a subconscious level he knows his fate is to put the bad guys in jail using his psychic powers. His wife Felicity is also a witch but she grounds Rowan so that he never loses his connection to the world. His friend Detective Ben Storm believes in his powers but Lieutenant Barbara Albright, a right wing bible thumper, deems Rowan and Felicity are the Devil's tools.

When Rowan starts having seizures, he knows someone is being tortured and he is being called into the case by whoever is being killed. Rowan and Ben witness the kidnapping of the mayor's daughter and the mayor wants them on the case much to the chagrin of Albright. Felicity picks up the pain the woman is undergoing before she dies. Next Felicity's friend Kathy is captured and tortured; Felicity feels her pain and knows with her spouse and their police friend they must find serial killer although they risk becoming the next victims.

A Rowan Gant mystery is always a pleasure to read as the audience is taufgt that witches are benign people trying to do good deeds whenever they get a chance. The relationship between Rowan and Felicity is so romantic it is what legends are made of and his friendship with Storm shows that people of different religions can still be good friends. It takes respect for one another and an open mind as shown by Storm's trust in Rowan's powers. CRONE'S MOON is an exciting crime thriller with touches of the supernatural that add spice to a flavorful repast.

Harriet Klausner