The Death Pit [Hardcover]

Tony Strong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 1999

The San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle called The Poison Tree, Tony Strong's first novel, "a perversely compelling upscale erotic thriller, a victory for the guilty pleasure." Now Strong returns with this exquisite,  finely wrought novel of suspense that interweaves a historical mystery with a ghastly contemporary crime.

Scholar Terry Williams plans to go to Babcock Castle in Inverness, Scotland, with one goal in mind: to finish her research on Catherine McCulloch, a 17th-century woman accused of "congress with the devil" and burned at the stake as a witch during Scotland's notorious witch trials, which darkly mirrored those in Salem, Massachusetts, in their ferocity and scope. When Terry arrives, however, she discovers a town obsessed with a more recent death. The dismembered body of a beautiful young woman, Donna Fairhead, has been found on a farm near Babcock. When she hears rumors that Donna was a part of Nineveh, a Wiccan coven, only Terry is able to see the grim connection to Catherine's death almost three hundred years earlier.

As Terry continues her work, she discovers both a town filled with secrets and lies and a truth left buried in Catherine's yellowed letters and the mysterious Book of Shadows. It soon becomes clear that only Terry understands the dimensions of the crimes that have occurred and--unless the puzzle is unraveled in time--are about to happen again.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As he did so well in his first thriller, The Poison Tree, British writer Tony Strong again takes us into a closed-off world and exposes its most private secrets in his second novel, The Death Pit. Even though the Scottish town of Inverness seems a long way from the rarified literary circles of Oxford (where the first story takes place), both are small-town environments that engender gossip and illicit goings-on.

A flourishing modern coven of witches seems a natural feature of the Scottish landscape--especially since nearby Babcock Castle once was the scene of a notorious 17th-century trial and the burning at the stake of Catherine McCulloch, a woman accused of witchcraft. But when the body of one of the coven members is found dismembered in a foul pit where diseased pigs are discarded, some of the residents blame the witches and take violent action against them.

Terry Williams, a Ph.D. candidate, has come to Babcock Castle to study McCullogh's papers and finds herself caught up in the mystery when she discovers a link between the past and the present. Strong is a sly writer who knows how to create sympathetic, believable characters and place them in a tightly-controlled atmosphere in which the air is charged with sex and danger. --Dick Adler

From Publishers Weekly

Discerning and quick-witted, English scholar Terry Williams travels to Inverness, Scotland, in Strong's second novel (after The Poison Tree). In order to research her thesis on Catherine McCulloch, who was sentenced to death in a 17th-century witch trial, the London University student reluctantly takes a train to Babcock Castle, where Catherine's descendent, Magnus McCulloch, accepts her into his residence. While investigating whether Catherine was burned at the stake for witchery or lesbianism, Terry becomes distracted by the death of Donna Fairhead, a member of a local Wiccan coven whose corpse is retrieved from a local farmer's pit. In search of clues in the Wiccan Book of Shadows, stubborn Terry weaves her way into the Wiccan community. Strong offers rich scene-setting descriptions and sharp dialogue, and submerses readers in the fates of numerous distinct characters related to Terry's investigation. When the body count increases and the Wiccans are terrorized by Inverness locals, Terry begins to find links between Donna, Catherine and herself. Strong emphasizes these connections too insistently. Her plot is innovative, however, charged with erotic energy and rife with tight forensic detail. And it cleverly incorporates the vast Scottish countryside all the way to its harrowing conclusion. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (August 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385333153
• ISBN-13: 978-0385333153
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,224,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read but an adult read, November 30, 2007

By 

Kali "bengaligirl" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death Pit (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a good mystery story but be aware, this is an ADULT book with adult themes in it, such as rape, child murder, torture etc.

The plot centers around an academic Terry Williams and her work on the life and times of Catherine McCulloch a Scottish lady of good birth who was tried as a witch in the 17th century.

Her death is linked somehow to the death of a modern day witch Donna who is part of a Wiccan cult whose body has been found in a "death pit" where the bodies of dead farm animals are flung. Another horrific discovery is the body of five babies, and the story takes you from the UK to Romania where children are sold for profit and the police think that human sacrifice is on the menu.

Without meaning too Terry gets sucked into the murder investigation, and she finds out that not all is as it seems and there are some pretty graphic scenes of muder, mayhem, rape and torture, not for the squeamish and certainly not for anyone under 16.

A good mystery story though, with twists and turns, a sting sting in the tale along with solid characters and pacy writing, a grim but good holiday read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, August 31, 2004

By 

D. Matlack "Guidedog" (in Wild Wyoming) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Death Pit (Mass Market Paperback)

Solid follow up to a very good debut. Strong plot, and a rabid page-turner. I did not put this down from the moment I picked it up and it was 23 of the most satisfying hours I ever spent with a mystery.

The odd and obvious red herrings are thrown in for good measure but were entirely unnecessary, the end took me completely by suprise and I loved that. Tony Strong has done what is becoming increasingly more difficult; He breaks the mold of the standard who-dunnit and comes up with writing which is enthralling and fresh.

I don't like to give away plot lines in books but I will give one bit of warning here. This novel contains a rape scene that is so graphic and disturbing I had to skip through it. But aside from those few pages the book is two thumbs way up!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Many Turns of the Death Pit, May 10, 2001

By 

Rafik "RafikNY" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death Pit (Mass Market Paperback)

The Death Pit by Tony Strong starts out well, but gets a little winded midway. The twist at the end serves an excellent remedy to the short cumings to the plot and is quite inspiring. The scope of the book was good enough to hold interest. I.e., the many historical references to forensic science, witchcraft, religion and gender politics (past and present). Thankfully the author did a lot of research. Our heroine indeed was a little "unpredictable" but that made the story somewhat interesting, and yes titalating. There are one or two loose ends you would have to figure out on your own. Over all, the book is a good diversion. My Mom read it and loved it! Perhaps a sequel or a better screen play would be in order. Winona Ryder where are you?