Customer Reviews

Flight of a Witch (Inspector Felse Mystery S.)

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Best known for her "Brother Cadfael" series, Ellis Peters (1913-1985) was also the author of thirteen novels featuring Inspector George Felse. Published in 1964, FLIGHT OF A WITCH is the fifth novel in that series.

Annet Beck is a small town girl with unexpected beauty--and when school teacher Tom Kenyon takes a room in her parents' home he hopes she will be drawn to his manly charms. To his dismay, Annet is not interested; to his shock, she suddenly disappears on a hill of ancient ill-repute named Hallowmount. And to every one's surprise, when she returns five days later, she claims to have been gone only a few hours. Is it witchcraft? Or has Annet fallen back on local legends in an effort to conceal her activities? Fortunately, Inspector Felse is on the scene to separate fact from fiction.

Peters often worked with contrived plots, and in her hands they are often quite amusing. The plot of FLIGHT OF A WITCH is in someways typical of her work--but those expecting a mystery will be disappointed, for the novel is less mysterious than merely so much pulp romance, and while there is a murder to be solved it is less a matter of detection than in forcing the truth from the mysterious central character. Although it has its moments, this is very much one of Peters' lesser works.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This book about Anet Beck is more along the lines of a tragedy based on romance. It deals with a young femme fatale - Annet Beck who has all the neighbourhood boys after her. She keeps her own council, and does not open up to anyone, but when she is embroiled in a tragic death resulting from a jewellery store robbery, it is found out by George Felse that there are more than just the young boys and men that are after her, and it appears that she is returning the attention of one of her admirerers, and this admirer is one that is probably considerably older than her. A bit melodramatic perhaps, but written in the Ellis Peter style, so definitely a readable book - but not a mystery as we have come to expect from Ms. Peters.

Adolescent Annet Beck, unintentional femme fatale, is very much the center of this novel, although she hardly speaks during the entire tale. The story is revealed through the eyes of the other characters, who all have their thoughts squarely centered on Annet. Their fears for her life drive the hunt for the identity of the murderer.

This book, the third in the Inspector Felse series, is my favorite of this series. However, none of them compare to Peters's more well known Brother Cadfael series.

Part of what gives this particular title its charm is the sense of ancient Welsh history and beliefs undergirding the lives of modern Welsh. A leaning toward fatalism and determinism appears to pervade the minds of Peters's native Welsh characters. Yet, all the events are proven to have logical, reasonable explanations. No witches or faeries. Just a good mystery.