Speak Daggers to Her [Hardcover]

Rosemary Edghill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

Karen Hightower, a sassy single sorceress from Manhattan, switches from witch to detective to scour the cults and covens of the occult netherworld in search of a friend's killer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This adroit and often sardonic blend of New York City hip and New Age neo-Paganism begins with a death, maybe by witchcraft, and introduces a modern witch as sleuth. Bast, whose mundane name is Karen Hightower, receives a desperate phone call from Lace Devereaux, who has just discovered the body of her lover, Miriam Seabrook. Bast becomes suspicious about the death, especially after discovering that the victim's ceremonial knife, her athame , is missing. Long a hanger-on in occult circles, Miriam had recently joined a new, highly secretive coven and had cut herself off from her old friends and haunts. Bast trawls the "New York Metropagan Community" for clues, drawing both indifference and threatening anonymous phone calls. She tracks down Ruslan, the authoritarian head of Miriam's coven, Baba Yaga, who is searching for the Khazar Wicca , an illustrated book purporting to contain the coven's rituals. Despite her reliance on capital letters, Regency romance author Edghill ( Fleeting Fancy ) deftly evokes the witchly milieu, exposing its factions and politics. Bast is a quirky, honorable protagonist whom readers will look forward to seeing again.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Regency romance writer Edghill ( Fleeting Fancy , LJ 3/15/92) introduces a thirtysomething Manhattan layout artist and witch (goddess worshiper) in this likable and lighthearted--if somewhat vacuous--murder mystery. After the sudden death of a younger friend, who has been casting about for a splinter occult group to join, Karen Hightower (a.k.a. Bast) suspects foul play. Her amateurish searches for evidence take her to occult bookstores, Wiccan covens, and magic rituals. A fanciful, fast read.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 222 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312856040
• ISBN-13: 978-0312856045
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,245,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this!, June 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Speak Daggers to Her (Hardcover)

For less money, you can buy "Bell, Book, and Murder" instead, which is a compilation of all three Bast books (including this one). Wish someone had told me before I bought all four!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful little gem!, January 24, 2001

By 

Annette Hrisko-Allen (pdx,usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Speak Daggers to Her (Hardcover)

For years, I thought the sub-sub-sub-genre of positive urban pagan fiction, with a good witch as the central character, began and ended with Mercedes Lackey's creation, Diana Tregarde.

Happily, I stand corrected.

Bast (aka "Karen Hightower"), is one of those characters whom I would love to meet in real life--intelligent, funny, flawed and very stubborn. Upon recieving a distraught phone call concerning the death of a pagan newbie, Bast finds herself winding through a maze of black magic, coven politics, and religious fakery (saying something is "Wicca" when there isn't even a shadow of a resemblance).

Edghill also provides a wonderful tour of the Manhattan pagan scene (good, bad, and downright nasty). The author is not above taking a well-aimed shot at the hyprocracies lodged in both the mainstream and alternative religions.

Bast is also portrayed as having a "Real Life". Ever notice how, in some books, the protagonist is described as having a profession; but doesn't spend a lot of time working at it? Too busy tracking down evil oogies from the Netherworld, I guess. Kudos to Edghill for having the sense to not only require her brain-child to hold down a nine-to-five job as a graphics designer and layout person, but have Bast actuall *go to work* during the story. Manhattan rent aren't paid in fairy lights and levin bolts, ya know!

Good work on developing a villian who is a classic in Occult fiction: the ultimate head-tripper who truly believes their own press. You'll see how the abuser sets the stage, chats up the victim, begins to extract promises and behavior that no ethically-minded person should ever do, and then begins to demonstrate what happens when the victim tries to escape. A good guide for all Seekers, no matter the Path.

The ending might be a let down for some, but remember: Bast is dealing with the "Real World". She doesn't have hands that shoot out blue lightning, or flashy Jackie Chan-style tactics, or the Goddess physically manifesting as a shining Being at the eleventh hour. All Bast has are brains and bit of bravery.

A nice, entertaining read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enter Bast the Witch, April 28, 2004

By 

Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Speak Daggers to Her: A Bast Mystery (Paperback)

Fantasy mysteries are getting more and more popular. SPEAK DAGGERS TO HER by Rosemary Edghill was one of the earlier efforts. This is the first of a series of mysteries staring Bast the witch.

If you happen to have any knowledge of Wicca, Neo-Paganism, Gardnerian and all of the rest you should get a kick out of this book.

Bast is called by a friend and fellow coven member when a mutual friend dies. While handling all of the details Bast comes across some inconsistencies. Miriam, who we never see alive, recently joined a Russian based sect that boasts that their power struck her down when she tried to abandon the group. Bast investigates further and gets drawn into the sect.

There are two reasons that this book can be considered cross-genre. The first is that only a science fiction fan will get all of the science fiction jokes, plugs, analogies and whatnot the pepper the book liberally. The other is the element of magic. Because it is talked about in religious terms it is left to the reader to decide whether magic or coincidence plays a role in the events.

Rosemary Edghill is both a mystery and a fantasy author. However, I have one small problem with the book. While Bast continually uses science fiction references there is absolutely no mention of her reading or watching the stuff. Other than that I found it to be a very enjoyable book. You will probably find it in the mystery section although the spine is unlabeled.