The Hawley Book of the Dead: A Novel

The Hawley Book of the Dead: A Novel

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR

For fans of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and A Discovery of Witches comes a brilliantly imagined debut novel brimming with rich history, suspense, and magic.
Â
Revelation â€œReveâ€ Dyer grew up with her grandmotherâ€™s family stories, stretching back centuries to Reveâ€™s ancestors, who founded the town of Hawley Five Corners, Massachusetts. Their history is steeped in secrets, for few outsiders know that an ancient magic runs in the Dyer womenâ€™s blood, and that Reve is a magician whose powers are all too real.
Â
Reve and her husband are world-famous Las Vegas illusionists. They have three lovely young daughters, a beautiful home, and what seems like a charmed life. But Reveâ€™s world is shattered when an intruder alters her trick pistol and she accidentally shoots and kills her beloved husband onstage.
Â
Fearing for her daughtersâ€™ lives, Reve flees with them to the place she has always felt safestâ€”an antiquated farmhouse in the forest of Hawley Five Corners, where the magic of her ancestors reigns, and her oldest friendâ€”and first loveâ€”is the townâ€™s chief of police. Here, in the forest, with its undeniable air of enchantment, Reve hopes she and her girls will be protected.
Â
Delving into the past for answers, Reve is drawn deeper into her familyâ€™s legends. What she discovers is The Hawley Book of the Dead, an ancient leather-bound journal holding mysterious mythic power. As she pieces together the truth behind the book, Reve will have to shield herself and her daughters against an uncertain, increasingly dangerous fate. For soon it becomes clear that the stranger who upended Reveâ€™s life in Las Vegas has followed her to Hawleyâ€”and that she has something he desperately wants.
Â
Brimming with rich history, suspense, and magic, The Hawley Book of the Dead is a brilliantly imagined debut novel from a riveting new voice.

Praise for The Hawley Book of the Dead
Â
â€œAn informed and assured launch . . . Readers will be thoroughly engaged [by] the literary, magical, horse-loving Reve.â€â€”Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Â
â€œEnthralling . . . a magic-fueled tale of contemporary romantic suspense.â€â€”Booklist (starred review)
Â
â€œThe core narrative is strong [with] a proper hook. . . . The scenes with Reve and her daughters ring true.â€â€”Library Journal
Â
â€œAn impressive debut novel that combines various genres seamlessly.â€â€”Huntington News
Â
â€œEngrossing . . . a novel well worth discovering . . . In the vein of authors like Deborah Harkness and Katherine Howe, magic and reality are perfectly blended.â€â€”BookPage
Â
â€œWith a rapid pace and exquisite details that clearly set the scene and mood, [Chrysler] Szarlanâ€™s novel is a great read for those who love fantasy and tales of witchcraft.â€â€”Shelf Awareness

â€œThe Hawley Book of the Dead had me completely spellbound from beginning to end. A storytelling virtuosa, Chrysler Szarlan has woven a wondrous, scintillating web of suspense, love, history, and magic that will keep you eagerly turning the pages late into the night. Even readers not normally drawn to the supernatural will be swept away by this book; it has everything a great adventure should haveâ€”and so much more.â€â€”Anne Fortier
Â
â€œA haunting story of love, loss, family secrets, mysteries, and magic.â€â€”Lauren Willig

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Manufacturer Ballantine Books
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2014-09-23
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Ballantine Books
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2014-09-23
Format	Kindle eBook

The Hawley Book of the Dead: A Novel

You might also like...