Book Beginnings: The Fifth Petal

The Fifth Petal, by Brunonia Barry (Crown, January 2017). These are the first lines of the book's Prologue:

November 1, 1989

Salem, Massachusetts 

Isn't it a little late for praying? Tom Dayle thought but did not say.

About the Book:

"When a teenage boy dies suspiciously on Halloween night, Salem's chief of police, John Rafferty wonders if there is a connection between his death and Salem's most notorious cold case, a triple homicide dubbed 'The Goddess Murders,' in which three young women, all descended from accused Salem witches, were slashed on Halloween night in 1989. He finds unexpected help in Callie Cahill, the daughter of one of the victims newly returned to town. Neither believes that the main suspect, Rose Whelan, respected local historian, is guilty of murder or witchcraft. But exonerating Rose might mean crossing paths with a dangerous force. Were the women victims of an all-too-human vengeance, or was the devil raised in Salem that night? And if they cannot discover what truly happened, will evil rise again?"

Initial Thoughts:

I haven't actually started this one yet, so I'm not really sure exactly who Tom Dayle is or why he's in such a negative mood. But too late for praying sounds like things must be pretty bad.

I loved Brunonia Barry's first book (The Lace Reader, 2006) but was not as impressed with her second effort (The Map of True Places, 2010) — not a terrible read, just not as good as I'd expected. I've been waiting quite a while now for this new book, and I have high hopes.

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday.  As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.