Professor Carla James is an archaeologist with an interest in more than just bones and stones. She wants to understand the emotions behind the sites she investigates.

Desperate for a change of scene following the death of her husband, Carla takes a job at Jericho, an elite New England college. On her first day, Carla is asked to represent the department at an unusual murder site. Although she initially believes there is nothing interesting about the debris that surrounds the body, there is more to the site than meets the eye.

This victim is just the latest in a series of unsolved deaths in Jericho. Although the deaths appear unlinked, Carla is convinced: there is a methodical and calculated killer operating under the cover of darkness. Can she uncover the truth before she becomes the next victim?

My Review

I’m going to rave about this because I loved everything about it. I read it in nine staves with my book club The Pigeonhole, and couldn’t wait for the next one to be delivered. Death Rites has everything I love – murder, intrigue, witchy elements, strong female protagonists – what more could I ask for.

The book opens with the murder of a retired school teacher who was killed in her own home. The police are baffled. Why would anyone want to kill this seemingly harmless, elderly lady.

Professor Carla James has been widowed for three years and decides to leave the UK to start a new life in New England, USA, lecturing on the ‘archaeology of emotion’ at Jericho College. In her first week, two things happen. First she discovers that her office is still full of the things belonging to her predecessor Lauren, who took her own life. It’s all a bit unsettling. Secondly, she is asked to take a look at the site of a gruesome murder and see if anything strange stands out for her. Unfortunately, the ‘burnt’ body is still in situ. She meets pathologist Erin and they soon become friends.

This murder bears no resemblance to the previous one. There are no links, the victims didn’t know each other, there is no apparent motive, and the MOs are totally different. But Carla had spotted some random objects placed around the ‘burnt woman’ and wants to know if this has happened before.

And this is where it gets really interesting. Because she believes the objects are not random and have a meaning related to witch bottles, hexafoils and superstition. So she starts looking at other murders in Jericho, which has the police rattled as her suggestions start making them look incompetent.

I admit I did guess one possible link pointing to the killer, but not why, or who else might be involved, and there were so many red herrings that I kept questioning whether I was finding links that didn’t exist. A bit like Carla really.

I just adored this book, and the ending makes me think it’s not the last we are going to see of Carla and Erin. PLEASE make this a series. I can’t wait.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Sarah Ward is a critically acclaimed crime and gothic thriller writer. Her book, A Patient Fury, was an Observer book of the month and The Quickening, written as Rhiannon Ward, was a Radio Times book of the year. Sarah is a former Vice-Chair of the Crime Writers Association, Trustee ofGwyl Crime Cymru Festival and an RLF Fellow at Sheffield University.