Season of the Witch: Natasha Mostert

As we move further into the age of computers and technology we move farther away from self-reliance and the use of our own minds and memories. Less then a hundred years ago, and for thousands of years before that the only tools man had to rely on was his mind and if he was lucky, paper, papyrus, clay, or stone. Medieval alchemists foresaw the potential loss of memory and began devising ways to retain as much as possible. But are their mysteries enough to kill and die for? For Gabriel Blackstone, computer hacker and information broker, the secrets that he uncovers may be more then his mind can contain.

Gabriel has long settled himself into a life as the premier London information broker. He and his partner, Isidore, can crack any system and get anything that their clients need and they rarely get caught. Gabriel lives a life of luxury and doesn't think about his past until he is approached by William Whittington III, a dying London banker who wants Gabriel to find his son, Robert. He seeks out Gabriel on the knowledge of his wife Frankie, who worked with Gabriel in an organization called Eyestorm, a group that used psychic methods to locate missing people. Unfortunately, Gabriel and Frankie were also involved until an investigation went wrong. Against his better judgement Gabriel agrees to take the job which leads him straight to the last place Robert was seen, the home of the Monk sisters, Morrighan and Minneloushe. Gabriel intends to infiltrate the sisters' home and put a plant into their computer systems to track their journal and movements but as he lays his trap the sisters begin threading a web of their own. They have their sights set on Gabriel as a new "playmate" and they won't need magick to seduce him. Unfortunately for Gabriel, one of the sisters is a murderess, but which one? Will Frankie's strength and Gabriel's own psychic abilities be enough to break loose the mystery of who killed Robert Whittington before the hidden witch tears apart Gabriel's mind?

Natasha Mostert's latest effort is a breath-taking piece of gothic fiction. It was incredibly beautiful and centered around the idea of Renaissance memory palaces but took a sinister edge due to one sister's desire to protect the mystery at any cost. I must admit I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out who it was but when I finally figured it out I felt a little stupid. I should have gotten it sooner. This is definitely a page-turner.
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Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Dutton Adult (April 19, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0525950036
ISBN-13: 978-0525950035
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