Review: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Title: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Author: Katherine Howe

Pages: 371

Rating: 4.5/5

Connie Goodwin should be spending her summer doing research for her Ph.D. dissertation in American History. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she's compelled to help. It's not long before the time she's set aside for research is instead spent sorting through her grandmother's ancient possessions, discovering a woman she barely knew.

One day, while exploring the dusty bookshelves in the study, Connie discovers a key hidden within an old bible. And within the key is a brittle slip of paper with two words written on it: Deliverance Dane. Along with a handsome steeplejack named Sam, Connie begins to dig into the town's records, looking for references to Deliverance Dane. But even as the pieces begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the witch trials so long ago, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past than she could have ever imagined.

Written by an author completing a Ph.D. in New England Studies, and whose ancestors were accused witches in Salem, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the trials in the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery and discovery (Powell's Books).

Have you ever read a book filled with so much mystery and intrigue that you can't stand to put it down for even a second? That's how this book was for me. I actually grabbed this book on a whim. It was on one of the "hottest books of the summer" shelves at Borders one day when I went to relax at lunch. I was getting sick of reading the same old same old and was looking for a change and thought this might do the trick. I was definitely right in this pick.

I absolutely loved the main character Connie. Watching her discover so many new things about herself was so uplifting and I absolutely love the path that the author set in motion after Connie discovers the old key hidden within an old family Bible. However, despite this, my absolute favorite parts of the novel where the sections where the author takes us back to Salem in the 1600s. This made the book so real, and hit home with me due to the fact that I'm a huge history buff.

I really hope that Katherine Howe continues to write and I will definitely book on the look out for when she does.