Grave Errors
The day after Halloween brings a slow return to normal in Salem, Massachusetts. Just when the holiday approaches, Lee Barrett’s TV production class suggests extending the spooky season with a traditional Mexican celebration Dia de Los Muertos. Unfortunately, not all of Salem’s dead are resting in peace; some may even be hanging around in the cemetery the class chooses to focus on.
Lee and her class experience a few haunting graveyard visits. When one of her students asks her to help solve a murder, Lee and her boyfriend connect the crime to an unsolved missing person case. Lee’s psychic visions heat up; Lee uses her shrewd cat, O’Ryan to find the evidence needed to close the cold case before she ends up joining the ghost community forever.
Series: A Witch City Mystery – Book #5
Author: Carol J. Perry
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Holiday
Publisher: Kensington Books
Rating:
Carol Perry’s, Grave Errors, the fifth book in her “A Witch City Mystery” series is filled with everything a reader would expect from a series set in Salem, Mass. Witches, Ghosts, and murder combine to make an intriguing plot. Lee Barrett returns to investigate another murder mystery, only this time she has to convince her boyfriend, and everyone else that a murder took place.
Grave Errors has a unique premise that allows the reader’s imagination to run wild. The characters are believable without being caricatures. All of the characters have quirks and idiosyncrasies, allowing the reader to learn more about them as they revisit the characters in each new book. Lee’s aunt, Isobel, is still a favorite character but does not play as significant a role in this book as she has in the prior volumes.
The setting of Salem is the perfect location for murder and ghosts. The historic nature of the Salem Witch Trials is also the ultimate setting for magic, witchcraft, and the main characters’ newfound abilities to develop. Visions abound each time Lee looks at any shiny surface, and in particular the photo of the black shoe hanging on a wall behind her desk.
Salem’s old cemeteries are filled with myths and legends of the dead. However, the use of one of those legends in this book lends credibility and entertainment with a twist of history. The story of Giles Corey is real. Mr. Corey was accused of witchcraft as was his wife Martha during the Salem witch trials. After he was arrested, Corey refused to plead guilty and was subsequently executed by pressing. Pressing entailed the use of large rocks and boulders piled on top of the accused to restrict movement which crushed the victim’s lungs and vital organs. Corey’s execution is the only example of this method being used in American history. Mr. Corey never gave in or admitted to the crimes for which he was accused. He died two days later after enduring horrendous torture.
In Ms. Perry’s book, she embellishes some of the details of Mr. Corey’s death, but the location in which it took place could well be accurate. The execution is believed to have occurred in a field adjacent to the prison where Mr. Corey was held. The area later became the Howard Street Cemetery, which opened in 1801.
The plot and use of history throughout this story make for an enjoyable and entertaining read. Readers will be anxious to turn each page to find out who the murderer is and whether or not old Giles gets his revenge once again. Grave Errors is highly recommended to readers who love paranormal, witches, and history.
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