The Fifth Petal

I would give The Fifth Petal 3.5 out of 5 stars. What first drew me to pick up the book was the setting – I enjoy historical fiction and wanted to learn more about Salem and the witch-trial period. As a fan of police procedurals I was also intrigued by the murder mystery aspect of the plot. The story was interesting and engaging, and for the most part kept me turning the pages. It was a bit too long; the story dragged in some parts, and could have been shorter without losing any plot. Additionally, while you certainly don't need to have read the first book in the series to understand this one, there are a lot of references to the first book (which I had not read, and therefore the many references made me feel I was missing something rather major). Overall though I liked the characters and enjoyed the unique atmosphere of modern-day Salem. A good read for fans of mysteries with a hint of the supernatural.