Best known for her "Brother Cadfael" series, Ellis Peters (1913-1985) was also the author of thirteen novels featuring Inspector George Felse. Published in 1964, FLIGHT OF A WITCH is the fifth novel in that series.
Annet Beck is a small town girl with unexpected beauty--and when school teacher Tom Kenyon takes a room in her parents' home he hopes she will be drawn to his manly charms. To his dismay, Annet is not interested; to his shock, she suddenly disappears on a hill of ancient ill-repute named Hallowmount. And to every one's surprise, when she returns five days later, she claims to have been gone only a few hours. Is it witchcraft? Or has Annet fallen back on local legends in an effort to conceal her activities? Fortunately, Inspector Felse is on the scene to separate fact from fiction.
Peters often worked with contrived plots, and in her hands they are often quite amusing. The plot of FLIGHT OF A WITCH is in someways typical of her work--but those expecting a mystery will be disappointed, for the novel is less mysterious than merely so much pulp romance, and while there is a murder to be solved it is less a matter of detection than in forcing the truth from the mysterious central character. Although it has its moments, this is very much one of Peters' lesser works.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer