The Witch in the Well: A Catherine LeVendeur Mystery [Paperback]

I am a great fan of Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVendeur series and often recommend it, but found the latest installment to be disappointing. The entire first section of the novel, set at her brother's castle, seemed unrelated to the second part. I did not see the point, other than to encourage Catherine to visit her family's home. The second part of the novel wandered. I found the descriptions of Boisvert totally unbelieveable, and the actions of most the characters incomprehensible. Catherine seemed scatterbrained and unfocused. I won't give away the ending, but I found the last scene to be inconsistent with all the previous books in the series, and unrealistic. The usual afterward connecting the book with actual historical events and places was also missed.

My distinct impression is that there is a good book buried within "The Witch in the Well" but deadlines and a lack of serious editing prevented its creation. However, I have faith in Ms. Newman and look forward to another installment, hopefully better.

This latest Catherine LeVendeur installment reads more like an adventure novel -- what with a family secret to decode and a castle siege to withstand -- than a "straight" mystery novel. Still, there were plenty of mysterious goings on and a murder or two to go around, and the novel was a fantastically absorbing and riveting read.

Catherine and her children are summering at her brother's estate in the country, when brother and sister receive summons from their grandfather, Gargenaud of Boisvert, requesting that all his descendants come to Boisvert at once. Legend has it that the family are descended from a poor but honourable knight who served Charlemagne, and a beautiful "fairy" (Andonenn) who guarded a secret spring -- the spring that feeds the well in the castle keep of Boisvert. The fortunes of Boisvert and that of the family are tied to water flowing freely into the well. But now the well seems to have dried up, and Catherine's grandfather is filled with fear. He believes that if Andonenn's children come to the keep, than the curse will be reversed and the water will flow again. Catherine places little stock in legend and fairy stories. That is until messengers turn up dead, and a mysterious old woman urges Catherine to go to Boisvert before it is too late. Should Catherine endanger her family by taking them to Boisvert? Edgar is all for ignoring the summons, but Catherine has a hankering to see Boisvert again. Also, she's rather intrigued about the legend of Andonenn and the part she is supposed to play in all this...

Strangely enough, in spite of all the mysterious and bewildering goings-on at Boisvert, compared to previous Catherine LeVendeur mystery novels, "The Witch in the Well" lacked the darkness and grim somberness that characterised those installments. But did this make "The Witch in the Well" an unexciting and not very engaging read? To the contrary. From the very beginning I was hooked, and eagerly read on until I reached the last page. I enjoyed discovering more about Catherine's family history, and watching her interact with her siblings. Obviously the inability to get along completely and sublimely with one's siblings is a universal condition. And I enjoyed that Sharan Newman showcased this, while also leaving room for readers to realise that that Catherine, her brother, Guillaume, and her sister, Agnes, all have their good points and not so wonderful points. Fast paced and suspenseful, and full of wonderful historical detail about the period (12th century France), "The Witch in the Well" is a treat not to be missed!

What more can you ask for in a medieval mystery? This is by far the best Catherine LeVendeur mystery! In it we have Catherine and her family going back to the home of her mother because of a summons received by her grandfather. When they arrive they find a castle that is full of her relations, but it is also full of secrets. It seems that no one is telling the truth. Catherine and Edgar, along with her sister Agnes and her ward Margaret, set out to uncover all the secrets and therefore solve the family problems that everyone thinks are being experienced as a result of an ancient curse placed on their family. The book is a page-turner! There is a lot of action going on, and of course a time-constraint as well, since the well in the keep is going dry. Reading this book is like taking a time-flight back to medieval France.