Former London journalist Elspeth Reeves is trying to carve a new life for herself in the sleepy Oxfordshire countryside until she's sent to cover the excavation of a notorious local witch's grave.
Three hundred years ago, her name mixed up with murder and black magic, Agnes Levett was hanged and then buried under an immense stone, to prevent her spirit from ever rising again. Elspeth investigates but soon finds there is far more to the old tale than meets the eye, as the surrounding area is rocked by a series of mysterious and brutal murders, all of people somehow connected with the dig.
She and her childhoodfriend DS Peter Shaw race to uncover the truth, but secrets lain buried forcenturies are not easily discovered.
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[Overhead, the crows were circling](TitanBooks, 18 September 2018, ebook, 336 pages, copy from the publisher andvoluntarily reviewed)
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I had high hopes for this book after enjoying thefirst book, Wychwood so much. I was not disappointed. I felt I enjoyedthis book so much because I've read Wychwood so understand what washappening a bit more than someone who hasn't read the first book. I loved theway the characters Elspeth Reeves and DS Peter Shaw develop in this book andreally come into their own. I was completely absorbed in this book from pageone and didn't want to put it down. The book starts with a sort of lull afterthe horrors inflicted by the Carrion King in Wychwood which creates afalse sense of security and it's not long before the darkness returns. Ithought the characters were fantastic. The book is set in a rural area whichoffers a delightful range of oddball characters. These include the old lord ofHallowdene Manor, forced to sell his property and the new owner exhumes a graveand chaos ensures. I also liked the fact the author views ancient witches withsympathy. Agnes is not portrayed as evil; she was a healer who was blamed whenlocals did not get better and killed for it. I look forward to the next book.
