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jmatkinson1's review
4.0
Ross Spooner is an undercover agent working for MI5 when he is asked to look at an unusual case. A German spy has been captured and he is babbling about black magic and another agent has gone insane talking about witches. Spooner is drawn into a world where the Third Reich's obsession with the supernatural is causing chaos, on a more mundane level a spiritualist in Portsmouth is claiming to channel the spirits of dead navy personnel to their families whilst the news of battle is still a secret.
Reading this book it is easy to think of it as a wild extension of 'horror' fiction with a setting in the 1940s. However this is far from the truth as the basis of this book is actually fact. The medium Helen Duncan was the last woman tried as a witch in Britain and the mysterious discovery of a body inside a tree in Hagley Woods is also true. The Nazis were obsessed by black magic and did incorporate those ideas into their espionage policy. Once I realised that the book was a fictionalised account of true events I actually started to enjoy it more and in the end found it quite readable. there is no doubt that Unsworth is a good writer and her research here to find a new angle on a wartime tale is excellent
Reading this book it is easy to think of it as a wild extension of 'horror' fiction with a setting in the 1940s. However this is far from the truth as the basis of this book is actually fact. The medium Helen Duncan was the last woman tried as a witch in Britain and the mysterious discovery of a body inside a tree in Hagley Woods is also true. The Nazis were obsessed by black magic and did incorporate those ideas into their espionage policy. Once I realised that the book was a fictionalised account of true events I actually started to enjoy it more and in the end found it quite readable. there is no doubt that Unsworth is a good writer and her research here to find a new angle on a wartime tale is excellent
softstarrynights's review
I know that I have been very kindly sent this book by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a review, and as a result should be preparing a full review for you guys, but I’m not. I’m sorry to say that at 56% I am DNFing That Old Black Magic, and I feel terrible about it. I thought that the prologue, seance was great, but it was uphill from there. The plot was over saturated, and far too many characters to keep track of. I like to know what I’m getting into, and will track the books progress using the blurb, however I am this far into the book and I still have two years worth of plot until I reach the dead body in the tree. I’m sorry but this confused blend of historical fiction and urban fantasy just is not for me.
steph1rothwell's review
3.0
I have read many crime fiction novels and quite a few spiritualism/witchcraft novels but never one that combines both. That Old Black Magic is a fictional novel that also has elements of fact, the body found in a tree being one of them, along with some characters who did exist. One of them, Helen Duncan, I had never heard of, until she was the answer to a question on a quiz show on TV a few days before I started reading this novel.
It is a book where you really need to concentrate, there are many characters and sometimes I did struggle to see the connection. It also takes place over a few years, the discovery of the body is in the last half of the book. Most of the novel concerns the investigation into Helen Duncan and the spy ring. It was the story around the spy ring that I found the most fascinating.
I loved the descriptions of it all. The spookiness at the seances, the bombed out areas in Birmingham and every body who featured. Minor characters provided a lot of empathy to the novel, talking about how they felt over people dead or those who had nothing left. Spooner was an amazing character who wanted to help his country and he appreciated all that he came into contact with. He showed that he had a heart with even the simplest of actions, such as lending his car.
It is a book where you really need to concentrate, there are many characters and sometimes I did struggle to see the connection. It also takes place over a few years, the discovery of the body is in the last half of the book. Most of the novel concerns the investigation into Helen Duncan and the spy ring. It was the story around the spy ring that I found the most fascinating.
I loved the descriptions of it all. The spookiness at the seances, the bombed out areas in Birmingham and every body who featured. Minor characters provided a lot of empathy to the novel, talking about how they felt over people dead or those who had nothing left. Spooner was an amazing character who wanted to help his country and he appreciated all that he came into contact with. He showed that he had a heart with even the simplest of actions, such as lending his car.
endlessmidnight's review
2.0
If there is anything that didn’t inspire me, it will be this. For something that was supposed to have been mystical, it missed the point.
I didn’t see the reason why the title and the premise was intriguing and promising a return fascinating read but it turned out to be none of those.
The story just took way too long, and I barely even met Clara. I don’t even remember what sort of person she was. Neither do I know what was happening.
The plot wasn’t prominent enough, neither was the characters gripping. It bounced around them, but I never found any one of them were interesting enough.
And this is why I just didn’t like the story at all. It just didn’t attract me at all.
I didn’t see the reason why the title and the premise was intriguing and promising a return fascinating read but it turned out to be none of those.
The story just took way too long, and I barely even met Clara. I don’t even remember what sort of person she was. Neither do I know what was happening.
The plot wasn’t prominent enough, neither was the characters gripping. It bounced around them, but I never found any one of them were interesting enough.
And this is why I just didn’t like the story at all. It just didn’t attract me at all.
riverwise's review
2.0
I’ve really enjoyed all of Cathi Unsworth’s other novels, but this one just didn’t click for me
abiofpellinor's review
4.0
First of all, thank you for NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review. I grabbed this book as it was set in WWII times, no surprise there. However, I didn’t re-read the synopsis before diving into the book so this was all I knew, and lord was I confused! But, obviously, this was all my own fault and I managed to catch up to the gist of the plot by 20-odd% through.
This book engages in the mystical and the unknown, following a Scottish policeman in his work to uncover German spies. He manages to tangle himself up in a world of magic and spirits, with people supposedly speaking to the dead and transferring messages from the other side as well as being part of curious cults (for want of a better word) who terrify and control their members. Essentially this is a very odd book which mixes the occult with British 1940s/50s values and it’s incredibly entertaining.
I was invested in the plot and hooked right to the very end, I absolutely loved the mystery present within the story and how it entwined itself into the fantastical plot and the societal feelings of the times. Our Scotsman protagonist is a great viewpoint for the story, but there are also other points of view dotted about within the book which encompass the story more fully and allow for the reader to gather the gist of events and their relevance to each other.
I whole-heartedly recommend picking this book up if its synopsis intrigues you, as there are so many dimensions to this novel that something is sure to spark your interest! I definitely enjoyed the reading experience.
This book engages in the mystical and the unknown, following a Scottish policeman in his work to uncover German spies. He manages to tangle himself up in a world of magic and spirits, with people supposedly speaking to the dead and transferring messages from the other side as well as being part of curious cults (for want of a better word) who terrify and control their members. Essentially this is a very odd book which mixes the occult with British 1940s/50s values and it’s incredibly entertaining.
I was invested in the plot and hooked right to the very end, I absolutely loved the mystery present within the story and how it entwined itself into the fantastical plot and the societal feelings of the times. Our Scotsman protagonist is a great viewpoint for the story, but there are also other points of view dotted about within the book which encompass the story more fully and allow for the reader to gather the gist of events and their relevance to each other.
I whole-heartedly recommend picking this book up if its synopsis intrigues you, as there are so many dimensions to this novel that something is sure to spark your interest! I definitely enjoyed the reading experience.
sophie125's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
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