Book Review

Title: "Water Witch"

RATING: 5 Scarab

Author: Deborah LeBlanc

Reviewer: Dayna Winters

Pages: 290

Publisher: Leisure Books

Water Witch (ISBN-13: 978-0843960396) is a 290 page, fiction paperback book by Deborah LeBlanc released by Leisure Books in September 2008. The horror book shares the story of Dunny Pollock, a protagonist with special psychic abilities which have caused others to dub her as a Water Witch. Dunny struggles most of her life to hide her ability from unscrupulous individuals that would otherwise seek to take advantage of her gift: she possesses the ability to find lost objects with an additional digit on her left hand which she possesses from birth via dowsing methods. Yet, after being contacted by her sister, Dunny is drawn into a situation involving two abducted children, a young girl and boy, in the Bayou of Louisiana which will force Dunny to use her gifts in an effort to find them before it is too late. Dunny has no idea that the children have been taken for supernatural purposes and that she will eventually come face to face with Olm, a Pawnee Indian seeking to gain power and knowledge from Tirawa, a spirit world god via unethical, ritualistic means. Olm’s psychological instabilities and Dunny’s supernatural powers make for an exciting tale that slowly unravels to reveal an unforgettable, climactic ending.

LeBlanc captures the reader’s attention from the very first sentence in the first chapter and draws the reader into the book quickly with exciting depictions. She writes fluently and the reader has no problem whatsoever when it comes to suspending one’s disbelief and entering into the fictive dream-state. LeBlanc artfully stirs the reader’s desire to either empathize with a character or at least try to understand the motivations of a character in the text. LeBlanc has a writing style that ebbs and flows like turbulent waters until the final moment when the tale comes to a crescendo of excitement: this style literally compels the reader to continue on until they have reached the memorable denouement of the tale.

This book is ideal for readers that love a good mystery or for readers that enjoy stories with supernatural elements. Horror fans will also not be disappointed. Teens and adults can appreciate the work, and the book will leave the reader wanting to read more of LeBlanc’s books. Fans of works offered by Stephen King, John Saul, and Dean Koontz will definitely find great interest in LeBlanc’s offerings. A perfect book for those seeking a hair-raising, spine-tingling tale: one filled with twists and turns and surprising outcomes. Warning: if you do not want to be up all night reading this book, start the book early in the morning; you are not going to want to put it down!

Deborah LeBlanc has written several fiction books including Grave Intent, A House Divided, Family Inheritance, Morbid Curiosity, and Five Strokes to Midnight. This author does a remarkable amount of research in order to skillfully weave truth into her fiction thereby making her tales far more believable. This author is also a strong promoter of literacy, which definitely makes her a preferred offer on this writer’s reading list. Water Witch is definitely highly recommended for horror fans, mystery fans, and fans of paranormal tales or for anyone looking for a great book.

For full biographical information on Deborah LeBlanc and all of her fiction books you can visit her official website. You can also tune into a live interview conducted with the author on ISIS Paranormal Radio conducted in July of 2009.