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Sunday, 13 October 2019

True Crime Week: Lizzie Borden

Happy Halloween Readers,

I put out a poll on both Twitter and Instagram asking if you guys would be interested in a true-crime week for Halloween you guys said yes so here, we are. This week I will be looking at Peter Sutcliffe, Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, Jeffrey Dahmer, Aileen Wuornos, John Wayne Gacy and Lizzie Borden.

Our final serial killer is Lizzie Borden, tell me honestly do you think she did it?

As with the other serial killers I have mentioned this week, I am still missing out the details if you really need to know you can do your own research. No copyright infringement is intended the photo is used for educational purposes.

You must have heard the rhyme?

Lizzie Borden took an axe,

And gave her mother forty whacks,

When she saw what she had done,

She gave her father forty-one.

The popularity of the poem is a testament to the public's fascination with the 1893 murder trial of Lizzie Borden. Lizzie was an American woman suspected of murdering her stepmother and father in 1892; her trial became a national sensation in the United States. The source of that fascination might be brutal nature of the crime given that Lizzie was female and young and also the fact the jury's acquitted Lizzie despite the evidence that most historians find compelling.

Let us rewind a little. Before their murders, Andrew and Abby had been living in the humble, Greek-Revival house on Second Street with Andrew’s grown daughters Emma and Lizzie as well as their maid, Bridget Sullivan. Lizzie was popular and engaged in charitable work. Her father, by contrast, was supposedly stubborn and ungenerous as well as exceptionally wealthy and apparently, Lizzie and her elder sister Emma were at odds with him and their stepmother, often over financial matters.

On a Thursday morning, August 4, 1892, Mr Borden left home to conduct his business, leaving in the house, Emma was out of town, staying with friends, on that fateful day, leaving only Lizzie and the maid at home when the murders were committed.

On his return, Mr Borden settled on a couch for a nap. About 11:15 AM, Lizzie discovered her father dead and upstairs his wife’s body was found. Two key facts seemed to rule out a stranger if I’m honest. Firstly, the front door and basement door was locked and secondly, even if the killer had found a way inside, the hour and a half interval between the murders seems odd.

Police found a hatchet in the basement though free of blood was missing most of its handle. Lizzie was arrested on August 11th a grand jury began hearing evidence on November 7th and indicted her on December 2nd.

It was found that Lizzie had tried to purchase a poison on August 3rd, and a few days later she was alleged to have burned a dress in a stove. Bridget, who had also been suspected was reportedly seen leaving the house carrying an unexamined parcel the same night.

Lizzie was arrested and tried for both murders in June 1893 but was acquitted, given the evidence. She was nonetheless ostracized thereafter

People refused to sit near her at church. And children, probably daring each other to tempt the murderess, would ring her doorbell in the middle of the night and pelt her house with gravel and eggs.

Good on Lizzie though despite all this she stayed in Fall River, Massachusetts, until her death in 1927.

Sources

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/lizzie-bordens-irish-maid-witnessed-murders

http://mentalfloss.com/article/81765/how-lizzie-borden-spent-her-life-after-being-acquitted

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/79596-was-lizzie-borden-guilty.html

https://newengland.com/today/travel/massachusetts/lizzie-borden-house/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lizzie-Borden-American-murder-suspect

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-19th-century-axe-murderer-lizzie-borden-was-found-not-guilty-180972707/

https://famous-trials.com/lizzieborden

True Crime Week: John Wayne Gacy

Happy Halloween Readers,

Our first serial killer of the day is John Wayne Gacy also known as Pogo the clown. Obviously, a clown had to work its way in here what’s Halloween without a killer clown. As with the other serial killers I have mentioned this week, I am still missing out the details if you really need to know you can do your own research. No copyright infringement is intended the photo is used for educational purposes.

To many people, John Wayne Gacy was a friendly man who loved to entertain young children by dressing up as Pogo the clown. He was also considered by most to be a pillar of the community.

John was the son of Danish and Polish parents; John and his siblings grew up with an alcoholic father who would beat the children and their mother. John suffered further hostility at school as he was unable to play with other children due to a heart condition.

Despite the abuse, John admired his father and constantly sought his approval. In return, his father would hurl insults at him, telling him he was stupid and acted like a girl (Actual quote sorry). John later realised he was attracted to men, and experienced confusion over his sexuality throughout his life. When John was 7 years old, he was molested repeatedly by a friend of the family. However, John never said anything as he feared his father would find him at fault and as a result would be severely punished.

The first warning signs about John later behaviour showed in 1964 when he was found guilty of sodomizing two young boys. John was arrested and spent 18 months in prison. By the time he was released, John was divorced and decided to move to Chicago for a fresh start.

John worked as a fast-food chain manager before becoming a self-made building contractor and Democratic precinct captain in the Chicago suburbs in the 1970s. John volunteered as the Democratic Precinct Captain in his area. During this time, he threw elaborate block parties and built a solid reputation in his community. and was respected and admired by friends, neighbours, and police officers.

During July 1975, a teenager who worked for John disappeared. His parent’s pleaded with Chicago police officers to investigate John, but they never did. This would not be the last time worried parents asked officials to review John as a suspect, but the pleas fell on deaf ears.

Finally, On December 13, 1978, a search warrant on John’s home was granted. While investigators searched his home and cars, John was at the police station giving an oral and written statement about his activities. When John learned that his house had been searched, he went into a fit of anger well so would you if that’s where you hid 26 bodies under the crawl space and three others elsewhere on his property,

Eight days into the investigation the lead detective went to the victim’s home to bring his parents up to date. During the conversation, a receipt was mentioned. The same receipt was found in the evidence collected during the search of John's house. Further forensic tests were performed and proved John had been lying.

Those closest to John were interviewed by detectives on multiple occasions and John realised it was just a matter of time before the extent of his crimes would be exposed. John began to buckle under the pressure, and his behaviour turned bizarre. But what finally led to his arrest that day was a drug deal that was performed in full view of the surveillance team.

While in police custody, John was informed that a second search warrant of his home had been issued. Some of John’s employees admitted that John had paid them to go down into the crawl space to dig trenches. Which lead the investigators to the bodies during the search of his house.

John was executed by lethal injection on May 9, 1994.

Sources

https://www.ozy.com/flashback/grisly-john-wayne-gacy-the-painting-murdering-clown/94082/

https://www.thoughtco.com/john-wayne-gacy-the-killer-clown-973164

https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/john-wayne-gacy/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Wayne-Gacy

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/john-wayne-gacy

Saturday, 12 October 2019

True Crime Week: Aileen Wuornos

Happy Halloween Readers,

Our second serial killer of the day is also the first woman I am looking at and it is….. Aileen Wuornos. Aileen is the third of the serial killers I am looking at that made an appearance on American Horror Story her appearance was in Season 5 (Hotel). As with the other serial killers I have mentioned this week, I am still missing out the details if you really need to know you can do your own research . No copyright infringement is intended the photo is used for educational purposes.

This post is more about Aileen’s life than her murders. I know there is no excuse for Aileen’s actions however her childhood was traumatic. Aileen’s childhood offers a compelling explanation for why she turned to prostitution and violence later in life. Wuornos's mother, Diane Wuornos, was only 15 or 16 when she gave birth to her, and her father was only a couple years older.

Diane abandoned Wuornos and her brother, Keith when Wuornos was only 4 years old. Aileen’s father was a psychopath and child molester who was incarcerated at the time of her birth; he eventually committed suicide. Aileen found prostitution early in life, trading sexual favours at school for cigarettes and other treats at age 11.

Diane abandoned Aileen and her older brother Keith, leaving them to be raised by their grandparents. Yet Wuornos’s grandmother was alleged to be an alcoholic and her grandfather a terrifying, violent force. While Aileen has claimed that she was sexually abused by her grandfather, who also allegedly beat her. In 1971, Aileen gave birth and put the baby up for adoption. By her early teens, Aileen had spent time at a home for unwed mothers and then dropped out of school and turned to prostitution.

In 1974 Wuornos was imprisoned for driving while intoxicated and for firing a gun from a moving vehicle. By the late 1980s she was a drifter and between 1989–90, Aileen was posing as a hitchhiking prostitute, to snare her victims.

In 1986 Wuornos met Tyria Moore at a bar in Daytona Beach, Florida, and they began an intense romantic relationship that ended just before Wuornos’ final arrest in 1991. Together, Aileen and Tyria Moore sold stolen items at Florida pawnshops. During the investigations, Volusia County police discovered items belonging to one of the victims at a local pawn shop, with a receipt showing Aileen’s thumbprint. Police then managed to trace other stolen items to Wuornos and they traced other items from Mallory's car to people or pawnshops Wuornos had contacted.

By 1990 Tyria had become suspicious of Aileen’s activities and had moved in with her family in Pennsylvania. When Aileen was arrested on an outstanding warrant in Florida, police tracked Moore down and used her to elicit a confession from Wuornos.

It didn’t take long for Tyria to flip on Aileen. In the days immediately following her arrest, Tyria was back in Florida, staying at a motel the police had rented for her. There, she made calls to Aileen in an attempt to elicit a confession that could be used against her.

Tyria acted up a storm, pretending to be frightened that the police would pin all of the blame for the murders on her. She’d beg Aileen to go over the story with her again, to get their stories straight. After four days of repeated phone calls, Aileen confessed to several of the murders. Authorities now had what they needed to arrest Aileen Wuornos for murder.

Tyria got full immunity. However, Tyria and Aileen often talked by phone, and Aileen knew in general terms that her lover had turned as a witness for the state.

She was convicted and sentenced to death for six of the murders and was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002.

Sources

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/aileen-wuornos

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aileen-Wuornos

https://allthatsinteresting.com/aileen-wuornos

https://capitalpunishmentincontext.org/cases/wuornos

http://tonsoffacts.com/30-scary-and-weird-facts-about-aileen-wuornos/

https://crimeviral.com/2018/07/10-tragic-facts-life-aileen-wuornos/

True Crime Week: Jeffrey Dahmer

Happy Halloween Readers,

Our first serial killer of the day is Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster. Jeffrey is the second of the serial killers I am looking at that made an appearance on American Horror Story his appearance was in Season 5 (Hotel). As with Peter Sutcliffe, I am missing out the details if you really need to know you can do your own research (I wouldn’t recommend it). No copyright infringement is intended the photo is used for educational purposes.

Let's get some facts out the way first

He was a necrophiliac
He was cannibal
He mutilated the bodies
He kept souvenirs from the bodies
Killed 17 males between 1978 and 1991
He took photos of his victims

Jeffrey had a normal childhood compared to most serial (wait till the second post of the day Aileen Wuornos) however, as he got older, he became withdrawn and began showing little to no interest in hobbies or social interaction and instead preferred to examining animal carcasses and roadkill and started heavily drinking for entertainment.

If you want a good film to watch about his life before he became the renowned serial killer I would recommend “My Friend Dahmer”. Jeffrey‘s drinking continued through high school but did not stop him from graduating in 1978 and shockingly it was just three weeks later that the 18-year-old committed his first murder. In 1979, Dahmer enlisted in the Army, but his drinking continued and he was discharged in 1981.

Jeffrey was careful to select his victims he picked people on the fringes of society, such as travellers or borderline criminals, making their disappearances less noticeable and reducing the likelihood of his capture. Even today the circumstances of Jeffrey’s crimes are the subject of controversy. People claim that the fact that Dahmer managed to hide under the radar for so long showed police discrimination against homosexual or members of racial minorities as they attached a low priority to the investigation for the victim’s disappearance

Random fact his 13th victim 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone escaped nude and disoriented from Jeffrey’s clutches. When police arrived on the scene there were paramedics, two women who were standing close to the confused boy, and Jeffrey. Jeffrey told police that Konerak was his 19-year-old lover who was drunk, confused and the two had a lover’s tiff. The police escorted Jeffrey and the boy back to Dahmer's apartment!!!! Within hours, Jeffrey killed him!!!!

Jeffrey was charged with 17 murder charges, which was later reduced to 15. He pleaded not guilty due to insanity. The jury deliberated for five hours and returned a verdict of guilty on 15 counts of murder. Jeffrey was sentenced to 15 life sentences. In February 1992, Jeffrey arrived at Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin.

On November 28, 1994, Christopher Scarver beat Jeffrey within an inch of his life with a metal bar and beat another inmate to death with the same metal pole. Jeffrey was found still alive but died on the way to the hospital from severe head trauma.

L x

Sources

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/jeffrey-dahmer

https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/jeffrey-dahmer/

https://www.newsweek.com/today-history-jeffrey-dahmer-infamous-milwaukee-cannibal-was-arrested-28-years-ago-1450563

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jeffrey-Dahmer

https://www.thoughtco.com/profile-of-serial-killer-jeffrey-dahmer-973116

https://www.biography.com/news/jeffrey-dahmer-life-death-prison

https://allthatsinteresting.com/christopher-scarver-jeffrey-dahmer-death

Friday, 11 October 2019

True Crime Week: Richard Ramirez

Happy Halloween Readers,

The second post today we are looking at Richard Ramirez who was also known as the Night Stalker. Richard is the first of the serial killers I am looking at that made an appearance on American Horror Story his first appearance was in Season 5 Hotel. As with Peter Sutcliffe, I am missing out the details if you really need to know you can do your own research.

Let's get some facts out the way first

He was a Satanist
Killed at least 14 people
Attempted to kill five more
While incarcerated, Richard married one of his supporters, 41-year-old Doreen Lioy, in 1996

to say Richard had a rough childhood would be an understatement. To escape his violent father, Richard began to hang out with his older cousin, Miguel, a decorated Vietnam veteran. Richard was heavily influenced by Miguel and. Miguel told Richard about the torture and mutilation he had inflicted on several Vietnamese women, corroborating these stories with photographic evidence. At age 13, Richard witnessed the same cousin murder his wife. Witnessing the shooting turned Richard from a scared, abused young boy into an LSD user and developing an interest in Satanism, which he practised throughout his life.

Richard was arrested for the first time in 1977, at aged 17 for marijuana possession. He soon moved to California, progressing to cocaine addiction and burglary, and cultivating an interest in Satanism. Theft turned to violence with Richard's first known murder on June 28, 1984; the victim was 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, who killed during a burglary in her own home. What followed was a spree of brutal murders, rapes and robberies, leaving dozens of victims in its wake.

For 14 months, Richard travelled all over California, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, murdering and robbing. His victims were both male and female, ranging in age from 22 to 80. The one thing all of the crime scenes had in common was evidence that a Satanic ritual of some kind had occurred.

Random fact I always confuse with Richard Ramirez is that is the house was locked he wouldn’t enter, turns out that wasn’t the case. The serial killer I am thinking of is Richard Chase would try to enter homes at random, but would always leave if the door was locked.

Richard was captured on August 31 1985, after he was badly beaten by East L.A. residents while attempting two carjackings. Richard was formally sentenced to death in the gas chamber on November 7, 1989, and was sent to San Quentin Prison in California to spend the remainder of his days. Ramirez died from B-cell lymphoma at age 53 on June 7, 2013.

L x

Sources

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/richard-ramirez

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Ramirez

https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Richard_Ramirez

https://allthatsinteresting.com/richard-ramirez-night-stalker

https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/richard-ramirez/

True Crime Week: Ted Bundy

Happy Halloween Readers,

Just a quick little note from me before we jump in. I watched the Extremely Wicked film starring Zac Efron, with my friend and bless her at the end she said he wasn’t that bad. After a quick discussion, I filled her in on the details the film missed. I’m not too sure if she still had a high school musical crush or something else, I don’t know. I suppose it’s a good thing but I honestly don’t get the whole he’s handsome thing! Same with Charles Manson (too short sorry not sorry). No copyright infringement is intended the photo is used for educational purposes.

Ted had a slightly messed up childhood his sister was actually his mother and I’ve read that he could possibly be the result of incest I don’t know how solid these claims are of if they are a deformation. Even without the confirmation of incest it must have been life changing to find out your sister is your mother but that doesn’t give you the right to kill people.

I’m not going to go into details but for people who think he isn’t that bad here’s some quick points

He was a necrophiliac

He mutilated the bodies

He visited the bodies multiple times

In my opinion, Ted is the complete embodiment of a narcissist he thought he was Gods gift and used his charm and good looks to take advantage of 36 innocent women whose kindness was ultimately their downfall. Ted confessed to 36 however the exact number of women Ted killed will never be known. Ted had a type he went for attractive students with long dark hair, he would usually approach his victims presenting himself as hurt and needing help. One of Ted's techniques for luring his victims into a false sense of security by putting either his arm or leg into a cast or using crutches.

Ted escaped police custody twice the first time, Ted acted as his own lawyer in the case during a trip to the courthouse library, he jumped out a window and made his first escape. He was captured eight days later. The second time he climbed out of a hole he made in the ceiling of his cell, having dropped more than 30 pounds to fit through the small opening. The Authorities noticed 15 hours later, giving him a big head start on the police.

I know it doesn’t undo all the horrible thing he did but a little random fact Ted helped catch Gary Ridgway aka the Green River Killer

Ted was executed in Florida’s electric chair in 1989.

Little side note I’ve watched too many Ted Bundy documentaries and have used the following sources to fact check.

Sources

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/ted-bundy

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1129251/ted-bundy-netflix-documentary-extremely-wicked-sky-chilling-clue-discussing-murders-spt

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ted-Bundy

https://allthatsinteresting.com/gary-ridgway-ted-bundy

https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/ted-bundy/

Monday, 7 October 2019

True Crime Week: Peter Sutcliffe

Happy Halloween Readers,

Peter is the only British Serial killer I will be looking at the rest are all American. Peter was dubbed the "Yorkshire Ripper" by the press because he killed prostitutes and he mutilated his victims as Jack the Ripper had done before him. No copyright infringement is intended the photo is for educational purposes.

Peter had a typical childhood, aside from some minor hiccups. Peter was a loner and he left school aged fifteen and had a series of menial jobs one that is always pointed out is that he was a gravedigger on two separate occasions in his youth.

Peter carried out his first attack on a woman on July 5, 1975. Throughout his murdering spree, Peter murdered 13 women and viciously attacked seven other victims who managed to survive his violent assaults, leaving them with long-lasting psychological, mental, and physical scars. Many of the people Peter assaulted and killed had been involved in prostitution, and he felt as though he was doing some sort of public service by viciously beating and stabbing sex workers.

From 1979 until Peter's arrest, British police searched more than 20,000 homes with a task force comprised of around 250,000 people to catch the Ripper. Peter was able to get away with killing for several different reasons, including a disturbed man who contacted police, claiming to be the person responsible for the murders. This took attention and valuable resources away from where they were needed.

The man, who was eventually dubbed "Wearside Jack," sent two letters to the authorities and another to a newspaper, as well as a tape, convincing the police he was the person who had committed the killings. Using the information collected from the letters and the tape, officers focused on tracking down a man with a Wearside accent, causing them to eliminate any suspects who didn't have a Northeast accent.

On Jan. 2, 1981, two police officers approached Peter. The check by a probationary constable revealed his car had false number plates and Peter was arrested and transferred to Dewsbury Police Station.

At Dewsbury, Peter was questioned in relation to the Yorkshire Ripper case as he matched the known physical characteristics. The next day police returned to the scene of the arrest and discovered a knife, hammer and rope Peter had discarded when he briefly slipped away from the police after telling them he was "bursting for a pee". After two days of interrogation, Peter finally confessed that he was the Yorkshire Ripper and spent the next day describing his many crimes in detail.

Peter was found guilty on all 13 counts and seven accounts of attempted murder and given 20 concurrent life sentences. Peter spent approximately 30 years at Broadmoor hospital after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1984. Broadmoor is the toughest psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane in England. Sutcliffe is reported to have been transferred from Broadmoor to Frankland Prison (High Security) in Durham in 2016.

L x

Sources

https://listverse.com/2018/03/08/10-twisted-facts-about-peter-sutcliffe-the-yorkshire-ripper/

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/who-was-peter-sutcliffe-and-why-was-he-called-the-yorkshire-ripper-a3939241.html

https://allthatsinteresting.com/peter-sutcliffe-yorkshire-ripper

https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/sutcliffe-peter.htm

https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/peter-sutcliffe

Saturday, 5 October 2019

Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger and Melanie Anderson

Happy Halloween Readers,

Thank you, Jamie and Quirk Book for sending me a copy of Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger and Melanie Anderson

for free in exchange for an honest review.

I know this book isn’t technically witchy but I feeling all the female empowerment vibes from this week and thought Monster She Wrote would fit perfectly. When I was lucky enough to be invited to the MCM blogger brunch by Jamie and this was one of the books I highlighted and set a reminder on my phone for the release date. I also love the cover and the illustrations inside; I honestly love the green going through the book.

Lisa and Melanie want us to know that there are tons of great Gothic/horror/ terror-filled books out there that have all written by fantastic female writers. This is a unique collection of female authors, who have written unconventional stories, and their most prominent works and masterpieces are listed under special categories such as ghost stories, haunted homes, vampires, horror and speculative fiction.

The book is more of a reference guide to acknowledge the hundreds of women authors working in the horror and speculative fiction genres. Lisa and Melanie give a further reading list for those who are interested in diving deeper into the author and authors who are similar. At times the sheer number of books that Lisa and Melanie cross-reference is slightly perplexing but you can’t be mad as it is an outstanding declaration of pride in the history of female authors in a commonly miss assumed male-dominated genres.

Divided into six categories, the authors take us from the 17th century (the founding mothers) up to the 21st century (the new Gothic). This is done fantastically and this was a real joy to read. This book is well detailed and gives a background on each of the authors that are covered. Well researched and given plot details on some of their most famous work. This book did a wonderful job of showcasing the women of horror themselves, It was great to read their life journey and how it shaped the way they write.

The introductions of each group of writers are informative and occasionally amusing, and I like how the book's authors explore the future of the genres as well as break down the notion that these types of stories are solely the territory of male writers. When some of these tales were written female authors wrote under a pseudonym or were expected to create romantic love stories and the delightfully horrific examples in this book display that women can be just as intense and unconventional when it comes to suspense and horror, ghost stories, gore, and murder, violence, and paranormal activities.

This book is a reminder that we should never forget these brave women who push the boundaries of society and dance beautifully around gender roles.

Stay Spooky

L x

Tuesday, 1 October 2019

Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery by Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Sherrilyn Kenyon

Happy Halloween Readers,

Thank you, Sarah, and Titan Books, for sending me a copy of Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery by Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Sherrilyn Kenyon for free in exchange for an honest review.

Today we start the creepy journey to Halloween who else is really excited? Like last year I will be doing a table of content so people can find posts they want quicker. I’ve got so many Spooktacular plans I can't wait for you to see them.

So what book did I pick, I picked Hex Life an anthology of witchy tales. This was such a great book of short stories about witches and witchcraft from some amazing authors. Hex Life is a great collection, and the stories themselves are as diverse as the voices represented within.

I love a good anthology when it’s done right and this book didn’t let me down. The different authors here give us a wonderful range of tales from contemporary urban fantasy, post-apocalyptic witch burnings, historical dramas, noir, slow-burn horror, and revenge. I just think witches are great because they encompass such a wide range of what it means to have magic and this anthology manages to capture that range.

the stories are also from a variety of time periods and are written by authors with vastly different styles but arranged in such a way that the transitions are seamless. This anthology takes the classic tropes of tales of witchcraft and infuses them with a fresh, feminist perspective and present-day concerns even if they're set in the past. Whatever your preferred mode of magic, odds are you’ll find something to satisfy your witchy needs.

Both the authors and their witches are from a variety of ethnicities and cultures, which provides a fascinating insight into witchcraft and folk practices in fiction. These witches might be monstrous, or they might be heroes, depending on their own definitions. Even the kind hostess with the candy cottage thought of herself as the hero of her own story. It’s always good to see strong women at the forefront, in both the table of contents and in the narratives themselves, and Hex Life wins big in both regards.

I honestly loved this anthology and I love witches so this was an easy win for me and I think it will be a good read for anyone who enjoys stories of magic and a great start to get into the Halloween mood.

Stay spooky,

L x