The Hawley Book of the Dead

A Novel

By: Chrysler Szarlan

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

For fans of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and A Discovery of Witches comes a brilliantly imagined debut novel brimming with rich history, suspense, and magic.

Revelation "Reve" Dyer grew up with her grandmother’s family stories, stretching back centuries to Reve’s ancestors, who founded the town of Hawley Five Corners, Massachusetts. Their history is steeped in secrets, for few outsiders know that an ancient magic runs in the Dyer women’s blood, and that Reve is a magician whose powers are all too real.

Reve and her husband are world-famous Las Vegas illusionists. They have three lovely young daughters, a beautiful home, and what seems like a charmed life. But Reve’s world is shattered when an intruder alters her trick pistol and she accidentally shoots and kills her beloved husband onstage.

Fearing for her daughters’ lives, Reve flees with them to the place she has always felt safest - an antiquated farmhouse in the forest of Hawley Five Corners, where the magic of her ancestors reigns, and her oldest friend - and first love - is the town’s chief of police. Here, in the forest, with its undeniable air of enchantment, Reve hopes she and her girls will be protected.

Delving into the past for answers, Reve is drawn deeper into her family’s legends. What she discovers is The Hawley Book of the Dead, an ancient leather-bound journal holding mysterious mythic power. As she pieces together the truth behind the book, Reve will have to shield herself and her daughters against an uncertain, increasingly dangerous fate. For soon it becomes clear that the stranger who upended Reve’s life in Las Vegas has followed her to Hawley - and that she has something he desperately wants.

Brimming with rich history, suspense, and magic, The Hawley Book of the Dead is a brilliantly imagined debut novel from a riveting new voice.

©2014 Chrysler Szarlan (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Debut Novel extraordinary!

What did you love best about The Hawley Book of the Dead?

I like the style of writing and the story pulls you to be a part of the characters' lives.

What other book might you compare The Hawley Book of the Dead to and why?

I find that The Discovery of Witches, Night Huntress series, Kitty Norville series, and Chicagoland Vampires series do the same by engulfing your mind to live in the book with them.

Which character – as performed by Cassandra Campbell – was your favorite?

I loved Revelation and Jeremy. The great love they share.

Who was the most memorable character of The Hawley Book of the Dead and why?

Revelation, because she is the protagonist and she is a strong loving person. I like the growth she has made in one story.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait until the next installment. Chrysler, don't keep us waiting too long! I adore your book. The narrator is awesome. I love to hear a narrator with great accents and characterizations.

Weak Romance/magical/action/thriller

A book which transcends so many genres coud attract a large audience -- or pick up on the flaws inherent in each. Sadly, this does the latter.
As a romance, it is filled with shallow, pretty people who paradoxically fall deeply and deathlessly in love.
As a magical tale, it has convenient spells and powers popping up whenever the plot needs them, with a logic adjusted after the fact.
Action scenes reek of predictable outcomes.
And chic lit can be so ruminative it bogs down in the heroine's internal process.
The Hawley Book of the Dead does all of these things.
This novel isn't awful, it's just a pleasant diversion, like a B movie, with too many weaknesses.
Readers wanting magical romance should seek "Garden Spells," or "The Language of Flowers." Action fans with a soft spot will like "Reamde" and literary fans seeking magical realism should try "1Q84."
Save "Halley" for a sale book and a sick bed with no real attention demanded, and no value lost if you snooze through a bit..

Good read

I bought this book as a daily feature. It's a great story. The author and narrator are a perfect match. Best Book of the Day yet!!

Couldn't Put It Down

This author penned a story with characters that kept my attention so much I did not want to stop listening. one of the best I have listened to.

Very good supernatural mystery

Although somewhat predictable if you've read a lot of fantasy, still a good mystery. Characters are enjoyable. The secret-keeping of the grandmother is annoying, but I guess if it weren't for that, there'd be no mystery, so I put up with it.

Dissapointing but great narrator !

I'm going to Salem MA this weekend and thought this book would put me in the the mood for there, but it really was not that good. A few good characters, glimpses of what could have been a good story but the way the supernatural was weaved in was just too unbelievable.

Really original!

This was a great layering of crime drama, Love story, magic fantasy. I loved it.

Loved this book!

I decided to read this book because the description said that it was like 'A Discovery of Witches' (loved that trilogy!). This book is of a similar genre for sure. I loved this book from the first chapter through the book's ending! Read this book! You won't be disappointed.

loved all of it.

Cassandra Campbell does an outstanding job with her performance. I was very entertained by the story and how everything fit together.

Almost 4 stars

I hesitated about giving this a 3 star or a 4 star review. It is an engaging story and definitely held my interest. I thought her descriptions of her children and animals to have rich details that brought them to life. I've held back the 4th star because even though this is an enjoyable story, I thought the storyline and plot development could have been a little stronger. It sometimes meanders and is a bit weak on developing a believable magical world. Even in fantasy, it seems to me there should be "rules" about the magic in it. This kind of seemed to meander around and pull ideas out at random.

Still, for an entertaining story it's worth a listen.