Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Widdershins
SERIES: Whyborne & Griffin #1
AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 226 Pages
BLURB:
Some things should stay buried. Repressed scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has two skills: reading dead languages and hiding in his office at the Ladysmith Museum. After the tragic death of the friend he secretly loved, he’s ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man. So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons following the death of his partner, hoping to start a new life. But the powerful cult which murdered Glenn has taken root in Widdershins, and only the spells in the book can stop them. Spells the intellectual Whyborne doesn’t believe are real. As the investigation draws the two men closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. When the cult resurrects an evil sorcerer who commands terrifying monsters, can Whyborne overcome his fear and learn to trust? Will Griffin let go of his past and risk falling in love? Or will Griffin’s secrets cost Whyborne both his heart and his life?
REVIEW:
Love, love, love, love, LOVE this book. I’ve almost clicked on Amazon 1-click several times in the past, but was frightened off by the historical romance aspect of the book. A friend recently asked if any of the rest of us could take the book and review it. I am so happy I did.
In the book we are introduced to Dr. Percival Endicott Whyborne, a philologist who speaks 13 languages and reads several others. He works in a museum in a town called Widdershins, Massachusetts, a town founded by individuals who ran away from the Salem Witch Trials before they could be prosecuted. Dr. Whyborne hides himself away in a basement office well away from his co-workers. He comes off as quite shy and withdrawn. His only semi-friend is one of his coworkers, Dr. Christine Putnam, a female anthropologist in the days when females were supposed to be home, not off in Egypt discovering ancient pharaohs.
Whyborne is dragged into a mystery when he is introduced to Griffin Flaherty, a former Pinkerton Detective, now in the employ of one of the museum’s trustees. Mr. Flaherty is investigating the murder of the trustee’s son and the only clue is a book written in some sort of code. Whyborne is directed to work with Mr. Flaherty on deciphering the book to try to solve the murder.
Whyborne is instantly nervous because the man, who insists on being called Griffin, is very good looking, and Whyborne is secretly a homosexual. The story weaves the facts of the times, and the illegality of homosexuality, then thought of as a mental disorder, into the story.
I was captivated from the first line, “I was late for an appointment with a dead man.” The story was fast moving, involved all manner of evil beings from the resurrected dead, to strange monsters created from human body parts and the parts of animals, to evil businessmen. I particularly enjoyed that the author used the mummy and evil god characters created by H.P. Lovecraft for the characters in this book.
Whyborne and Griffin have several adventures, battle evil beings and get VERY well acquainted during the course of the book. For greater details, buy the book and read it. You will be hooked. As soon as I finish this review I’m off to download Books, 2,3,4 and 5!
I am rating this book a 5.0, because I was beyond merely loving the book!
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Great review! I’ve had this on my kindle for a while and keep bumping it because of the historical aspect as well, but it is on my list for Halloween reading this month.