That Old Black Magic

This is well written and very odd book - as the narrative proceeds we sense that the usual tensions around the supernatural are further suspended - no one is as they seem to be either - a German spy has been captured after he landed, hurt in a field, dropped by his colleagues. - we soon discover there is a mysterious 'Clara' in his life who seems to link to a covert spying operation in wartime London - our detective tracks her from here to there, meeting more and more sinister characters ... and we are lead to a conspiracy of Germans operating by black magical means to undermine the british government. I somewhat found the trail of the search rather linear, but the ambient is extraordinary and the detective appealing even as he seems to begin to attach himself to the supernatural. - absorbing and well-observed.

This rattled along at a reasonable clip - with a slight lull post one characters demise ... An interesting premise to mix the occult with a WWII chase - works well; and the ending is quite superbly done .. The authors notes at the end also show she has done a fine job with good pointer towards further reading - much appreciated!
Any fan of weird fiction or the occult would probably enjoy this. My only slight criticism is it could have been made slightly tighter if a bit shorter ..

Wow, what an amazing read! All the way through I was on the edge of my seat, eager to find out what would happen next.

Partly based on fact, this book takes the historical fiction genre turns it inside out and then some. In 1943 some boys found the body of a woman stuffed into a tree, within days the now infamous graffiti "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm" started popping up around the Midlands. Rumours have long persisted about Bella's identity and killer and this book puts a noir based tinge on the story.

Ross Spooner is a undercover police detective working during World War 2. Skilled at his work mainly due to his ability to fade into the background, Spooner is looking to track down a German spy ring who have links to the spiritualist community. His search takes him across the country and into the world of mediums and seances, soon crossing paths with the infamous Harry Price.

This is a densely plotted novel with a lot of characters. Events move at a pretty quick pace and as with any spy story there's a fair amount of double crossing so the reader needs to be paying close attention. I recently read Neil Spring's The Lost Village which features Harry Price and I did find myself getting slightly confused at points but that's not a negative towards this book in particular.(The two books really compliment each other in fact so if you like one, I'd really recommend getting the other!) The setting is as atmospheric as they come, 1940s England under a cloud of smog and threat of bombing. It's obviously been thoroughly researched and feels like it could have been written at the time as authentic as the dialogue and setting feel.

Fascinating subject matter and really, really well written. Straddles a few different genres but definitely a must read.

I received a ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

This novel merges fact and fiction, with the storyline revolving around the real life Hagley Woods Murder of 1943 and the events leading up to the 1944 trial of Helen Duncan; a Scottish medium who was one of the last people to be tried under the Witchcraft Act of 1735.

The book begins in 1941, with Karl Kohl parachuting out of a plane on a mission. Landing in England, he breaks his ankle and is quickly caught by local farmers. Detective Sergeant Ross Spooner is recruited by spymaster, Maxwell Knight, to investigate the woman that Kohl was mean to contact – Clara Bauer, a German actress, currently touring British music halls. Spooner grew up in a bookshop, which specialised in mystical works, which is helpful as Kohl was found with a pendant suggestive of devil worship.

What unfolds is a meandering and, sometimes a little confusing, storyline, involving double agents, witches, séances and spymasters. As well as Maxwell Knight, Harry Price (the ‘Ghost Hunter,’ who has also featured in novels by Neil Spring) features and there is a recurring refrain of Lord Haw-Haw’s, “Germany Calling,” which echoes through the book. What saved the novel for me, and kept me reading, is the likeable Spooner, who is an unlikely, intelligent and thoughtful main character. I am glad I persevered with this and hope Spooner appears in future books. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

This is World War Two historical fiction that is a blend of fact and fiction featuring the use of the occult by the Nazis to defeat Britain, spearheaded by Heinrich Himmler, with German spy rings supported by members of British aristocratic circles that want to see the rise of fascism. There are actual historical figures and events in the story, along with thinly veiled characters that represent real people from the era such as Intelligence chief Maxwell Knight. This is a story of the colourful world of music halls, magicians, seances, witches, spells, magic, mesmerists, memory men, spies and the infiltration of this world by the intelligence services. DS Ross Spooner, is a police officer, who has moved to work with MI5, recruited by The Chief to unearth British traitors and German spies entrenched in show business and occult circles with their plans to help the German war effort. Spooner is ideally placed to play this role, given that he grew up in an Aberdeen Antiquarian Bookshop, with a history of a personal interest in the occult and books on the subject.

A German spy, Karl Kohl, is parachuted into the Fens, but breaks his foot and is caught by locals. Kohl is interviewed by the security services, interested in mining him for crucial intelligence. They get more than they bargain for, learning of Clara Bauer, masquerading as a musical hall act under the name of Clara Brown. She is a powerful witch supplying German High Command with vital knowledge that orchestrates their accurate targeting of munitions and aircraft factories and more by the Luftwaffe, in the Birmingham Blitz. Spooner enters the world of showbiz to track down Clara and those close to her, such as Anna, Nils Anders, Nicolas Ralphe, and the powerful wealthy aristocrat, Simon De Vere, a feared man with his ancestral home of Hagley Hall. Spooner finds himself chasing down leads in Birmingham, Manchester and Portsmouth. He gets entangled with subterfuge world of the occult as it seems Clara's murder is accessed by renowned medium, Helen Duncan at a seance. Is she for real or is she a fraud? Spooner finds himself sinking into the supernatural world of magic and spells, such as the hand of glory, encountering famous debunking Ghost Hunter, Harry Price, who has sold to De Vere the most famous grimoire in German history, once owned by Goethe. However, Spooner has not gone unnoticed by the enemy as danger begins to envelop him.

This is a fascinating historical novel that gives us insights on aspects of the Second World War that has often received little attention. Unsworth lets us know at the end that she has personal family connections to this history. She has engaged in some impressive research that has shaped the narrative, providing the bedrock for the compelling and gripping story that unfolds. There is much ambiguity as to the power and truth of the supernatural world, with the strong suggestion that it is not all to be disregarded. I really enjoyed reading this gripping piece of fact based historical fiction, finding it both entertaining and utterly absorbing. Many thanks to Serpent's Tail for an ARC.

I liked the sound of this novel so much, that before it had even arrived I had ordered another of the authors novels. The combination of the ww2 era, jazz and the occult, are clear winners for me! The second world war is my favourite era within historical fiction. I have a passion for jazz music and the occult adds the mystery!

The synopsis sounds amazing and at the point of the black magic themes. I was literally screaming ‘take my money’ to the Amazon page. I thought that the author may use the mystery and intrigue of the themes to provide a vague and mysterious novel. I was totally wrong! The novel has so much incredible detail. Some of the factual characters from history have been re-written. Simon De Vere for example, is heavily based on a real-life person. I clicked straight away the reference and it didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all, in fact it added to it. I found myself wracking my brains trying to spot other potential real-life characters. I think this is very cleverly done on the authors part and there is further explanation in the acknowledgements for the ww2 nerds like myself.

The novel opens in January 1941 at a séance with various practitioners of spiritualism. The performer Helen Duncan starts choking and claims to merely be enacting something that has happened to a spirit, claiming . . .

‘She’s lost out there, away in the woods, in the snow’

Immediately you the reader are propelled right into the thick of the action! The novel moves around the timeline and the various characters. Adding more and more illusion and trickery. But is it?

Karl Kohl is a German soldier tasked with parachuting into Britain. Kohl dreams of being reunited with an anonymous woman. He is a self-confessed coward and his jump is doomed to fail. He finds himself in a farmer’s field, where he is quickly captured and transported to MI5 HQ. But will kohl talk? British intelligence are all ears. . .

Detective Sgt Ross Spooner grew up with parents that ran a rare and antique book shop in Aberdeen. He is quickly seconded by MI5 and ‘the chief’ to assist with the intelligence from Kohl. Kohl speaks of a German agent named Clara Bauer, known in England as Clara Brown and to the Nazi’s as Belladonna. Spooner must locate her and bring her to MI5.

‘I think women are the key to this work. They’ve their own secret networks, away from the world of men’ Ross Spooner

What Spooner uncovers is a case that will challenge everything he believes in and leave him questioning his own sanity at times!
As said above, the novel has brilliant detail. The plot is intelligently plotted at all times. There is a wealth of fascinating characters such as Lady Mirabelle Wynter a former suffragette turned fascist! The settings of séance’s and the ghost club add an eerie, haunting feel to the novel. The creation of fear in an era when it is so readily available!

Illusion and trickery of ww2 with an occult element. 4*

Hi Karen,
My Next review is:-

“That Old Black Magic)”, written by Cathi Unsworth and published in paperback by Serpent’s Tail on 8 Mar. 2018. 368 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1781257272

April 1943: four boys playing in Hagley Woods, Worcestershire make a gruesome discovery. Inside an enormous elm tree, there is the body of a woman, her mouth stuffed with a length of cloth. As the case goes cold, mysterious graffiti starts going up across the Midlands: 'Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?'

To Ross Spooner, a police officer working undercover for spiritualist magazine Two Worlds, the messages hold a sinister meaning. He's been on the track of a German spy ring that have left a trail of black magic and mayhem across England, and this latest murder bears all the hallmarks of an ancient ritual.

At the same time, Spooner is investigating the case of Helen Duncan, a medium whose messages from the spirit world contain highly classified information. As the establishment joins ranks against Duncan, Spooner must face demons from his own past, uncover the spies hiding beneath the fabric of wartime society - and confront those who suspect that he, too, may not be all he seems ..

This World War Two historical fiction is a gripping blend of fact and fiction featuring the use of the occult by the Nazis to defeat Britain, initiated by Heinrich Himmler, with German spy rings supported by members of British aristocratic circles that hope to see the rise of fascism.

There are actual historical figures and events in the story, along with thinly veiled characters that represent real people from the era such as Intelligence chief Maxwell Knight. This is a story of the colourful world of music halls, magicians, seances, witches, spells, magic, , memory men, spies and the infiltration of this world by the intelligence services. Detective Sergeant Ross Spooner, is a police officer, who was moved to work with MI5, recruited by The Chief to unearth British traitors and German spies entrenched in show business and occult circles with their plans to help the German war effort. Spooner is ideally placed to play this role, given that he grew up in an Aberdeen Antiquarian Bookshop, owned by his father and read a lot of books on the occult as a result.

A German spy, Karl Kohl, is parachuted into the Fens, but unfortunately for him, breaks his foot and is caught by the locals. Kohl is interviewed by the security services, interested in mining him for crucial intelligence. They get more than they bargain for, learning of Clara Bauer, who is masquerading as a musical hall act under the name of Clara Brown. She is a powerful witch supplying German High Command with vital knowledge that orchestrates their accurate targeting of munitions and aircraft factories and more by the Luftwaffe, in the Birmingham Blitz. Spooner enters the world of showbiz to track down Clara and those close to her

This is a fascinating historical novel that gives us insights on aspects of the Second World War that has often received very little attention. The author in an entertaining post script lets us know at the end that she has personal family connections to this history. She has engaged in some impressive research that has shaped the narrative, she outlines her debt to the extensive occult writing s of the late Dennis Wheatley who provides a lot of the detailed background to her writing. I really enjoyed this very entertaining but very unusual historic mystery. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review..


Best wishes,
Terry

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but That Old Black Magic ended up being such a skilful blend of non-fiction and fantasy that it had me scrambling for my phone to check up on the events that I was reading about. With witches, mediums, MI5 and wartime England all mashed into one novel, it’s fair to say that this book was stunningly ambitious from the get-go. Unfortunately, combining all the themes into one is a magic trick that doesn’t quite pay off.
The main story plunges us into the life of Ross Spooner, one MI5 agent who specialises in hunting down witches, warlocks and other supernatural nasties, that the government suspects the Nazis are using to undermine the British war effort. And one of those nasties is Clara Bauer, or Belladonna, a German undercover agent who goes missing one day in September… but whose actions spark a chain of events that could have potentially devastating consequences for the country- as well as the medium Helen Duncan, who knows a little too much about things she shouldn’t.
Right from the off, this story plunges you into about ten different story threads, some of which don’t pay off until near the end. From the excellently named occult journalist, Hannen Swaffer, to the would be German spy Karl Kohl, who is parachuted into the UK in the dead of night, there are so many plates spinning that it takes time to wrap your head around all of them- and I found myself periodically checking back to remind myself who was who, and what they were doing! To track down Belladonna, Spooner finds himself delving into the heart of Birmingham’s colourful showbusiness scene, as well as the occult- with disturbing results.
The amazing thing is that so many of the events described are actually real- from the Chief, who is a thinly-veiled Maxwell Knight, to the Hagley Woods murder of 1943, which inspired the entire story, most of it is almost too incredible to be believed- especially the story of Helen Duncan, the medium who was tried under an ancient law for witchcraft because she knew too much about classified information.
Unsworth spins fact into fiction and vice-versa like a master, creating a story that’s intricate, deeply connected and full of the weird and wonderful, especially the characters that live in it. And it’s all tied together by a likeable and flawed central character, Ross Spooner- whom I would have liked to have learned more about, as the story only touches on the basics of his upbringing and desk job. The only problem is that, because there are so many characters, the jumps between them seem abrupt, and confusing- and you lose track of where you are, and makes the story seem a little too long-winded and confusing for my tastes.
Dark, twisting and complex: this is a deeply unusual look into the weird and wonderful during the Second World War. Though ultimately the book was a bit too dense for me, I still enjoyed it immensely- for its subject matter, and for the way in which Unsworth weaves her story around these incredible real-life events. For anybody who fancies something a little different to read, this is it.

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