As the title suggests, this book doesn't fall into Piccirilli's sweet spot of crime noir or pulp fiction. Instead it has witchcraft at the heart of the story. Actually, if I'm going to use a body part as the analogy, then witchcraft would really be the blood. It weaves between the different elements and characters in the story. HEXES is similar to Piccirilli's A LOWER DEEP but based more in the real world.

When Matthew Galen departed his home in Summerfell five years ago, it was sudden and unexpected; an action that left his friends feeling abandoned. Now he is returning to help his best friend who is in a hospital for the criminally insane. He is returning because people have been disappearing and Matthew knows why, if not who. He is returning to face the truths and the demons that he left behind.

It might sound a bit over-dramatic but it kept with the feel of the book more than "a witch returns to his hometown to discover who is killing people." In fact, the visuals and feel of the book, the wording and the music, the poetry, are a big part of the book. Not in an obvious "this is a poem" type of way. Instead its the emotions and feelings that are drawn out by the wording. To be honest, it was kind of a detriment too. Every interruption would pull me out of the visuals, out of the emotions. I felt like I should have been enjoying the book on a deeper level. And I was! But not whenever I was interrupted and pulled out. I imagine the optimal reading spot would have been in a quiet room where I could also go back and re-read some passages to be pulled into the story more. The book is a must if you are a fan of Tom Piccirilli but if you haven't read anything by him yet, go try THE COLD SPOT first. ( )