"Dark Money is a delightful detective yarn but, more than that, it brings to light the terrible . . . corruption of American politics. Highly recommended." ~ Dain Dunstone.
"Insanity Plea ...intoxicating...and nail-biting..."
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Showing posts with label White Witch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White Witch. Show all posts
Check Out These Larry D. Thompson Thrillers at Amazon!
White Witch: " Larry D. Thompson, Thriller Writer amply shows his skill as an excellent storyteller and his expertly voiced narration masterly evokes time and place. There is action aplenty in this yarn as he melds a powerful intricately plotted narrative imbuing it with voodooism, murder, corruption, and Jamaican history."
"Dark Money is a delightful detective yarn but, more than that, it brings to light the terrible . . . corruption of American politics. Highly recommended." ~ Dain Dunstone.
"Insanity Plea ...intoxicating...and nail-biting..."
"Dark Money is a delightful detective yarn but, more than that, it brings to light the terrible . . . corruption of American politics. Highly recommended." ~ Dain Dunstone.
"Insanity Plea ...intoxicating...and nail-biting..."
Feathered Quill Reviews Larry D. Thompson's White Witch
Every country has their own legends they pass down through generations, and the original story that starts each legend probably has some truth to it, but over the years the stories change slightly. The country of Jamaica was no exception, and one of their most well known legends was that of the White Witch. The legend says that she was a ruthless sugar plantation owner who lived over 300 years ago. This White Witch instilled fear in the slaves she owned through cruelty and dark magic. The story goes that she was a priestess who could wield dark magic, and possessed a snake dagger with ruby eyes that she used to kill slaves who disobeyed. Finally, a brave slave decided it was time to rid the world of this terrible priestess, and he killed her. Unfortunately, he lost his life in the struggle as well, but gave specific instructions to four other slaves on how to bury her body so that her soul would never return from the grave. However, these men were spooked by the recent events and did not follow his instructions, and legend has it because of that the White Witch has been free to haunt the island ever since.
Meanwhile, the slaves began to create a community in the rainforest, calling themselves Maroons. Over the years they fought off the Spaniards and then later fought against the British. Using guerrilla warfare tactics, the Maroons were successful in their efforts and the British began to realize that fighting the Maroons in the jungle was a losing battle for them, and they were not truly interested in the rainforest anyway. A treaty was struck between the Maroons and the British saying that the Maroons owned the land, and they would have control of it for as long as they wish. Now, 300 years later a mining corporation is threatening to build a mine in the middle of this Maroon country, and it may be time to fight for their land once again.
When Will Taylor came to Jamaica he had no idea about the stories surrounding the White Witch legend - he was there to do his job and that was it. He was hired as head security for a large mining company call Global American Metals, and it was his job to make sure all employees of this company stayed safe. With the background of a Navy Seal, he was ideally suited for this job and did it well. However, when he arrived on the island he could not shake the feeling that this job would be much more difficult than originally thought.
His intuition turned out to be right as within a couple days of being there a Global employee was found dead, and it appeared to be no accident, it was murder. Whisperings that the White Witch has returned spread through the island, but Will did not believe in this superstitious talk. He knows there is a living, breathing human who is behind the murder and he plans to discover the truth. As he begins to look for clues, he realizes he is a little out of his element. Soon another employee is found dead, but still there are no leads on the murderer. Before it is over Will gets some much needed help from a local Maroon and comes face to face with the dagger of the White Witch.
This book put together such a wonderfully entertaining array of characters that I found myself loving every page. It was more than just a murder mystery - it also had action, superstition, and romance that were all beautifully combined to make a great read. Author Larry D. Thompson did a wonderful job of bringing the emotions of each character to the forefront, and I felt as if I was right there beside them throughout this story.
Quill says: White Witch combines all of the best things I love about reading!
To learn more about White Witch, please visit the author's website at www.larrydthompson.com
Fundinmental Review: Voodoo Magic in White Witch by Larry D Thompson
I began reading this delicious novel about voodoo and Jamaica and I couldn’t help but think of James Michener. Granted, James went much further in his historical novels, but Larry gave him a run for his money in White Witch.
We begin in 1812 Jamaica. Annie Palmer is not only a sadistic plantation owner, she is a black widow. She mates and she kills. She is an Obeah priestess, the White Witch.
I love the Caribbean. It is my favorite travel destination. To me, nothing compares to the raw beauty and power of the islands. The mix of the old and the new draws me into the mix of the tumultuous world of voodoo and bauxite mining, greed and history will be bumping heads in a big way. For some reason, lately I have been reading a lot of books that deal with mining…and it is never in a good way. Is it a current theme in the publishing and writing world? No matter, I am eager to begin.
Will is rough, tough, a o nonsense kind of guy. Right off you know better than to push him too far. He’s a decorated Seal and he’s head of security for Global American Metals. I start off not liking the guy. Can he redeem himself in my eyes? We shall see.
He’s sent to Jamaica to smooth the ruffled feathers of the Maroons, who have plenty to say about the strip mining of their tropical rain forest.
A tropical rain forest, an unhappy nation of Maroons, a curse, voodoo, and now a dead body. Let’s rock!
All the ugliness of corporate greed rears its ugly head. The only reason I am not super ticked off is because I believe the destruction of the rain forest, at least if Annie has anything to say about it, will never happen.
It takes a novel like this to make some people think about the environment, let alone a rain forest. I love when novels contain important elements of real life, making them more believable.
White Witch by Larry D Thompson is so much more than what I was expecting. The twisting and turning, the mystery and danger, the tension and suspense kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning. I love when an author can incorporate fact and fiction with a little mysticism into an adventure that makes me see an exotic tropical island in a new light. I knew some of Jamaica’s history from reading and visiting this world tropical paradise. That makes it easier to get lost in the story.
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Five Star Review for Larry D. Thompson's White Witch
I have read 2 previous novels by this author, known for his legal thrillers, DEAD PEASANTS and THE INSANITY PLEA, and have been anxiously waiting for his latest book, WHITE WITCH, which has a bit of a different spin that I absolutely loved.
Will Taylor, VP of security for an international mining company, finds himself dealing with more than your average security. Set in the rainforests of Jamaica, the settlers and owners of the land will fight to keep the mining company out. Will soon finds out that there is much more going on. Is it pure legend or is there truth to the Voodoo stories associated with the land.
What could go wrong on this tropical island? Co-workers and officials are being murdered? Why and by who? Could ghosts of the past have something to do with the killings? And who’s side does Will align himself with when the owners of the land sue his employer?
This was an exceptional read!!!! Not only was the story intriguing, so was the history of Jamaica. The way the author weaves his legal expertise with the history of the island makes for a compelling read! This novel was well worth the wait! Fantastic!
Highly, highly recommend!!!
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A Bookaholic Swede Reviews Larry D. Thompson's White Witch
I must say that White Witch is a truly interesting book that started off great with a flashback to Annie Palmer tyranny before the story turned its focus on the present time and the Maroons struggle with an American aluminum company that is after their land. For someone like with pretty little knowledge of the history of Jamaica was this book awesome to read. I love getting to know the history of the Maroons, how they fought both the Spaniards and the Englishmen for their freedom and won. Now they once again have to fight against a powerful enemy, a company after their land.
The beginning of the book really made it out to be more of a horror book than a thriller with a lot of strange things going on. I would have loved it to be more of a horror book than a thriller actually. Still, I found the plot to be interesting with murders being done with snake daggers, the same kind that is said that Annie Palmer, the White Witch, had used to kill with.
I also liked how ex-Navy SEAL Will Taylor and his team more and more realized that they are working for the wrong side and I liked this change and what it brought on as Will and Vertise Broderick, a journalist who is also a Maroon decides to hire an attorney to fight for their cause in the court. The question is will they be able to prove that the land is the Maroons?
White Witch is a book that gave me a lot in return. I got an interesting story and I also gained some insight into the history of Jamaica and the Maroons.
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A FIVE STAR : STARRED REVIEW for White Witch: Larry Thompson
Will Taylor is brought to Jamaica in order to help her boss Alexa Pritchard the President of a ruthless American Aluminum Company create a bauxite mine and destroy the Jamaican Rainforest. Will as head of security of this company his goal was to deal with the Maroon Nation’s people descendants of escaped slaves over 300 years ago. Global American Metals is the company and as you get to know Alexa, her treatment of those working for her you the reader will decide just how ruthless and deadly she is and what will happen if she wins.
The Maroons were escaped slaves and they ran from their Spanish-owned plantations when the British took the Caribbean island of Jamaica from Spain in 1655. Cimarrones is the Spanish word for Maroon meaning mountaineers. They ran to the mountainous areas of Jamaica where it was hard for their owners to follow and catch them creating their own independent communities as free people.
Will did not come alone but he and his team would face great resistance from the locals and the Maroons. Violence and deaths would ensue before all was said and done and the vital issue as to whether they Global will be stopped will cost lives. Rodney was a computer geek, Manny and Kaven made up the rest of the team. Alexa Pritchard was ruthless, unfeeling and wanted her staff at her beckon call. Dealing with her you wonder why Will or anyone else bothered as he rules and requirements went above and beyond corrupt as she bribed people in order to get the permits needed to create the mines and bring in her men. Arriving in Jamaica on Cudjoe day to celebrate the anniversary of the day the Maroon Chief signed the treaty with the British. If Global Medal succeeds then the rainforest will be destroyed and plant life and more won’t exist but they will rake in billions.
History relates that slaves arrived from Africa to work on the plantations increasing their population on Jamaica. When any slave dared to try and disappear and manages to find themselves in the mountains and joined the Maroon communities as long as the White Witch or Annie Palmer didn’t get to them first. Battles between the British, the Jamaican Government hoping to stop and defeat the Maroons, as they were a treat to their government. But, this war was about who owned the land and the Maroons claimed to own 150,000 acres as far as the eye can see whereas the treaty stated 1500 and Global Metal was going to fight to the finish to get their mines completed at all costs.
As we get to know Will and his team we realize that there are many who want to stop them at every turn. Kaven falls prey to an old friend who warns him that he’s in danger and should carry a gun. But, as the head of detectives Harper relates anyone found with a gun will wind up in gun court or worse. He is the chief engineer and when the Maroons begin their protests against Global Medal he is forced to helicopter to their site and hopefully reason with them but things get violent and he barely makes it out as the tensions build and the inevitable has yet to occur.
Colonel Rafael Broderick is the man in charge of the Maroon Nation and when things got out of hand and the police had to rescue Kaven what happens next would shake both the Maroon communities and the Jamaican. No one was safe from the wrath of Alexa who abused her employees with verbal insults, long hours and expecting them to adhere to her wants and needs even if they were illegal. When Kaven winds up dead and the investigation points to the Maroons things get tense and another person comes into view, Vertise Broderick who works for the local paper and has been stirring up more hype to try and stop Global but will she succeed?
Annie Palmer is thought to have been buried in on the grounds of Rose Hill. According to local lore that states her tomb was supposed to be sealed with a voodoo ritual, but it was never completed. Throughout the novel you will find that events happen that will lead you the reader to believe as some of the characters do that she rises up and roams free at Rose Hall. Added in some claim to have seen her ghost riding her horse around the plantation as if she is looking for her next victim to kill or even someone to replace the husband or slave she killed.
While Kaven’s murder is investigated someone goes after Rodney who has too much to drink and someone offer to take him to his room but his life is in danger and he winds up in critical care in the hospital. Added in Alexa could care less about him and it’s at this point that Will and Vertise join forces, more articles come out in the paper and with the help of her father they form a plan to take on Global as soon as he resigns. Alexa is ruthless, cruel and self-absorbed and not in the best health as she is told she might have been cursed by the White Witch. However, her actions speak even louder than words when Will, Vertise and the Maroon nation decide to sue Global and take her on. The matter in question is the Treaty signed by Cudjoe and the British and the fact that the amount of land is off by some zeros, the signature or X that Cudjoe signed on several documents needs to be authenticated and the fact that the treaty was never ratified seems to be the primary argument of the other side.
Author Larry Thompson shares the history of the battles, the Second Maroon War and the 300 Maroons in Trelawney Town that held out against 1500 troops and 3000 local volunteer troops. The fighting lasted five months and the Maroons were undefeated and that is when they were offered a treaty. This was not over and the Maroons were arrested against the peace agreement they accepted and sent to Nova Scotia and then to Sierra Leone, West Africa. As in the book Leonard Parkinson was one of the leaders of the Maroons and the local police put a price on his head dead or alive. At this time he was known as the Captain of the Maroons.
Getting to know Broderick and Vertise we learn more about the history of the Maroons, the treaty and the fact that they hired Matilda Massengale a tough lawyer born and bred in Jamaica to take on Global Metal. The pretrial generated a lot of publicity but when Colonel Broderick was killed by a sniper things get more intense and just who was behind the death you can only predict. Thinking it was over and that since he was the custodian of the treaty, Alexa thought she won but never underestimate Vertise as her father took care of that and she would be the new custodian of the treaty and take on the role of being in charge of the Maroon Nation.
The trial of the century you might say as Matilda enters the courtroom and Justice will be done she says. Colonel Broderick is an imposing figure but when he’s gone and Vertise takes over the reigns Pritchard goes full blast with Thomas and Henderson thinking she has brought in the big guns until they get to know Matilda. She is strong, does not falter, waver and her questioning skills are better than most lawyers that you deal with today as author Larry Thompson brings his expertise as a lawyer into play and the questions and courtroom scenes are vibrant, vital and interesting. The judge on the case is fair-minded, listens to both sides and definitely no nonsense.
Judge Lancaster listened as evidence was presented that the treaty only allotted the Maroons 1500 acres but the Henderson tried to prove that the documents did not deed them this amount and the witness’s comments about Cudjoe indicating there are several typos in the treaty but it was probably 100 years before there was a custodian who could read or write. Cudjoe could do neither. But, this took place before Broderick was killed and while he testified. Randy Bailey was the expert that appeared and defused everything the other side said about the treaty and was able to authenticate each part and each document even though Henderson and Thomas thought their witness would change it all. Just what the outcome is and the startling verdict as author Larry Thompson takes us deep inside the anger, minds and revenge that the Maroons wanted to inflict on Alexa Pritchard win or lose. Just who was responsible for all of the deaths, the destruction and the equipment falling over the cliff and a train blowing up? Was it Global, the Maroons or both? The ending takes Vertise inside the mind of the White Witch as the final dagger is in question and the end result of where it winds up will shock you. Remember Kavan died at the hand of one dagger and someone else the second. When Vertise decides with some of the Maroons to take matters in her own hands where the Third Dagger winds up with its gleaming ruby eyes you won’t believe. Who is the reincarnation of the White Witch? The finale is vividly described, the traitors are revealed as one side wins and the other side learns the power of Annie Palmer, Vertise Broderick and the Maroon Nation: Which side? Find out when you read White Witch but beware: Annie is watching your every move!
Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ magazine
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