This book was a little disappointing. I had a hard time following the story line. It’s set in Portland Maine in 1892 and the main characters are Deputy Marshall Archie Lean, Helen Prescott a historian and Percival Grey a criminalist. Grey is part Indian and I think the author was trying to give him a Sherlock Holmes type personality. The story involves the murder of a prostitute by “sticking”, a method of killing a witch with a pitchfork. Archie Lean is under pressure by the mayor to solve the crime with little publicity. A lot of research is involved in finding the Black Book which may prevent more killings. This book , for me, could’ve been shorter and less complicated but others might disagree. If you’re into the Salem witch trials and the history of Portland Maine you might enjoy it.