Kissing Covens Author:Colin Watson When a scantily clad coven of witches and warlocks is discovered on the outskirts of Flaxborough dancing around a brightly burning fire in the reenactment of a medieval fertility revel, it is obvious that some sort of sexual hanky-panky is going on. Yet the following day in the Flaxborough Citizen their activities are reported as an innocent fol... more »klore revival. Not considered news worthy is the mysterious disappearance of one of the "Witches", Edna Hillyard, or the discovery of her neatly folder clothes in her abandoned car. The subsequent routine police investigation for the missing woman uncovers blizzard goings-on in the seemingly quiet little town: Several prominent townspeople are being intimidated with black curses in the form of dead animals and human effigies; a second citizen is reported missing; and an ancient honored bull's mask is found floating in the nearby river during the filming of a TV detergent commercial. Despite what seems to be an evil spell hovering over their loved village, the citizenry remains unruffled and the local constabulary methodically gathers reinforcements to help unravel the string of puzzling events.But the discovery of the fatally gored body of Bert Persimmon, the missing grocery store manager, removes the series of strange incidents from the realm of frightening game of black magic to the deadly game of murder, and the phlegmatic Inspector Purrbright begins a modern witch hunt for a murderer. Once again he is aided by that delightful con artist Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime, who has her own mysterious, if not decidedly unorthodox, sources of information.« less