I have thoroughly enjoyed Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's "Killing" series. However, "Killing the Witches: The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts" disappointed me. While the book is well-meaning and interesting, it lacks coherence. The storytelling shifts gears in a way that confuses the reader about the authors' thesis. What begins as a book casting a revealing light on the late 17th century colonial Massachusetts witch trials in the O'Reilly tradition switches to illuminating the influence of religion in early America. It eventually attempts to lift the veil on modern-day demonic possession and "witch-hunting" in the contemporary American political sense. In short, reading "Killing the Witches" requires the reader to ask to which witch the authors are referring.

After a detailed recounting of the Salem witch trials, "Killing the Witches" takes a detour into the American Revolution and its causes, including disagreement over one of the central issues before the post-war Constitutional Convention, the separation of church and state. What role should religion play in governing, for instance? Should there be a "state religion"? Should religious faith be imposed on the citizenry of a state or all the states? The history enthusiasts among "Killing" readers are grateful for our fill. But an American civics lesson seems out of place at this point in the book and, frankly, this installment of the “Killing” series.

In another unexpected turn seemingly intended to return the reader to the putative point of the book, the history of witch-hunting in America, "Killing the Witches" relates the story of Ronald Hunkeler, a young man experiencing demonic possession in mid-20th century Maryland, specifically Cottage City, a suburb of Washington DC. Hunkeler is the character on which William Peter Blatty's wildly popular novel and 1973 screenplay, "The Exorcist," is loosely based. Without giving the outcome of Hunkeler's story away, the authors do a creditable job of shedding light on Hunkeler's "affliction" in a few short chapters.

There is no question the material covered in “Killing the Witches” is entertaining, particularly the factoids that, true to form, the authors sprinkle liberally throughout the footnotes. But I expected that, like the other books in the best-selling “Killing” series, “Killing the Witches” would contain a thesis, not a theme. Oddly, as in all their books, the authors include a "postscript" midway through the book after thoroughly explaining the Salem Witch Trials. Then, they shift gears and discuss the American Revolution and the religious beliefs of the period's principal characters, ostensibly to tie those beliefs back to the beliefs of the Massachusetts Bay colonists and "real" witch-hunters.

At the end of the book, the authors offer a final “afterword” in which they return to the Salem witch trials, offering an update on the town of Salem. Then, they add an extra “postscript,” this time for the Founding Fathers referenced in the American Revolution section. As is their wont, the authors provide compelling and relevant notes regarding the Founding Fathers' lives after their outsized roles in forming the nation.

To conclude, “Killing the Witches” is three, or arguably, four, stories in one book, and the authors should have packaged it as such. Instead, they attempt to "sell" the reader a continuous story. For example, the book jumps from early Colonial America to the period just before hostilities with Imperial England and its despotic (and Anglican) monarch, King George III. It then imparts a civics lesson with religion as a dominant theme. Fast forwarding another roughly two hundred years, the authors discuss modern-day demon possession and political “witch-hunting” or “social targeting” (evidence-less, ad hominem attacks in the popular media) in contemporary America. The authors’ final digression into "witch-hunting," from the modern American political vocabulary, seems needlessly excessive. More to the point, I found it difficult to see the connection.

The bottom line: Prepare to be confused. While the reader can understand what the authors are attempting to do with “Killing the Witches,” it is easy to get lost in their approach. One can only hope that O’Reilly and Dugard return to their roots, clearly and coherently illuminating a subject or period in American history or popular culture that has gained new prominence in the modern American consciousness.

Disjointed and confusing.

Brand	N/A
Rating	4.5 (5488 ratings)
Price	$0.99
Category	Americas