Harm None: A Rowan Gant Investigation

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money
Review: When a woman is murdered in what looks to be a satanic ritual, Detective Ben Storm turns to his one friend that may have a clue as to what is going on: Rowan Gant, a practicing Wiccan and an expert on witchcraft. After looking over the details of the case, Gant quickly realizes that this ritual was not done by a Satanist, but by a fellow Wiccan because parts of the ritual that were used were common Wiccan rituals. However, the rest of the ritual contains Black Magic and Gant fears that this murder may actually just be a practice run for the killer. Disturbed by this fact, especially since the law governing Wiccans is "Harm None," Gant firmly plants himself by Storm's side to help find this killer and prevent further murders.

In the introduction to the book, Sellars states that since this book is in the first person view and since nobody is grammatically correct in the way they think, he had a lot of spelling errors and grammatical errors intentionally placed in the book. Personally, I think that's a load of bull and his editors should have fought against him on this point. The book has an interesting story line but the author just isn't a good writer. There was way too much dialog and a lot of scenes were described in such detail that really wasn't needed. All of this distracted me away from the story line. I might take a chance and try his second book, praying that his experience will help him be a better writer, because he did have a good idea. Would I recommend this book? Nope. There are a lot of books out there that are just so much better.

Rating:
Summary: Yes, Yes, and Yes!!
Review: I was surprised to see so many negative, or on the negative side reviews of this book. I loved almost every page and have ordered all of the rest of Mr. Sellars' books as well.
I love police procedurals ala Patricia Cornwell and I love books with a touch of the supernatural ala the Jim Butcher series. Being able to combine the two just proved to be a delight. Okay so the book could have used some editing but I still loved every minute of it. I just finished this one and am half way through the second book in the series. I intend to read them all and dont intend to quibble over small flaws. I found the writing to be tight, the characters to be likeable and not much wasted time.

Mr Sellars is a good representative of his religion/craft and I found myself asking how likely any of these skills are. But in the end didnt care as I was in it for the ride. And quite a ride it was. Am enjoying digging into the next book in the series and am only happy there are still two more to go after that.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic Wicca & Really good Plotting
Review: I enjoyed Mr. Sellar's book quite a lot. His portrayal of Wicca & Wiccan/Pagan practitioners is wonderful, down to earth & realistic. (And it's nice to see witches as the "good guys" for a change....)
The plot is gripping & Mr. Sellar's has created a core cast of characters that are very engaging.
I do feel that you can see some elements of the "first book" syndrome, however. Some of the story's plotting seems a little out of place, but aside from that, quite a good read.
If you enjoy solid murder mysteries, with a tasty dash of the occult, you should give Rowan Gant's story a read. And then move on to the next books.

Rating:
Summary: Most enjoyable thing I have read in ages.
Review: M.R. Sellars can spin a great story. The story line focuses on a witch that happens to get dragged into a murder investigation by his best friend. Sellars uses as much real witchcraft content in this book without going to far over the top. The characters were full of life and very real. I also liked how he left the ending open for another book. If you get a chance pick it up it's a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding first book.
Review: His characters have true depth. When Sellars is done with you, you are wrung dry with concern for the Gants, their pets, and detective Storm. You honestly feel that you genuinely know the highs and lows of his cast.

An uplifting and enlightening book for pagans and non-pagans alike.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: Harm None is a pagan detective fiction book, with a refreshing twist. The pagan isn’t the detective. He’s a consultant for the police. Not only does is he consulted on the images, but he becomes a spiritual medium that can give the police clues to the murders.

What I find most refreshing about this book is that the author notifies readers at the very beginning that there are intentional grammatical errors, purposely included, because as the author notes, no one he knows (or I know) speaks perfect grammatical English. By no means however should the reader of this review think that the author has made tons of grammatical errors. While I think some of the grammatical errors could be cut down on, I do also think that they do make the speech of the character more believable.

The plot for this book is excellent. The dealings with the police seem to be accurate and at the same time the character of the story is not some omnipotent magi. Rather while the main character is a practitioner of magic, he is nonetheless who acknowledges the need to learn and hone skills as well as how terrifying it can be to have an ability and not necessarily have full control of it. The supporting characters for the story are believable, from the skeptical police friend to the villain. Some of the ethical ramifications of magical acts are also explored.

This is a book that is written from the perspective of a Wiccan practitioner of magic, so some fields or practices of magic are not included or represented. It would be interesting to see how the main character would interact with a chaos magician. Overall though the book is an excellent read, which will keep you up into the early hours of the morning, turning pages and waiting to see what next happens to Rowan Gant. I give this book five stars.


Rating:
Summary: Yes, Yes, and Yes!!
Review: I was surprised to see so many negative, or on the negative side reviews of this book. I loved almost every page and have ordered all of the rest of Mr. Sellars' books as well.
I love police procedurals ala Patricia Cornwell and I love books with a touch of the supernatural ala the Jim Butcher series. Being able to combine the two just proved to be a delight. Okay so the book could have used some editing but I still loved every minute of it. I just finished this one and am half way through the second book in the series. I intend to read them all and dont intend to quibble over small flaws. I found the writing to be tight, the characters to be likeable and not much wasted time.

Mr Sellars is a good representative of his religion/craft and I found myself asking how likely any of these skills are. But in the end didnt care as I was in it for the ride. And quite a ride it was. Am enjoying digging into the next book in the series and am only happy there are still two more to go after that.

Rating:
Summary: Harm none - A Rowen Gran Investigation
Review: Just finished this book (as well as the other ones in the series) and I can hardly wait for the next one to be finished! It's very refreshing to see Wiccans portrayed in such a positive light. Incredible read - couldn't put it down until I got to the very last page.
I will definitely be wanting to read more from this man!

Rating:
Summary: Get a cheap used copy if you feel this is a "MUST READ"
Review: As a fan of the Bast mysteries, I hoped that "Harm None" would be just as fascinating and charming. It definitely wasn't. Although I stayed hooked long enough to finish it, I was disappointed.

"Harm None," the first of the Rowan Gant mysteries, begins with the ritualistic death of a coven leader. Police investigator Ben Storm unofficially requests that his Wiccan friend Rowan Gant examine crime-scene photos because the official police expert does not know what to make of the pentagram and other "occult" evidence found in the murdered woman's home. Apparently, the official police "expert" is incapable of simple Internet searches or is extremely prejudiced against witches because he is unable to interpret evidence that anyone with the most rudimentary knowledge of Wicca would understand. Gant concludes that more murders are likely to follow, and soon joins the police in a race against the clock to catch the killer before he strikes again.

One of the more interesting aspects of the novel is the way Gant uses psychic visions and dreams to solve the murders. He experiences the murders from the victims' perspective, resulting in some of the most disturbing passages in the book. (More on this later.) At one point, the first victim hands him tarot cards in a dream. I must say that this was one of the first times that I have agreed with the meanings that a novel assigned to tarot cards. Too often, authors and filmmakers use tarot as a plot devise to get everyone freaked out over a literal interpretation of the Death card. To his credit, M.R. Sellars even includes several Minor Arcana tarot cards. (For those unfamiliar with tarot, Minor Arcana are equivalent to the suits in regular playing cards. The Major Arcana include the "picture" cards like the Hanged Man, the Empress, the Lovers, etc., and typically are the ONLY tarot cards that appear in readings in fiction or film.)

Psychically experiencing the murders from the victims' perspective was an unusual twist, but this approach made "Harm None" very disturbing. I don't consider myself terribly squeamish. I loved "Silence of the Lambs" and am a fan of the Kay Scarpetta mysteries (whose heroine is a medical examiner). I had a hard time getting through the mutilation details in this novel, however.

Overall, I found the dialogue in "Harm None" stilted and cliché ridden. The police officers seem to spend more time making trite anti-Wicca comments than doing the legwork to solve the crime. The characters more resembled cardboard cutouts than memorable people. Sellars could have done more with Gant's Wiccan wife, Felicity. Mostly Felicity frets over the danger that her husband faces and then insists on joining him in the investigation. Unfortunately, they are no Nick and Nora. Storm, the investigating officer, is a Native American from an unnamed tribe. Sellars apparently made him a Native American merely so that he could make paleface/Tonto jokes part of his dialogue with Gant. His heritage does not make him much more open to alternative spirituality. Among the other stock characters sent over from "central casting" are a nosy TV news reporter, a take-over-the-investigation FBI agent, and some practically faceless Wiccans. The Gant family pets seem to have more personality.

Perhaps the most unsatisfying aspect of the novel was that we never learn what ritual the ritualistic killer was trying to perform. At least in "Silence of the Lambs," we got to see where the twisted mind of the killer was going. Not so here. The horrific mutilations, pentagrams, mysterious phrases, broken mirrors, etc. merely serve as window dressing to doll this mystery up and make it "Wiccan."

If you are truly interested in reading "Harm None," save your money and check it out from the library, or at least by a cheap used copy.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh.
Review: I don't profess to have any kind of skills as a critic. But I do read a lot. And I know what I like. This, I do not like. The characters are boring and flat. The book is preachy. I didn't need a whole chapter dedicated to the stigma Rowan faces as a witch, especially when the chapter was all repitition of facts we all ready knew. I'm really sorry I bought this book!