Reviewed by me for Reader’s Favorite.

The Tao of the Viper – A Kate Pomeroy Mystery by Linda Watkins is a supernatural fiction. Legends say that witches used Storm Island as a hiding place in 1600 as they were being executed by the Puritan militia. Among these witches was a very powerful witch named Maude Prichard. The place that she built for her family had a silo. Apparently, this silo would only be visible to the direct descendant of this woman. Kate Pomeroy, who inherited this house after the deaths of her uncle, aunt, and father, is able to see the silo. Holding an M.D.degree and being a doctor, comprehending Science comes easier to her and so she doesn’t quite believe all the legends; however, that would soon change.

Ian Morrison, a very old man by appearance, has something sinister about him. He moves to Storm Island for an important mission and chooses to live with his grandson, Terrance Morrison and Terrance’s wife, Mary Morrison. From the moment he lays eyes on Kate, she feels a shiver down her spine and a sense of recognition. As for Ian Morrison, he believes this chance meeting with Kate is not a mere chance; he considers this meeting as an omen. He chooses Kate’s fiance, Jeremy, to be his next stepping stone.

This mystic old man is not the only one that Kate needs to worry about. Vladimir Sokolov, the man against whom Kate had testified, has managed to break the prison and is now missing. He had promised to dance on Kate’s grave, and it appears he would now do anything to keep his promise. Amongst all this darkness, Kate is having episodes of hallucinations. The time that should have been spent on planning her wedding and honeymoon has to be devoted to planning Kate’s security and tapping into the mystic world of the old man.

The combination of real-world crime and supernatural mystery is absolutely delightful. Change of locks, setting up cameras, etc were the logical solutions to Vlad’s prison escape, but the mystery of the old man had no straightforward solution. It appeared inevitable that Kate would lose Jeremy if she did not start believing in the myth of witches and viper. The author has presented the tug of war between Kate’s logical brain and the resemblance of the legends of the Viper with the old man with perfection. As a reader, I was glued to my kindle to know what was the deal with the old man. He was the meanest old man that I had ever come across in any book. Mary Morrison is one of the side characters, whom I really like. She loved her husband, but she was aware of her conscience. All her efforts to get her husband on the right path were going in vain, but she was not giving up.

The Tao of the Viper – A Kate Pomeroy Mystery by Linda Watkins has the power to hold its readers until the last page. The mystery, both supernatural and Vlad’s revenge plan, is very well-executed. The intrigue never ends and the plot moves at a steady pace. I would recommend this book to the supernatural mystery lovers. The story would keep the readers on their toes until the end.

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