Sarah Willis, a teenager, was reported missing to the Medford police by her father. When Greg Willis decided the authorities were dragging their feet, he hired private investigator Tom Casey, better known as Hawkman, to find his daughter. Since Greg and Cathy Willis had been divorced for a year, Hawkman found it a bit difficult to combine the information and decided to have Sarah’s belongings brought to his office, much to the dismay of the mother.
When Hawkman began to dig into Sarah’s personal items, his wife, Jennifer, convinced him he didn’t understand the workings of a young girl’s mind, and needed her help. As they dug into the inner parts of Sarah’s computer, diary and notes, they discovered some disturbing facts which led them to a ranch in the Medford hills.
Hawkman investigated the piece of property and the owners happened to be Darek and Lea Thompson, a wealthy family with a teenage daughter, Brenda, who attended the same high school as Sarah, and another reported missing girl, Patricia Riley.
After Hawkman interviewed people surrounding Sarah Willis, and gone through the books found in her room, he felt some sort of witchcraft played a role. The more he spoke with Brenda Thompson’s boyfriend, Jerry Olson, he came to the conclusion the Thompson family had something to do with the girl’s disappearance.
Time became an essential commodity, as Hawkman sensed something bad would happen if they didn’t search the ranch as soon as possible. Lea Thompson had forbidden him to set foot on any of their property. He tried to call Detective Williams of the Medford Police Department for assistance, only to discover he was out on a serious case, and couldn’t be reached. Hawkman left an urgent message, then he, Jennifer and Greg Willis took the chance of getting arrested, and entered the Thompson property without permission. What they found was shocking.
Praise and Reviews
THE LURE OF THE WITCH
Betty Sullivan LaPierre
Mystery
When 16-year-old Sarah Willis goes missing, her father turns to Tom Casey, aka Hawkman, to find her. Casey has a reputation for solving even the toughest cases that come through the door of his private investigation business. This could be his most important case so far.
Greg Willis and his wife have been estranged for some time, devastating young Sarah. She has expressed her unhappiness to her friends recently and now Hawkman thinks she may have run away of her own accord. As he delves deeper into the circumstances surrounding Sarah’s disappearance, he finds some things that don’t fit. Her friends, for instance. It’s true, their stories all match. In fact, they match too well. Hawkman can sense a cover-up among even the most professional of agents, so a group of naïve teenagers hardly has a chance of putting one over on him. But convincing them to spill the whole truth is another matter entirely. Sensing his frustration, his wife Jennifer comes to his aid. She has a little better handle on how young women think. With the two of them teamed up, Sarah is sure to be found. But it’s a race against the clock.
As it begins to look like Sarah left by choice, Sarah’s father redoubles his efforts to find his daughter. He will help Hawkman and Jennifer in any way he can. But the former Mrs. Willis can’t seem to look beyond her own pain. She is offended at Sarah’s voluntary departure, as though it’s a personal affront. She and the mothers of Sarah’s friends do little to help the search, even hinder it in small ways. They don’t understand that time is running out.
Full of the agonies of the high school years, with their growing pains and rampant hormones, LURE OF THE WITCH takes its readers on a wild ride. The kids of the small Southern Oregon town where Sarah grew up are mostly your typical students: Jocks and cheerleaders, wallflowers and the popular kids, nerds, brainiacs, and overachievers. But even that early in life, there are predators among them. Hawkman and Jennifer fear that Sarah has fallen prey to an especially sinister one. One with a score to settle. With a growing sense of urgency, they ratchet the pressure up while still trying to avoid a panic, because scared people are dangerous people.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
