A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches (#57) by Deborah Harkness is her debut novel, the first in her planned All Souls Trilogy and already I'm impatient because I have to wait until 2012!!!  to find out what happens next.  Ms. Harkness is a history professor, and her attention to researched detail shows to advantage in A Discovery of Witches. 

When the book opens, Dr. Diana Bishop is back at Oxford's Bodleian Library researching her area of expertise: the history of alchemy.  A mysterious manuscript delivered to her reading desk sets off all kinds of mental alarms for Diana.  She's a witch and the daughter of two powerful murdered witches, and she knows that the manuscript is bound by a spell.  She can't wait to get rid of it back to the stacks because she has stubbornly resisted all attempts by the Oxford witches to get her involved in the local coven, or to have anything at all to do with witchcraft.  Her plan doesn't work as the Bodleian steadily fills up with more witches, vampires and daemons, all intent on gaining possession of that manuscript by fair means or foul.

Matthew Clairmont, an Oxford fellow and vampire, begins tracking her movements but is also helpful in blocking other creatures from interfering with her studies.  Is his sole motive gaining access to the manuscript itself?  Or is it possible for a witch and a vampire to develop a relationship?  As Diana's safety is at risk, Matthew takes steps to protect her over the objections of both their families.  The Congregation, a powerful alliance of witches, daemons and vampires, is much too interested in Diana...

This is a hefty page turner full of scholarly references to alchemy, troubadours and mitochondrial DNA and a most satisfying read.  It also celebrates the joys of wine and meals shared with loved ones as it bounces from Oxford to France to upstate New York.  I have put out an e-mail to my friends recommending that they download this book immediately to their Kindles, or grab themselves a hard copy.  They won't be disappointed, and I'll have someone to speculate on what could possibly be coming up in the next two books!