Waking the Witch is the eleventh book in the Women of the Otherworld series. It is narrated by Savannah Levine.
Synopsis[]
The orphaned daughter of a sorcerer and a half-demon, Savannah is a terrifyingly powerful young witch who has never been able to resist the chance to throw her magical weight around. But at 21 she knows she needs to grow up and prove to her guardians, Paige and Lucas, that she can be a responsible member of their supernatural detective agency. So she jumps at the chance to fly solo, investigating the mysterious deaths of three young women in a nearby factory town as a favor to one of the agency's associates. At first glance, the murders look garden-variety human, but on closer inspection signs point to otherworldly stakes.
Soon Savannah is in over her head. She's run off the road and nearly killed, haunted by a mystery stalker, and freaked out when the brother of one of the dead women is murdered when he tries to investigate the crime. To complicate things, something weird is happening to her powers. Pitted against shamans, demons, a voodoo-inflected cult and garden-variety goons, Savannah has to fight to ensure her first case isn't her last. And she also has to ask for help, perhaps the hardest lesson she's ever had to learn.
Plot[]
Half-demon investigator Jesse Aanes approaches Savannah with a case: a small-town serial murder with a possible supernatural angle. Eager to prove herself while Paige, Lucas, and Adam are otherwise occupied, Savannah jumps on it.
She immerses herself in the town, its intrigues, and several crisscrossing conflicts:
A commune on the edge of town tries to avoid notice from the townsfolk, but relations are unavoidably tense. Megan, the leader of the young women, is a canny businesswoman who runs a cookie business out of the commune and doesn't want Savannah talking to their leader. Meanwhile their leader Alistair turns out to be the unacknowledged father of Ginny, one of the victims.
Ginny has been sleeping with Cody Radu, a local asshole of influence. He is human, but his wife Tiffany is a witch. Savannah thinks Tiffany may have killed Ginny, but it turns out she is just helping Cody get rich selling pharmaceuticals to supernaturals. Savannah finds Tiffany dead of an injection, with the Bible open to "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."
Cody was sleeping with and abusing Ginny. Ginny's daughter Kayla witnessed some of the abuse, both physical and sexual. Cody said he wouldn't leave his wife for Ginny while Kayla was in the picture, so Ginny and her friend Brandi made plans to kill Kayla and point the blame toward the commune. Kayla's grandmother Paula found out and stopped them, killing the women in the process. Alastair helped Paula cover it up.
Michael Kennedy, an out-of-town police detective and brother to the victim Claire, trades case notes with Savannah and takes her on several dates. They only go as far as kissing before he is killed -- apparently by an accidental fall, but actually by Leah using her telekinetic abilities to frame Savannah.
And Savannah's spellcasting becomes unreliable, and she feels nauseous and ill for no identifiable reason. Adam joins her in Columbus after Michael's death and is concerns about her well-being.
Savannah manages to capture Leah long enough for Eve to take her back to a hell dimension, but not before Leah sends the notes about Paula to the police. Paula is arrested, while Kayla is taken into foster care and believes it is Savannah's fault. That night, Savannah sends a wish out to the universe: She would gladly give up her spellcasting if Kayla could be returned to her grandmother. The next morning, Savannah's spells are gone.
Characters[]
Main Characters[]
- Savannah Levine
- Adam Vasic
- Jesse Aanes - half-demon, brings the case to Savannah's attention. Possessed by Leah.
- Michael Kennedy - Claire's brother, a police detective. Went on a few dates with Savannah. Killed.
Townsfolk[]
- Kayla Thomas - Ginny's daughter
- Paula Thompson - Ginny's mother, Kayla's grandmother
- Tiffany Baker Radu - Cody's wife. Sleeping with Alastair. Witch.
- Cody Radu - Ginny's boyfriend
- Claire Kennedy - victim
- Genevieve "Ginny" Thompson - victim
- Brandi Degas - victim
- Carol Degas - Brandi's mother. Now very into Jesus the Savior, but in a "love thy neighbors" way
- Annette Kennedy - Claire's mother, but not Michael's. Hired Jesse to investigate her daughter's murder.
- Rose Thomas - Kayla's aunt, sometimes babysits her
- Chief Bruyn
- Beth Bruyn - Chief's mother and receptionist
- Lorraine - waitress as the local diner. A gossip.
- Chuck Mulligan - retired schoolteacher
- Brody Manchester - suspected partner of Cody Radu
- Thompson "Tommy" Harris - Cody's lawyer and former frat buddy
- Dorothy
- Tara Radu - Cody and Tiffany's oldest daughter
- Timothy Greer - worked with Tiffany and Cody to sell pharmaceuticals.
Commune Members[]
- Alastair Koppel - commune leader, Ginny's unacknowledged father
- Megan - second in command at the commune, hooks up with Alastair
- Sylvia/Vee - commune member. Actually Veronica Tucker, witch hunter, which is not identified until Spell Bound
- Deirdre - commune member
- Amy - new recruit
- Tamara - Claire's friend
Other Characters[]
- Jaime Vegas - chatted on phone
- Paige Winterbourne - chatted on phone
- Leah O'Donnell - possessed Jesse
- Molly Crane - dark witch contact
- Eve Levine - Savannah's mother. Celestial bounty hunter and angel.
- Dr. Lee - supernatural physician
Mentioned[]
- Kristof Nast
- Sean Nast - used some of his inheritance to create a trust for Savannah, making her independently wealthy
- Cassandra DuCharme
- Elena Michaels
- Clayton Danvers
- Jeremy Danvers
- Thomas Nast
- Robert Vasic - now in his seventies. Had a stroke last year.
- Kate Danvers and Logan Danvers, now elementary school aged
Continuity[]
- Paige took Savannah in after Stolen
- Also where Savannah first met Leah O'Donnell
- Molly Crane tried to kill Jaime four years ago in No Humans Involved
- Savannah and Jaime gifted her with a zombie in The Ungrateful Dead
- Savannah accidentally killed her father in Dime Store Magic
Trivia[]
- Savannah goes to art galleries with Cassandra, and hangs out backstage at Jaime's shows
- Savannah sometimes babysits Kate and Logan, and kept them entertained with witch tricks when they were younger
Publication[]
Cover Gallery[]
Plume US
Vintage Canada