The Witches Three — R.H.E. Crawford

Witches Three is the second in a planned series featuring the misadventures of Judge Harold J. Hudson, a semi-retired cleric who finds himself the 'key man' in a series of curious murders. This second novel takes place in a city much like the city of Ashland, Oregon, where a well-established Shakespeare festival is the center of the community's life. The mysterious death of the star of Macbeth finds Hudson thrust into the role of protecting the three witches of the play, at considerable risk to life, limb and reputation. Hudson's efforts to balance the conflicting desires require him to solve the mystery surrounding the untimely death. The efforts of the witches to please him, or entrap him, lead him and the reader to wonder whether the sacrifices are worth the rewards.