Deborah Leblanc uses her unique talents and gothic Bayou style in creating a tale filled with terror and suspense. In Water Witch, the protagonist Dunny Pollock has a special talent, she has an extra digit, which allows her to find things. In the old days this was used for finding water, but Dunny can find other things such as people. Her sister Angelle enlists her help in finding two missing children who have been abducted by a man who is trying to invoke ancient Indian spirits in order to attain greater power for himself.

Deborah Leblanc has a creepy, smooth style which she uses expertly in this novel. The concept of the novel was cool, and her use of the Bayou and legends associated with it make this almost another character in the novel. The tension in the novel builds to a nice crescendo. Leblanc uses the time tested race against the clock to build that tension. Dunny has to act quickly and use all of her resources to save the children before they are sacrificed. Leblanc does a nice job with the characters. Her expert mastery of prose makes this an enjoyable read. A must read novel.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street ( )

This is a dark mystery with wonderful characters set in the Lousiana swamps. The story will keep you riveted until the end. Have a blast with this one. ( )

This was a good paranormal mystery. Dunny is a water witch a human diviner she has an extra finger that works as a divining rod which can find anything from water to oil to people. I’ve seen some people call this horror but I didn’t feel that way about it. It was more a mystery with ghosts & paranormal activity.

When 2 kids go missing in the Louisiana bayou Dunny’s sister Angelle calls her and asks her to come help find the kids. But where these kids are and what they are going through is more than anyone could imagine. This book kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. My favorite character would have to be Poochie, Angelle’s husband’s grandmother; she was a hoot which was a neat addition to this dark story.

All the way through this book I wondered if there would be a sequel but with the shocking ending I see that there won’t be, but would sure love another book with Poochie in it!

I listened to this on audio narrated by Xe Sands who did a great job at the narration.

3 ½ Stars ( )

I had a hard time working up any empathy for these characters. Dunny, the water witch, spent several days bemoaning her "freakish" condidtion before being incited to any action towards finding a couple of lost and kidnapped kids, which was why she had traveled to Louisiana in the first place. I wanted to knock her in the head and tell her to get over it!

The character of Poochie, her sister's grandmother-in-law, was definitely a character, and not knowing any real creoles or maybe she was cajun, I just had to think that she was more of a caricature.

Anyway, the book had a few creepy moments out in the swamp, but mostly reading it was a chore. ( )

Water Witch (ISBN-13: 978-0843960396) is a 290 page, fiction paperback book by Deborah LeBlanc released by Leisure Books in September 2008. The horror book shares the story of Dunny Pollock, a protagonist with special psychic abilities which have caused others to dub her as a Water Witch. Dunny struggles most of her life to hide her ability from unscrupulous individuals that would otherwise seek to take advantage of her gift: she possesses the ability to find lost objects with an additional digit on her left hand which she possesses from birth via dowsing methods. Yet, after being contacted by her sister, Dunny is drawn into a situation involving two abducted children, a young girl and boy, in the Bayou of Louisiana which will force Dunny to use her gifts in an effort to find them before it is too late. Dunny has no idea that the children have been taken for supernatural purposes and that she will eventually come face to face with Olm, a Pawnee Indian seeking to gain power and knowledge from Tirawa, a spirit world god via unethical, ritualistic means. Olm’s psychological instabilities and Dunny’s supernatural powers make for an exciting tale that slowly unravels to reveal an unforgettable, climactic ending.

LeBlanc captures the reader’s attention from the very first sentence in the first chapter and draws the reader into the book quickly with exciting depictions. She writes fluently and the reader has no problem whatsoever when it comes to suspending one’s disbelief and entering into the fictive dream-state. LeBlanc artfully stirs the reader’s desire to either empathize with a character or at least try to understand the motivations of a character in the text. LeBlanc has a writing style that ebbs and flows like turbulent waters until the final moment when the tale comes to a crescendo of excitement: this style literally compels the reader to continue on until they have reached the memorable denouement of the tale.

This book is ideal for readers that love a good mystery or for readers that enjoy stories with supernatural elements. Horror fans will also not be disappointed. Teens and adults can appreciate the work, and the book will leave the reader wanting to read more of LeBlanc’s books. Fans of works offered by Stephen King, John Saul, and Dean Koontz will definitely find great interest in LeBlanc’s offerings. A perfect book for those seeking a hair-raising, spine-tingling tale: one filled with twists and turns and surprising outcomes. Warning: if you do not want to be up all night reading this book, start the book early in the morning; you are not going to want to put it down!

Deborah LeBlanc has written several fiction books including Grave Intent, A House Divided, Family Inheritance, Morbid Curiosity, and Five Strokes to Midnight. This author does a remarkable amount of research in order to skillfully weave truth into her fiction thereby making her tales far more believable. This author is also a strong promoter of literacy, which definitely makes her a preferred offer on this writer’s reading list. Water Witch is definitely highly recommended for horror fans, mystery fans, and fans of paranormal tales or for anyone looking for a great book. ( )