Loved it! A bit on the gruesome side, but a really good listen, very engaging and absorbing. I walked over 14 miles last week so that I could listen and fall deep into the world Cottam created. I was sad when it ended and I realized that I have now listened to all of his books on audible. ( )

Once again, Cottam weaves an enthralling tale. As anyone who enjoys the horror genre knows, you've got to kiss a lot of frogs to find a genuinely good writer. Here is an intriguing plot, engaging characters, a fiend who is both seductive and terrifying, without one false step... well, except for the ending which felt rushed and unexpectedly anti-climactic. As an imperfection, it was only mildly troublesome in an otherwise fine book. ( )

Another F.G. Cottam book. Very eerie, very creepy, very spine tingling, but in my opinion not as meaty as The Waiting Room. Once again subplots got in the way and muddled the story line. The conclusion of this story was weak, it seemed to slither away into nowhere. ( )

It only takes a couple of visits to convince Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft that Adam Hunter is not just having nightmares - he is a child possessed. His father is desperate: adamant that his son's affliction is the result of a curse he incurred in the depths of the Amazon rainforest many years ago. Mark Hunter would do anything to protect his son Adam, but he knows that the roots of Adam's terror lie in Mark's own past, deep within the jungles of the Amazon.

Twelve years ago in Bolvia, Mark Hunter had been part of a misguided military operation that went terrifyingly wrong, leaving only two men alive to face the macabre events that followed. Two women held the key to Mark's future - one was more bad than good; one was more good than bad. Both of these women had dark and dangerous, very powerful abilities - and Mark had incurred the wrath of one of them who was capable of wreaking an unholy vengeance.

To save his son's very soul, Mark Hunter will travel from a sleepy village in the Scottish Highlands to a fortress high in the Alps, in search of this mysterious woman, hoping against hope that she will help him break the curse that ensnares Adam. He will leave his son in Elizabeth's care - who is about to discover there are equally dark secrets on their doorstep...and in her blood.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very unusual, interesting and well-written. It was a very involved plot, but I was captivated by the story's creepiness. I give this book an A! and have already placed three more of F. G. Cottam's books on my Wish List. ( )

I enjoyed The Magdalena Curse thoroughly, it was a great tale of sinister witchcraft, curses, posession and a father's unconditional love for his son. I was a little disappointed by the end though, it seemed as if Cottam had just run out of steam and couldn't think of a suitable explanation.

I also was disappointed that he didn't explain thoroughly who or what exactly Mrs. Mallory was, what the magic was that kept her alive and the reason for the wolf being a familiar in witch-lore. There is a small explanation (well, Elizabeth's take on Mrs. Mallory's condition) at the end which proves to be correct, but it just wasnt enough for me to have a sinister being explained away in just a couple of sentences and an ending in just a few paragraphs.

All that aside though, the premise was fantastic and I can't wait to read more of Cottam's work. ( )