Thriller · Free kit
The Witch
After losing her job and apartment, Julia Barlow retreats to Pemberton — her family’s sprawling estate in rural northern Massachusetts — to check on her aging grandmother Letitia and the aunt who shares the house. The grandfather clock stops at 3:41 a.m., lights flicker, and a voice cries for help from rooms that should be empty. Museum curator Henry Ziegler wants the property; Julia’s father pushes a sale and assisted living; great-aunt Ethel fights to keep the past buried. In 1692, Caroline Eldridge is accused of witchcraft on the land Archibald Eldridge calls his, while Jonas Reeve is scapegoated as the Night Reaper. Two centuries braid into one inheritance, and every ghost story may be a cover for something human, recent, and far worse.
“Some hauntings are history. Some are alibis.”
Complete free book club kit
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Plan your meeting
The Witch Hosting Guide
A free, printable-minded plan for hosting The Witch.
Invite hook
“What if the ghost in the house was never the scariest person at the table?”
The question you’re arguing about: Would you rather inherit a beautiful family estate — or inherit the truth about what happened in every room?
Shopping list
- □Hot cider or apple tea served in mismatched vintage cups (Pemberton parlour energy)
- □Sharp cheddar, grapes, and rosemary crackers on dark wood boards
- □Pumpkin or squash soup shooters — autumn New England, not Halloween camp
- □Taper candles in brass holders (low light, high taste — avoid novelty witch decor)
- □Single stem dried wheat or bare branch centerpiece in a stone or ceramic vase
- □Printed bingo cards, trivia answer sheets, and pens
- □Small clock card prop set to 3:41 for the surprise touch photo op
Day-of timeline
- 0–10 minWelcome & reader-focused icebreakers
- 10–22 minTrivia warm-up (spoiler-safe rounds optional for late arrivals)
- 22–50 minMain discussion — dual timeline connections + Celia reveal processing
- 50–62 minSpeed debate or Would You Rather
- 62–75 minBingo, rating round, next-book vote
Surprise touch
Place a small ‘Pemberton Estate’ place card at each seat with a tasteful line from the kit quote on one side and “Clock stopped: 3:41 a.m.” on the other — no jump scares, just atmosphere. It primes gothic conversation without mocking witch-trial history.
Wrap-up
- □Group photo with candles out (prop clock or bare branch optional)
- □Quick rating: 1–5 stars plus “scariest human, not ghost”
- □Share one question you’d ask Gram if she had to answer honestly
- □Vote on next month’s book — thriller lovers often want a palate cleanser; ask explicitly