Product Description

When a young woman is ritualistically murdered in her Saint Louis apartment with the primary clue being a pentacle scrawled in her own blood, police are quick to dismiss it as a cult killing. Not one for taking things at face value, city homicide detective Ben Storm calls on his long time friend, Rowan Gant- a practicing Witch- for help.

In helping his friend, Rowan discovers that the victim is one of his former pupils. Even worse, the clues that he helps to uncover show that this murder is only a prelude to even more ritualistic bloodletting for dark purposes.

As the body count starts to rise, Rowan is suddenly thrust into an investigation where not only must he help stop a sadistic serial killer, but also must fight the prejudices and suspicions of those his is working with-- including his best friend.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #390966 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 380 pages

Review
"...Sellars is a wonderful surprise all around." -- The Wiccan - Pagan Times

"Fans of Hamilton and Lackey will want to religiously follow the exploits of Mr. Rowan Gant." -- Harriet Klausner, Under The Covers Book Reviews

"Fans of Mercedes Lackey's defunct Diana Tregarde Mysteries rejoice— a new witch is in town!" -- Melanie C. Duncan, The BookDragon Review

"I was caught between wanting to skip ahead to see what was going to happen, and wanting to savor every passage-- not wanting to miss anything!" -- Kelly von Plonski, Subterranean Books

"Sellars has written a creepy, sinister suspense tale. There is an energy to his storytelling as he builds the suspense. His cast of characters are appealing, complex, some would say eccentric..." -- Lane Wright, About.com Mystery Book Reviews

“HARM NONE is a gripping, carefully plotted mystery that will keep pages turning right to the end.” -- P.J. Nunn, Senior Mystery Reviewer, Charlotte Austin Review

“HARM NONE is a superbly suspenseful thriller... highly recommended.” -- Midwest Book Review

“HARM NONE, is one of the most remarkable books I've read this year. I bow to M.R. Sellars' superior story telling ability!” -- Elizabeth Henze, Murder on the Internet Express

“This book is a page eater. Once you start, you find yourself pushing to the end and rooting for the pagans.” -- Honnha Newberry, Mystic Journeys

About the Author
Born February 20, 1962, M. R. Sellars began reading at age four, and writing shortly thereafter. He hasnt stopped since. The product of a liberal family, from an early age Sellars was exposed to many different religions and belief systems, both mainstream and obscure.To this day he remains an avid student of the religious diversity which surrounds us. Not one for remaining in the broom closet, Sellars often gives group lectures on request in order to help dispel the many myths and misconceptions that surround the practice of WitchCraft and the Wiccan Religion.

A self-described Long-haired hippie activist tree-hugger, Sellars studied Journalism and Literature as well as Computer Science throughout high school and college, winning many prestigious awards for writing during his academic course. Although his first love was the written word, fate quickly lead him to his vocation of almost twenty years as a Senior Level Electronics Technician and Internet Systems Administrator.

Even with his hectic career, Sellars finds time to indulge in his hobbies of hiking, camping, nature photography, and cooking. A classically trained, accomplished gourmet chef, he can often be found playing in his favorite room the kitchen.

An avid member of The Nature Conservancy and the World

Wildlife Fund, Sellars resides in St. Louis with his wife and daughter.

Currently, Sellars is researching the third novel in the Rowan Gant Investigation Series.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"He was practicing," I sobbed, pressing the heels of my palms against my eyes, driving back the tears, and fighting to bring my breath back to normal. "The bastard was just practicing."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ben practically screamed. "Practicing what?"

"Practicing the 'art' of flaying," I spat, pulling my hands away from my eyes. "He didn't even try to perform an invocation ritual. He was just teaching himself how to skin someone alive."

"What the hell for?"

"To prepare," I answered, climbing to my feet and steadying myself against the wall. "He's trying to learn...Most likely so that he can actually perform the invocation sometime in the near future. Trust me, he's not going to stop here. This is only the beginning."

Customer Reviews

Outstanding!
I came looking for a good urban fantasy that got its facts right and found it.

M.R. Sellars does not fall prey to the common failing of so many urban fantasy writers who seem determined to make their main characters into pagan supermen saving the world from all evils (while usually mangling the precepts of the religion and everything else).

The characters are believable (not just the pagan, but I loved the Native American policeman, who was very well done. Being native I notice when I have run into so many books that botch that one). The facts (pagan and police) are correct. The plot is well thought out. The action keeps you turning pages.

I am very impressed with this author and am recommending him to my friends, some of whom are pagan. That's how accurate I feel his portrayal is. This is a book my friends can read without cringing.

A breakthrough in cross-genre writing
Well, I have a confession to make. Prior to reading this book, I didn't really believe in miracles. Truthfully. Now, however, I find myself a believer. Truthfully.

M.R. Sellars has indeed created a miracle in his first novel, "Harm None - A Rowan Gant Investigation". Writing a first-class thriller without resorting to cliche and folly is in itself a master accomplishment. But to do so whilst portraying a frequently misunderstood religion successfully (and without pretense), is simply miraculous. On this fine journey, Sellars takes us into the life of Rowan Gant, a practising Witch. A likeable fellow, Rowan becomes involved, via his close friend Ben Storm, in what appears to be a cult murder. What ensues is a story of magick, mystery and human nature. The tale spins you around like a whirlwind, picks you up and throws you onto a rollercoaster ride like no other. The characters are realistic, the technical content is simply incredible, and the ending will indeed surprise and delight you. This book will also scare the pants off you. It did me...and I'm not easily scared!

You must buy this book. As a supernatural thriller, "Harm None" deserves 5 stars. As a cross-genre first novel, "Harm None" is a miracle.

Couldn't put it down!
This was a truly enjoyable and suspenseful novel. I'm eagerly awaiting Rowan Gant's next case, having devoured this one in one afternoon. Once I started, I just could not put it down.

I really appreciated the positive view of Wicca; this book ranks right up there with Rosemary Edghill's Bast mysteries. One caveat to the nonpagan reader: while the religious details were pretty accurate, keep in mind that this is a work of fiction -- don't assume that all Wiccans possess Rowan's awesome psychic abilities (to Mr. Sellars' credit, he does point out that they took quite a bit of work to develop).

The one and only complaint I have about this book is the frequency of distracting typos breaking up the flow of the writing. For example, "it's" is used as a possessive, and "your" and "you're" are often mixed up. I'd bet this says much more about budget cuts in the publishing industry than it does about the author! Publishers: how about some human proofreaders instead of computer software that can't distinguish context?