THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE by Katherine Howe, 2009.

The second adult novel about the Salem witch trials I've read in a year's time, the other being THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER. This one is also written by a descendant of someone tried for witchcraft at Salem in 1692.

There are two storylines in this novel: one concerns Deliverance Dane, a real person who lived in the Salem area during 1692, and was accused of witchcraft. Deliverance is a practitioner of herbal medicine, with deep knowledge of herbs and healing power. She possesses a book, however--called at various times a receipt book, recipe book, physick book--that contains rare information about remedies and such, but also something more--actual spells. She uses her magical powers for healing, but unfortunately a patient (a child) dies under her care and years later this incident comes back to haunt her when she is accused of witchery and murder and thrown into prison to await trial and certain execution. Her daughter Mercy is left with the responsibility of keeping the physick book safe and flees to Marblehead.

The second storyline is set in modern day Cambridge, and concerns Connie Goodwin, a graduate student in history at Harvard, who is commissioned by her absent mother to clean out and get her grandmother's old home in Marblehead ready to put on the market. While she's looking through some old books in the house, a small key drops out of an old Bible; the key contains a scrap of paper with the name "Deliverance Dane" on it. Connie becomes determined to find out who this woman was; during her search, she discovers the fact that Deliverance once owned a physick book. Recognizing its research value gives Connie great impetus to discover its whereabouts. If such a rare item could be located, it could definitely add prestige to Connie's career. But someone else is most anxious that Connie find the book as well, and is willing to use any means to lay hands on it.

Smooth narrative, likeable characters, easy transition between stories, good details about the trials, some humor and romance with a small bit of menace thrown in. Not as intense or detailed as THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER, but enjoyable in its own way.