Eight of Swords

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Overview

A strange thing was happening to Warren Ritter. He certainly didn't believe in the tarot. He was a businessman, setting up a folding table on a San Francisco street where a stream of passersby could bring him as much as a hundred dollars a day when the weather was right. But he was beginning to notice more and more that what he had learned to predict from his cards seemed to be coming to pass with an unsettling regularity. It made him do odd things. Like stop teenage Heather Wellington's tarot at nine cards instead of ten. The first eight had been ominous, the ninth more upbeat, so Warren simply stopped the reading there. It was only after Heather had ...

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More About This Book

Overview

A strange thing was happening to Warren Ritter. He certainly didn't believe in the tarot. He was a businessman, setting up a folding table on a San Francisco street where a stream of passersby could bring him as much as a hundred dollars a day when the weather was right. But he was beginning to notice more and more that what he had learned to predict from his cards seemed to be coming to pass with an unsettling regularity. It made him do odd things. Like stop teenage Heather Wellington's tarot at nine cards instead of ten. The first eight had been ominous, the ninth more upbeat, so Warren simply stopped the reading there. It was only after Heather had left that he looked at number ten-it was the Death card.

The Death card does not automatically doom the person whose tarot it turns up in. But it doesn't mean there are good things ahead, either. So Warren, the scoffer, couldn't help feeling horror later that day, to see Heather's face on a pizza parlor TV screen with the word Kidnapped! slashed across the top. Guilt, that was what gripped him, as though he could have done something, warned her-but didn't.

"Warren Ritter" is not the name he was christened with. He is a fugitive of sorts. Everyone, including his family and the New York police, believes he died in a mysterious incident thirty years ago, and he has no intention of changing that. Now, on top of the guilt he lives with, is the feeling that somehow he is responsible for young Heather Wellington's capture-that it is his call to find her, and to get at the people who took her.

Eight of Swords is an astonishing debut novel, and a very different novel from the old notion that a traditional mystery is along the lines of "a dead vicar in the library." Warren's exciting and often dangerous quest through the streets-some of them quite mean-of San Francisco to find the girl and rescue her is more than just a suspenseful tale, it is also a moving portrait of a man returning to the world he had turned his back on three decades earlier.

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble Review
New age mysticism meets counterculture radicalism in David Skibbins' Eight of Swords, a sit-up-and-take-notice first novel about a streetcorner scam artist/tarot card reader who foretells a teenage girl's dark future -- only to have it disastrously come true.

Warren Ritter (not his real name) is a man with a past. Living undercover for the last 30 years, the former member of the 1970s radical leftist organization the Weather Underground has thus far stayed clear of any entanglements with the Man. The liberal safe haven of Berkeley has been close to idyllic for this ex-anarchist, but when a spoiled, rich teenager named Heather Wellington stops by his table for a tarot reading, he doesn't realize until too late that the ominous reading -- the Tower, the Devil, the Hanged Man, and the Eight of Swords -- is meant not only for Heather but for him as well. Within days, Heather is kidnapped and her mother is murdered. And with Ritter as a prime suspect, he and his group of misfit friends -- a wheelchair-bound hacker, an octogenarian therapist, et al. -- must find the real killer before the fugitive ex-revolutionary gets busted for good. Fans of Skibbins' stellar debut novel -- which won the St. Martin's Press 2004 Malice Domestic Contest for Best First Traditional Mystery -- can anticipate many more psychic adventures in their future: Eight of Swords is the first volume of a series called the Tarot Card Mysteries. (Warning: Upon finishing Eight of Swords, readers may find themselves compulsively reciting lyrics from Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues"…) Paul Goat Allen
Publishers Weekly
Readers who pride themselves on their left-leaning sentiments or those who take an interest in the tarot will cotton to Warren Ritter, the manic-depressive, ex-revolutionary star of Skibbins's first novel. Ritter reads tarot cards on that vestigial epicenter of the counterculture, Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, Calif. And what he sees in the cards for Heather, a nice young woman from the suburbs, scares him: the Dark One... was coming to get her. And I don't even believe in this New Age crap. The prophecy comes all too true: Heather is kidnapped, and her mother is shot and killed in an apparent attempt to frame Ritter. He sets out to clear his name, even though that name is a fiction; as a former leader of the Weather Underground, he's been off the grid for some 30 years. The book's real subject is not its fairly transparent mystery but the protagonist's self-congratulatory radicalism. Fine prose and a serviceable plot help offset a main character whose politics won't be to every taste. (Apr. 6) FYI: Skibbins won the St. Martin's Minotaur/Malice Domestic contest for Best First Traditional Mystery, the first man to do so. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
From The Critics
The unusual hero of St. Martin's 2004 Malice Domestic Contest winner reads Tarot cards for people on a Berkeley sidewalk. Along with his "game," he has perfected several false identities-the principal one being Warren Ritter-and falsified his own death in order to escape prosecution for a 30-year-old crime. His latest reading bodes ill for a young woman-who's later kidnapped-and when Ritter is almost framed for the subsequent murder of her mother, he decides to investigate. Complicating the case is the discovery that he has a hitherto unknown daughter. Scintillating surrounds, a complex protagonist, and unusual supporting characters makes this debut mystery a strong choice for most collections. Skibbins lives in California. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780312339067
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press
  • Publication date: 4/1/2005
  • Pages: 272
  • Series: A Tarot Card Mystery Series
  • Product dimensions: 5.76 (w) x 8.50 (h) x 0.96 (d)

Meet the Author

David Skibbins, Ph.D., won the St. Martin's Press 2004 Best Traditional Mystery Contest with his first fiction book, Eight of Swords. His previous self-help guide, Working Clean and Sober, was published by Hazelden Press in 2000. He is a certified life coach. David lives on the Pacific Coast at The Sea Ranch, California, with his brilliant wife and his goofy Portuguese water dog. He is hard at work on the next book in the Warren Ritter series.

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Customer Reviews
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( 7 )

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 28, 2008

    you'll love this book!

    i loved the book from start to finish..i never felt bored and i took this book everywhere with me..thats how good it is.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 4, 2008

    A reviewer

    I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more of skibbins' tarot reader warren ritter series. I was glued to the novel from start to finish, period.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 11, 2005

    Unlucky at Cards

    Warren Ritter, street-side tarot-reader and fugitive anarchist from the heady protest days of the 1970¿s, is out on Berkeley¿s Telegraph Avenue ready to lay down his jive for anyone willing to pay down the dollars. But his spread for a rich teenager predicts terrible times ahead, more terrible than he could have imagined. The girl is kidnapped soon after leaving his table. Her mother comes to Warren, seeking hope and insight from the cards. Then she too disappears, leaving only an email for Warren. Soon it is apparent that somebody wants Warren to take the fall for both women¿s fates. This author deftly evokes the colour and character of the Berkeley street scene, in daylight and at dusk. I could smell the street people and the ethnic restaurants, hear Warren¿s sister¿s parting bellow and sense the danger and despair that washed beneath the innocuous daytime commerce. The writing style was amazing ¿ every common phrase wore a twist, and was neatly delivered in Warren¿s inimitably wry voice. The woo-woo element of the tarot was not overpowering, and the solution did not depend on supernatural sources of information. This book is as seductive as a tarot reading that promises all you ever wanted. Unlike the average tarot spread, though, `Eight of Swords¿ delivers. It is a sharp mystery, a slice of social history, a study of character, family, and mental illness that drew me in and held me from the first sentence.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 2, 2005

    Loved this Bezerkeley Mystery!

    Having lived in Berkeley since the early 1970s and being a psychologist and sometime Tarot reader, I was particularly entranced by this rollicking, hilarious, intelligent and original mystery and would recommend it to anyone interested in coquinkidence and quirkiness. The suspenseful storyline held my attention throughout and, of course, I couldn't put the book down until I was sadly done and left hoping for a sequel. Write some more soon David Skibbins!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 2, 2005

    The Cards are Favorable

    Skibbins has created a very interesting collection of characters in his debut mystery. The very accurate portrayal of Berkeley and the Bay Area adds an atmosphere that greatly enhances the story. In general, I am not a fan of glorifying those who have broken the law, and I do feel the premise of Warren's becoming involved in this case was a bit weak. What really makes the story work is the characters, good suspense and, at the end, Warren's acknowledgement of what his life and actions has cost him. I ended up caring about Warren and want to see where his life goes from here. I know I'll be back for the next book. This is a very good debut.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 31, 2005

    Get revved: There's a new guy in town

    'Eight Of Swords' by David Skibbins - ISBN 0-312-33906-2 In the early `70s, he was an active member of the notorious Weathermen. Assumed dead for 30 years, Warren Ritter, latter-day, anarchist, makes a living reading Tarot cards on Telegraph Ave. in Berkley, California. Now, fifty-five years old, he has a comfortable life: frequent forays into book stores for poetic sustenance, once a month to the shooting range with his favorite cop on the beat, cruising at 90 mph on an Aprilia RSV Mille motorcycle, and therapy sessions for manic depression on Wednesday¿s. When out of no-where his older sister, Tara, discovers he is still alive, on the same day he gave an ominous reading to young, Heather Wellington, who has been kidnapped: it rocks his world. Trying to still his fears, salvage his anonymity, life-style, and fend off an inevitable guilt trip, Warren tries to assuage Tara¿s outrage. But he¿s shocked to find out he has a daughter, and about to become a grandfather. Panic escalates when Heather¿s mother also disappears. Then one of the victims is found murdered. Since both women were last seen in the company of Warren, he becomes a suspect. Having the police and F.B.I. nosing around in his violent past just isn¿t cricket. Newly birthed with paternal feelings and pricked with guilt, Warren¿anti-establishment¿Ritter, the hunted, becomes the hunter. David Skibbins¿ development of the characters and their interaction is well-crafted. But, the first-person musings of Warren Ritter are priceless. More than once I winced at his cheeky sarcasm. Although some readers¿ recollection of the infamous Weathermen may be a little rusty, Warren¿s past affiliation with them was an integral part of his character profile. As more information about their activities is divulged, a better understanding of the depth of his fear of being caught and an appreciation of Warren¿s diverse capabilities is realized. A fragile art that can¿t be forced, writing humor effectively is elusive to some scribes. In EIGHT OF SWORDS, subtle glimpses to brazen, in-your-face laughs stalk the pages. I can¿t remember the last tome I read that tickled my funny bone so well, so often. Yet, it did not clash with the killer / survival instincts Warren needed to ¿kick butt¿ and bring the murder mystery to an ¿anti-establishment¿ conclusion. You gotta¿ love him. Get ready. Grab your helmet. Straddle that chrome pony, (careful: hot pipes!) A new dude in town has just been jump-started. Name: Warren Ritter, he¿s over fifty, revved and long over-due. It's about time.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 1, 2005

    Read Your Cards? Save Your Life!

    David Skibbin¿s Eight of Swords was the winner of the 2004 Malice Domestic/St. Martin¿s Press Best First Traditional Mystery Contest, but there¿s nothing traditional about his amateur detective. Warren Ritter is a tarot card reader on the streets of Berkeley, California. He got into the business as a non-believer looking for an easy career, but he can¿t deny that sometimes the cards do send strong messages. The cards he pulls for teenaged Heather is one of those time-- it looks like Heather¿s in for some hard times. Hours later, she¿s abducted and the police find Warren¿s card on her and come looking for more information. Warren¿s situation is complicated by the fact he¿s not really Warren, he¿s been underground for 30 years, since the Weather Underground, including him many believe, was destroyed in a bombing gone bad. He¿s also bipolar, and playing games with his drugs. I found Warren and his associates to be refreshing new characters on the mystery front. Warren doesn¿t reveal much to those he interacts with, but the reader gets a good look inside his brain. I can¿t wait for the next installment. It was also great to see Berkeley again. It¿s been way too long since Susan Dunlap¿s Jill Smith worked those unique streets.

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