Is Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale based on a book?

If you’re in the mood for a crime thriller with a supernatural element to it, Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale is the place to turn. At first, this sounds like a show that should be a period drama, but it is a modern-day story that does involve a witch hunt.

The series follows the accidental death of the town’s star quarterback. Yes, it looks accidental. However, his girlfriend is the daughter of a witch, and she was there the night that he died. Of course, it’s hard to accept that a death is just accidental and non-sensical, and that leads to the town heading out on a witch hunt to find the “guilty” party.

Does the story sound familiar? That’s likely because you read the book that it is based on. And if you haven’t, you’ll want to check out the source material.

Read the book Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale is based on

The series is based on the book Sanctuary: A Novel of Suspense, Witchcraft, and Small Town by V.V. James. It also goes by the shorter name Sanctuary, and it was published in 2020.

The premise involves the death of the town’s star quarterback. Daniel Whitman is at a high school party when he is killed. It looks like a tragic accident, but his ex-girlfriend Harper Fenn was there that night. She’s the daughter of a witch, and Daniel’s mother is sure that she had something to do with it.

Is it possible that it was an act of revenge? What if there was something more sinister to his death? This peaceful town that once accepted witches and offered them refuge is turned into a town full of paranoia and fear. It isn’t a sanctuary anymore.

The novel is promoted as a cross between Practical Magic and Big Little Lies. That’s certainly what it is when reading.

Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale airs on Thursdays on AMC+ and Sundance Now.