Vague description of a book I once read!

[Magpie]

I read a book about 30 years ago that I hope someone will recognize. It featured a heroine who is mysteriously threatened by strange activities in the woods around her (naturally). I thought it was Hand of Glory, but I just got that book, and while I recognized the cover of it, it's not the one I was looking for. This book may have a hand of glory in it, though. It may have "candle" in the title.

One of the bad guys, while swearing allegiance to her master, (Satan worshippers?) slid her hand under her foot and her other hand on top of her head, signifying that she belonged to him from head to toe.

I think possibly the cat and the alpha male wanna-be-boyfriend were both red-headed, as I remember the phrase "ginger tomcat".

At one point the heroine is talking on the phone and the above-mentioned guy was distracting her by circling his finger on her hip.

I hope that rings a bell with somebody I wish I could remember more. Anyhow, I'm working my way through your list of greatest gothics, hehe, so I'm soooo happy I found this forum. Thanks!!

[Des Esseintes]

Just out of curiosity, do you remember if this book was new when you read it 30 years ago or was it already old then? That would help narrow it down a lot. It's not so much a matter of when you read it but when it was actually published.

Could it be this one published in 1971?
http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Doll-Candle-...366&sr=1-3

Amazon also turned up several books with the title Hand of Glory or Hands Of Glory which date to around 1980 but it looks like most of them have no cover images and no reviews. You'd have to Google the titles and authors.