Celebrated for its ethnic riches, Western New York may have another heritage – the astonishing survival of ancient supernatural tradition from across the globe. The Rose Witch is Mason Winfield’s groundbreaking survey of lore and legends from Western New York’s diverse cultures. Winfield is among the region’s best-selling authors. His seven books on the region’s paranormal legacy have sold tens of thousands of copies. “On the Niagara,” Winfield writes, “the Banshee, the Little People, the after-life messages, and ‘the Evil Eye’ are not exactly as they appear in the classic stories.” Neither are the curses, the spells, the shapeshifters, the omens, or the other figments of local belief. The fact that they survive at all ought to take our breath away.