From The Bookshelf – Page 17

Hunting Evil – Chris Carter

‘Every story one day comes to an end.’
As roommates, they met for the first time in college. Two of the brightest minds ever to graduate from Stamford Psychology University.
As adversaries, they met again in Quantico, Virginia. Robert Hunter had become the head of the LAPD’s Ultra Violent Crimes Unit. Lucien Folter had become the most prolific and dangerous serial killer the FBI had ever encountered.

Now, after spending three and a half years locked in solitary confinement, Lucien has finally managed to break free. And he’s angry.

For the past three and a half years, Lucien has thought of nothing else but vengeance.
The person responsible for locking him away has to pay, he has to suffer.
That person … is Robert Hunter.
And now it is finally time to execute the plan.

The Robert Hunter series by Chris Carter has become a firm favourite of mine over the last year or two. I was typically late to discover this series so have been enjoying catching up on the earlier novels (whilst picking up the newer titles when they release). All the books have stood up well as stand-alone thrillers but Hunting Evil is a sequel to an earlier title and even Chris Carter himself (in the intro) advocated reading An Evil Mind before picking up Hunting Evil.

Just for the record – I had not read An Evil Mind before I read Hunting Evil and while there are clearly spoilers for the earlier title I still had a blast with Hunting Evil so it can be enjoyed on its own.

For the new reader to this series – Robert Hunter is introduced and described in detail early in the book. He is a Detective with LAPD’s Ultra Violent Crimes Unit and he deals with some of the most horrific murders I have read about during my blogging years. These stories are not for the faint of heart!

Hunting Evil begins with a prison breakout. Lucian Folter has managed to escape from a high security prison and is on the run. His first priority is to get to safety, his next is to get Robert Hunter. A dangerous game of cat and mouse is about to commence as Folter will stop at nothing to destroy Hunter and harm the people around him. A

Both Folter and Hunter have known each other for a long time and Hunting Evil sees each trying to outsmart/out-think the other. Folter leaves clues and messages for Hunter to decipher. If Hunter can unravel the puzzle Folter leaves for him then he will save innocent lives. If he fails then the price will be high and Hunter’s conscience may not cope the burden of responsibility. It makes for hugely engaging reading.

The whole story has a high octane, fast paced feel. The reader is caught up in the chase to bring Folter down. Hunter cannot take on the challenge alone and along with LAPD, other agencies will get involved – a large taskforce but with Hunter at the helm steering the investigations towards the clues he is left by his old friend.

Throughout the book it seems inevitable there will be a coming together of the two forces. Hunter vs Folter. With Folter holding all the aces it is hard to see how this can end well for the good guys.

This is a weighty tome – over 100 chapters and approaching the 500 page mark, yet I flew through the story as it was incredibly readable. These are the types of book I enjoy the most. A strong lead, great supporting characters, a deadly enemy and some extremely dark twists. The Robert Hunter books represent a high point in the release schedules, Hunting Evil delivered on every level.

Hunting Evil is published by Simon & Schuster and is available in Hardback, audio and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunting-Evil-Chris-Carter/dp/1471179524/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1RJF60C1BULIG&keywords=chris+carter&qid=1557077419&s=books&sprefix=c%2Cinstant-video%2C261&sr=1-1

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

April 29

The Innocent Ones – Neil White

Three lives cut short. Two decades of silence. One evil secret.

By day, the park rings with the sound of children’s excited laughter. But in the early hours of the morning, the isolated playground is cloaked in shadows – the perfect hiding place to conceal a brutal murder.

When London journalist, Mark Roberts, is found battered to death, the police quickly arrest petty thief, Nick Connor. Criminal defence lawyer, Dan Grant, along with investigator Jayne Brett, are called to represent him – but with bloody footprints and a stolen wallet linking him to the scene, this is one case they’re unlikely to win.

Until help comes from an unlikely source…when the murder victim’s mother says that Connor is innocent, begging Dan and Jayne to find the real perpetrator.

Unravelling the complex case means finding the connection between Mark’s death and a series of child murders in Yorkshire over twenty years ago. Father of two, Rodney Walker, has spent years in prison after being convicted of killing of 6-year-old William and 7-year-old Ruby back in 1997.

But when Mark Roberts gets on the trail of the story, convinced that Walker is innocent, he exposed secrets that have long been buried. Secrets so dark, someone will kill to keep them hidden.

Dan and Jayne are in a race against time to uncover the truth – before a killer silences them forever.

Started and finished in a single day – The Innocent Ones completely drew me in and kept me reading. Stories like this (the ones you just get absorbed in) are the reason I keep reading and are the books I want to shout loudest about.

Dan is due to go to court to defend a man accused of murder. Before the trial starts the victim’s mother approaches Dan and suggests his client is innocent. For a grieving mother to make such a significant intervention is a real eye opener and Dan starts to do some digging.

He enlists his former colleague, Jayne Brett, to do his investigative work. Dan and Jayne have appeared together in two previous novels and The Innocent Ones is the last part in a trilogy. Confession time – I have not read the first two books so I can honestly say this book stands well on its own. At no time did I feel I was playing catch-up on the backstory.

Back to The Innocent Ones…Dan and Jayne are asking questions and soon draw attention to themselves. However someone doesn’t like their questions and our heroes will find themselves in real danger. The last person who asked the questions they are seeking to answer was the victim at Dan’s court case. If the pair continue to seek the truth there may be a high price to pay.

Events in The Innocent Ones link back to the deaths of two young children in the late 1990’s. A little flashback action and we have some characters who will live to tell the tale and bring the reader a compelling murder tale. Lives were broken and long shadows cast onto current events. Neil White does a brilliant job of showing the effects of horror and how people cope (or not) with unspeakable trauma.

This story flowed so smoothly, I just kept reading and became caught up in events. I had to find out why Dan and Jayne were being targeted. Who was keeping secrets? Who had most to lose? Who needed long forgotten deaths to be left forgotten?

I read a lot of crime fiction and I know what I like. I like The Inncocent Ones. A murder story, a thriller and some courtroom scenes – ideal.

The Innocent Ones is published by Hera Books and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innocent-Ones-absolutely-gripping-thriller-ebook/dp/B07NCBH5HP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=neil+white&qid=1556483769&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

April 23

Have You Seen Her – Lisa Hall (Audiobook)

Bonfire Night. A missing girl.

Anna only takes her eyes off Laurel for a second. She thought Laurel was following her mum through the crowds. But in a heartbeat, Laurel is gone.

Laurel’s parents are frantic. As is Anna, their nanny. But as the hours pass, and Laurel isn’t found, suspicion grows.

Someone knows what happened to Laurel. And they’re not telling.

My thanks to Joe Thomas at Harper Collins for the chance to join an audiobook blog tour.

I love to juggle my reading material, paperbacks, hardback books, Kindle reads, books on my phone through the Kindle or Kobo apps – even the odd Word document for very early review copies. However, over the last year or two I have become hooked on audiobooks and is a thrill to share today’s review as this is my first chance to participate in an Audiobook Blog Tour.

The most important question which any audiobook review needs to address is “Does the audio experience work for this story?”

Yes! It really, really does.

But what do I mean by “the audio experience”? Simply put – some books are not enjoyable when they transfer to audio. The narrator(s) may not be to the listener’s liking, particularly if there is a need to cover a number of regional accents. Footnotes and annotations are lost. Overly wordy and complex explanations need to be endured and cannot be skipped (although maybe that is only something I do).

Have You Seen Her plays out wonderfully in audio. This is entirely down to the slick storytelling of Lisa Hall and the excellent work of narrator Kristen Atherton. This was the first time I have heard Kristen read and I would very much like to listen to more of her work as she brought this book to life.

The book opens with a sickening premise. At a community bonfire evening young Laurel disappears into the crowd to catch up with her mother. Laurel’s nanny (Anna) watches her go but this is the last time anyone sees Laurel. She never caught up with her mother and when Anna becomes aware Laurel is unsupervised in the park it is too late – the little girl is nowhere to be found.

Thus begins a tense and unpredictable domestic drama. Events are told from Anna’s viewpoint. It is clear she and Laurel’s parents are not close…Anna is made very aware she is not Laurel’s mother and she is kept firmly in her place as an employee – not a friend.

Laurel’s parents are not likeable characters. Despite the distress they are enduring, the strain of their daughter disappearing, they come across as two unpleasant people. It was hard to empathise with their situation, particularly as Anna seems to care more about what has happened to Laurel than her parents do.

In this cracking domestic thriller you can be assured that secrets are being kept. The fun in Have You Seen Her is trying to figure out who to trust and identify which characters are lying. On this front I failed miserably and thoroughly enjoyed my failure. I don’t think I could describe an audiobook as a page-turner but what I did get was a story I didn’t want to stop listening to.

Have You Seen Her is published by Harper Collins and you can order a copy here: https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008215019/have-you-seen-her/

Category: Audiobook, Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

April 12

Second Lives – P.D. Cacek

When four patients unexpectedly wake after being declared dead, their families are ecstatic and the word “miracle” begins to be whispered throughout the hospital. But the jubilation is short lived when the patients don’t respond to their names and insist they are different people. It is suggested all four are suffering from fugue states until one of the doctors recognizes a name and verifies that he not only knew the girl but was there when she died in 1992. It soon becomes obvious that the bodies of the four patients are now inhabited by the souls of people long dead.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher so I could join the blog tour. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the opportunity to host a leg of the Second Lives blog tour.

For the first fifty (or so) pages of Second Lives we are introduced to the key characters. Half of them died shortly after we were introduced. Their deaths are not glorified or gruesomely depicted, as I may have expected from a horror novel, but are shown with compassion and the characters are given a dignity as the curtain draws on their lives.

I had originally believed Second Lives to be a horror tale but despite edging towards a supernatural slant it is not a gore-fest, monster mash, chilling tale of death and resurrection. It is a cleverly crafted, character driven story which raised some thought provoking moments.

Much of the enjoyment in Second Lives comes from reading about how the characters cope with the situation which they find themselves in. To have died and be ‘reborn’ into the body of a stranger. Not as a baby to grow and live anew but to drop into someone else’s life. Sometimes the new life lives in a time period long after the deceased character originally lived so the body-shock issue is compounded by a radical lifestyle shift too. It can be overwhelming.

Second Lives was an opportunity to read a story vastly different from the “normal” thrillers I read. The premise is very clever and the execution equally so.

Second Lives is published by Flame Tree Press and is available to order here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Lives-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07QCVBDRS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1555013420&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

April 11

I Want You Gone – Miranda Rijks

The only obituary you never want to read – is your own.

Laura Swallow is dead.
A life cut tragically short, says the newspaper obituary.
But that’s a lie.
Estate agent Laura did not die in a car accident. She is alive and well.
At first, Laura thinks it’s a sick joke.
But multiple announcements of her death are followed by increasingly sinister real-life events. Already fragile, struggling to recover from a recent divorce, Laura is plunged into a living nightmare.
Who can she trust? Her new lover? Her clients and work colleagues? What about her ex-husband and his smug fiancée? Can Laura even rely on her best friends? And why is it that Laura’s present troubles are so tied up with her sister’s sudden death all those years ago?
But one thing Laura is sure of – someone out there wants her to suffer. Wants her gone.
Forever.

My thanks to Emma at Damppebbles Blog Tours for the chance to join this tour. I received a review copy in order to participate in this blog tour.

This was a twisty and unsettling story which saw lead character, Laura Swallow, put through an emotional wringer. If you enjoy your protagonists to experience all the trauma (rather than swan through a story observing misfortune for others while they remain untouched) then add I Want You Gone to your reading list immediately.

Laura is a divorcee, her ex-husband is living with a younger woman and Laura is making a tentative to begin dating again. She has a good job at a local estate agency and seems to be building some self-confidence but her world is about to be rocked in a way she could never have anticipated.

It begins with an obituary in the local paper. Laura’s obituary. But there must have been a terrible mistake – Laura is alive and well and most certainly did not die in a car accident as the paper suggests. Things get worse for Laura when a client, an old school friend, raises a complaint about her behaviour while she is showing him around a property. This is just the start of a sequence of unexplained attacks (or pranks?) where Laura is the target. Each incident becomes more venomous and her personal safety no longer seems assured.

With only a few friends or colleagues she feels able to trust, who can help keep Laura safe as she struggles to understand why someone seems intent on destroying her.

Some fun twists and a few dark touches kept me reading. I was keen to find out why Laura had been singled out and enjoyed my journey to enlightenment.

I Want You Gone is published on 13 April 2019 by Inkubator Books and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PZ8Q3LT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

April 3

The Ringmaster – Vanda Symon

Marginalised by previous antics, Sam Shephard, is on the bottom rung of detective training in Dunedin, and her boss makes sure she knows it. She gets involved in her first homicide investigation, when a university student is murdered in the Botanic Gardens, and Sam soon discovers this is not an isolated incident. There is a chilling prospect of a predator loose in Dunedin, and a very strong possibility that the deaths are linked to a visiting circus…

Determined to find out who’s running the show, and to prove herself, Sam throws herself into an investigation that can have only one ending…

Rich with atmosphere, humour and a dark, shocking plot, The Ringmaster marks the return of passionate, headstrong police officer, Sam Shephard, in the next instalment of Vanda Symon’s bestselling series.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in order to provide this review.

I have been looking forward to The Ringmaster from the moment I discovered Orenda Books were publishing a second Vanda Symon, Sam Shephard thriller. Anticipation was entirely justified as The Ringmaster was a joy to read…except for one scene which traumatised me!

Joking aside, this is very much shaping up to be a cracking series. Sam Shephard is an extremely likeable lead character, however, in The Ringmaster she finds herself in a frustrating situation. We are several months on from events in Overkill and Sam has been promoted to a bigger squad and finds herself bottom of the pecking order. The feeling among some of her colleagues is that she has been given too much of a jump up too quickly, but someone in authority likes Sam’s attitude and clever brain so she needs to find her feet quickly. Sam seems wracked with insecurities and frustration and I loved how the author makes me empathize with her character.

The Ringmaster starts with a chilling murder. We see the victim meet her attacker, the two are clearly acquainted, and the casual brutality of the murderer in ending his victim’s life is a compelling opening to the story. This contrasts with the first few scenes to feature Sam Shepard – although she will be at the murder scene, she spends much of the early part of the story around the circus and the issues she has to deal with are much lighter in tone. This dark/light mood setting worked really well for me, particularly as the circus makes a gradual shift from a place of light-hearted fun to being a more sinister setting.

The Ringmaster is a really engaging police procedural. The murder investigation initially seemed to be making little progress but the story zipped along and I suddenly became aware that I had missed loads of clues about where the plot was heading. No better feeling for a reader than getting caught up in a story and just letting events unfold.

I have been struggling to find reading time lately but I got completely caught up in The Ringmaster. It was inhaled in two sittings and I immediately began to look forward to the next!

The Ringmaster is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ringmaster-Sam-Shephard-Vanda-Symon-ebook/dp/B07KGNQJGJ/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=GYT9HJ500HYA&keywords=the+ringmaster+vanda+symon&qid=1554246431&s=gateway&sprefix=the+ringmaster+vanda%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

March 19

To Kill The Truth – Sam Bourne

Someone is trying to destroy the evidence of history’s greatest crimes.

Academics and Holocaust survivors dead in mysterious circumstances. Museums and libraries burning. Digital records and irreplaceable proofs, lost for ever.

Former White House operative Maggie Costello has sworn off politics. But when the Governor of Virginia seeks her help to stop the lethal spiral of killings, she knows that this is bigger than any political game.

As Black Lives Matter protestors clash with slavery deniers, America is on a knife-edge and time is running out. This deadly conspiracy could ignite a new Civil War – but who stands to gain most from the chaos?

Taut, authoritative and explosive, To Kill the Truth takes us to the edge of anarchy, a world without truth in which history will be rewritten by those who live to shape it.

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley

Last year I found myself drawn to a book called To Kill the President. It was my introduction to Maggie Costello – flame haired, American Irish force to be reckoned with. My review of To Kill The President is here and it’s a book I still recommend to fans of political thrillers.

Now Costello returns in To Kill The Truth. It is a story which struck fear into my heart as libraries and books are being destroyed as someone tries to remove historical records, seemingly to allow sufficient doubt over recorded historical events. Could slavery or the holocaust be denied if the historical records were removed and modern voices sought to re-establish “facts” or offer different interpretations on past events?

In a courthouse a case is playing out which has potential to ignite racial tensions across the world – the question at the heart of the trial is “did slavery happen?” With the jury’s decision looming Maggie Costello is trying to establish if there could be any connection with the court case and the destruction of the libraries and museums which house the history of the world.

To Kill The Truth is a fast paced political thriller which and I really enjoyed it. The power players of Washington are trying to pull the strings and control any damage limitation. Journalists are digging for connections, academics are dying and Maggie is caught in the midst of it all. She will become a target for forces unknown – her reputation and her credibility will be stripped from her and she must show resilience to make her voice heard.

Sam Bourne taps into the issues of the day and spins an exciting story which, at times, felt alarmingly uncomfortable to contemplate as just fiction. Well worth seeking this book out – it is currently available in all good bookshops.

To Kill the Truth is published by Quercus and is available in Hardback, Digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kill-Truth-Sam-Bourne/dp/1787474917/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=to+kill+the+truth&qid=1552758453&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

March 13

The Courier – Kjell Ola Dahl

The international bestselling godfather of Nordic Noir takes on one of the most horrific periods of modern history, in a stunning standalone thriller

In 1942, Jewish courier Ester is betrayed, narrowly avoiding arrest by the Gestapo. In a great haste, she escapes to Sweden, saving herself. Her family in Oslo, however, is deported to Auschwitz. In Stockholm, Ester meets the resistance hero, Gerhard Falkum, who has left his little daughter and fled both the Germans and allegations that he murdered his wife, Åse, who helped Ester get to Sweden. Their burgeoning relationship ends abruptly when Falkum dies in a fire.

And yet, twenty-five years later, Falkum shows up in Oslo. He wants to reconnect with his daughter. But where has he been, and what is the real reason for his return? Ester stumbles across information that forces her to look closely at her past, and to revisit her war-time training to stay alive…

Written with Dahl’s trademark characterization and elegant plotting, The Courier sees the hugely respected godfather of Nordic Noir at his best, as he takes on one of the most horrific periods of modern history, in an exceptional, shocking thriller.

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and to Anne Cater for the chance to join the blog tour.

I don’t read enough historical fiction – The Courier makes me believe I should be reading a lot more of it! In the past I have found many historical novels too slow and (for me) excessively detailed on the setting – to the detriment of the story. However, if I could guarantee future historical reads were even half as good as The Courier then I would certainly be reading more of them.

A spy thriller and a murder tale which is set partially during World War 2 but also in the 1960’s and in more modern times too. This is a grand tale which tells the story of Ester and Gerhard. Their paths cross in Oslo during the war. Ester is a young Jewish woman hiding from Nazi soldiers and working with the resistance. When the Gestapo get too close she is forced to go into hiding. She stays at the home of Gerhard and his wife but this will not be a long stay and something occurs which will define the path their lives will take (no spoilers).

We catch up with their story in the 1960’s where we find many of the characters in the novel are keeping secrets (perhaps not unexpectedly given events during the war). There is an investigation to be enjoyed and there are slow reveals which keep the reader guessing as to where the story may lead.

While the tale may not be a fast paced espionage thriller it is most certainly a well crafted character drama. Kjell Ola Dahl makes you care about his characters and you want to keep reading The Courier to find what happens to Ester et all.

Orenda Books consistently treat us to terrific, emotive and engaging stories The Courier is another triumph.

The Courier is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Courier-Kjell-Ola-Dahl-ebook/dp/B07KGLHC5X/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=3FCX5SYMRSXXO&keywords=the+courier+kjell&qid=1552412473&s=gateway&sprefix=the+courier+k%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

Follow the Blog Tour:

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

March 1

More Catching Up – Belsham/Arnopp

I recently shared a catch-up post where I covered three books in one go. I was aiming for a more rapid review to let me catch up on sharing my thoughts on some of the great books I have been reading (but my non-blogging commitments prevented me from reviewing them in a more timely manner).

Happy with how that first post was received I am revisiting the rapid review format to do a bit more catching up…

THE TATTOO THIEF

A policeman on his first murder case
A tattoo artist with a deadly secret
And a twisted serial killer sharpening his blades to kill again…

When Brighton tattoo artist Marni Mullins discovers a flayed body, newly-promoted DI Francis Sullivan needs her help. There’s a serial killer at large, slicing tattoos from his victims’ bodies while they’re still alive. Marni knows the tattooing world like the back of her hand, but has her own reasons to distrust the police. So when she identifies the killer’s next target, will she tell Sullivan or go after the Tattoo Thief alone?

I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

I was at Bloody Scotland in 2016 when I first heard of The Tattoo Thief. Alison Belsham had just won the Pitch Perfect panel and the halls were buzzing with whispers of a story where a killer was stealing tattoos from the body of his victims. It sounded terrific. Two years later I finally read it and it was as dark and twisted as I had hoped.

The murders and the detail of the tattoo depictions were high points in the story. I became completely caught up with the murder scenes and when the investigation began to focus on tattoos I loved the detail and discussions about the art and styles. It was engaging and fascinating and gave a fresh feel to a crime thriller.

The investigating officers were a bit more challenging to like. The lead character, DI Frances Sullivan, has just been promoted and at 29 years of age is running his first murder case. His second in command feels he should have got the job Sullivan holds and there is conflict from the outset. The power struggle detracted from the investigation at times and personal rivalries seemed to get in the way of getting the investigation running correctly. That said, the conflict brought out some strong characters – more memorable as a consequence of their conflict.

Dark murder mysteries are what I enjoy and my time with The Tattoo Thief was time well spent.

The Tattoo Thief is published by Orion and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. Order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0719VZB2Z/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

The Last Days of Jack Sparks – Jason Arnopp

It was no secret that journalist Jack Sparks had been researching the occult for his new book. No stranger to controversy, he’d already triggered a furious Twitter storm by mocking an exorcism he witnessed.

Then there was that video: forty seconds of chilling footage that Jack repeatedly claimed was not of his making, yet was posted from his own YouTube account.

Nobody knew what happened to Jack in the days that followed – until now.

This was a great read. A chilling supernatural thriller which got far darker than I had originally anticipated – and that only increased its standing in my estimation.

Jack Sparks is a writer. He has a chaotic lifestyle, addictions, a “secret” love for his flatmate (which she knows about) and he wants to debunk the supernatural. To achieve this task Jack is going to attend an exorcism to record events and, he believes, highlight the ridiculousness of the event. Things do not go to plan.

Jack comes to the attention of dark forces, forces which are far beyond his understanding and it is not long before Jack’s life starts to come unstuck. People are going to die. Horribly. Jack will be in peril, he will lose everything he holds dear and the manner of his decline will stick with you.

Jason Arnopp will put his cast through the wringer and doesn’t hold back when he shocks and repulses his readers. Many horror tales can be crass or lurid at the expense of good writing, not so here. Arnopp is a great storyteller and he will captivate readers and keep them hooked.

The Last Days of Jack Sparks is published by Orbit and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B010PIFZMO/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

February 21

The Haunting of Henderson Close – Catherine Cavendish

Ghosts have always walked there. Now they’re not alone.

In the depths of Edinburgh, an evil presence is released.

Hannah and her colleagues are tour guides who lead their visitors along the spooky, derelict Henderson Close, thrilling them with tales of spectres and murder. For Hannah it is her dream job, but not for long. Who is the mysterious figure that disappears around a corner? What is happening in the old print shop? And who is the little girl with no face?

The legends of Henderson Close are becoming all too real. The Auld De’il is out – and even the spirits are afraid.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers to provide a review as part of the blog tour.

I find it surprising that there are not more horror stories set in Edinburgh’s Old Town. If you have ever have the opportunity to visit the narrow streets of the Scottish capital then you will know how atmospheric it can feel. The city has its fair share of ghost stories and there are plenty of ghost tours and accompanied ghost walks to entertain residents and visitors alike.

That is what makes The Haunting of Henderson Close so appealing – the key characters in the story (well in the modern day part of the tale) are staff at a ghost walk. Clad in period costume and taking the role of real characters who lived in their corner of the Old Town, Hannah and her colleagues tell eerie stories of days gone by. They give tourists a look into the past and explain what life was like in olden days when the streets were slums and disease was rife.

Hannah is the lead character in The Haunting of Henderson Close. She is just starting in her new role as cast member on the tours. As she finds her feet and learns the background to the people and the houses she needs to discuss we get glimpses of strange figures in places they should not be. Cold gusts of wind on a still day and the sensation of being watched.

The author does a fabulous job of capturing the sense of location, the narrow streets, dark corners all make the chilling encounters seem so vivid. As we get drawn into the story the peril to Hannah and her colleagues increases. Soon the visions and visitations will escalate, danger becomes more imminent and Hannah even finds herself experiencing a flashback? (maybe) to decades previously when the streets buzz with the poorest wretches of Edinburgh’s past.

To build on the experiences Hannah is encountering we are also taken back in time to meet people who lived in the streets of the Old Town. Some of those we meet are not destined to end their lives peacefully and we begin to question if their spirits are those that Hannah is encountering in modern day.

The time hops in the story become more significant as we get drawn into events (no spoilers as to why) but it was a nice shift in the narrative which I felt worked well and made me keen to keep reading.

If supernatural chills are what you seek then The Haunting of Henderson Close is highly recommended.

The Haunting of Henderson Close is published by Flame Tree Press and is available in digital, paperback and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunting-Henderson-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07L9L8P9Z/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550695144&sr=8-1&keywords=catherine+cavendish

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off