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Ghost Story – Elisa Lodato

She came to write, but the island has its own story . . .

Off the windswept coast of Scotland lies Finish Island, rugged and remote. Once a home, it now stands abandoned, a place of dark history and deep memory, a place that holds its stories close. Unable to write since her daughter’s death, it’s here that Seren comes to work, hoping that the solitude and silence will inspire her next novel.

But the island holds memories of its own, restless and unwilling to stay buried. As unsettling occurrences become even more bizarre and frightening, Seren starts seeing uncanny resonances between her past and the island’s history. There is something on this island, something ancient and unforgiving. Will Seren discover its secrets, before it’s too late?

My thanks to the publisher, Manilla Press, for a review copy ahead of the Ghost Story blog tour and to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to join the tour.

Seren is in a bad place. Her debut book was published to great acclaim and she enjoyed a degree of success. However, against her better judgement and after a number of failed approaches the sequel fails to deliver and readers appear underwhelmed. For Seren this is of no real interest as she is mourning the loss of her young daughter. Wrapped in the tragedy of her personal loss she has no appetite or inclination to write.

When we meet Seren at the start of Ghost Story she has found herself in a lonely and somewhat desperate situation. Her house is being packed up, she is moving out and her ex is now with another woman who is pregnant with his baby. It appears to have been a naturally agreed parting of ways between Seren and Jamie and she is even on speaking terms with Jamie’s new wife, Claire. Though only just.

Seren is taking some control of her own future – she has agreed with her publisher to write a new book. The decision was entirely driven by the need for money but Seren does realise she needs to try to start afresh. During their negotiations around what book her publishers would like to see the idea of a ghost story is floated and Seren is won around and agrees to deliver what they need. To do so she decides she needs a change of location, a resettlement to a place of undisturbed peace and inspiration. The remote Scottish Island of Finish is where she picks. If isolation is desired then there can be no better place.

Seren would visit Finish Island as a child and rememebers the rugged, desolate landscape. There are no inhabitants any longer, a house is available to lease (through the Scottish National Trust) but it relies on a wind generator and facilities are basic at best. When she enquires about a lenghty lease there is a degree of shock as most visitors only look to spend one or two nights before they return to the comforts of civilisation. Seren does get her way in the end and we soon join her on the Scottish West Coast as she prepares to take up residence in her new home.

A troubled writer, grieving and alone on a remote island with a dark history of violence where nobody wants to live any longer. All the ingredients are in place for a tense read. And it is a tense read which Elisa Lodato delivers for the readers. But not the read I had been expecting and I don’t really feel I can explain why without straying too far into spoiler territory…tricky.

Seren is very much the focus of this story and the turmoil and baggage she brings with her will play a significant part in the telling of Ghost Story. Very near the start of the book the reader will get some insight into what may happen to Seren as she works on the manuscript but as you dig deeper into the story you will find there’s a lot more going on than you may have originally anticipated. It isn’t the chilling supernatural tale I had expected from the title but there are the twists and surprises I enjoy when I go into a new book “blind” and with no real insight as to what my be about to happen to the characters being introdduced.

One key part of my enjoyment of Ghost Story was the seeminly effortless flow of the chapters. Elisa Lodato has a style of writing which I could read all day long. There are some delightfully funny moments, particularly as Seren prepares to leave on her journey and is ticking off a few chores, doing some research and scratching the odd itch before she embarks. I felt the characters were seeded very well and their quirks and peculiarities made them interesting to follow which helped keep me reading. That said they also have some incredibly frustrating features and habits too – this isn’t a sugar-coated fluffy unicorn tale I am afraid and some dark and unsettling things are going to happen.

I can best summarise Ghost Story as an unexpected but engaging story (for me). The writing was terrific and the pacing kept me reading as I wanted to discover more about Seren and what may be about to occur. Definately one to consider as the darker evenings draw in and the autumnal chills draw us to creepy and disturbing stories.

Ghost Story publishes on 26 September 2024 and will be available in Hardcover, Digital and Audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/ghost-story/elisa-lodato/9781786583369

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August 15

The Woman in the Library – Sulari Gentill

Hannah Tigone, bestselling Australian crime author, is crafting a new novel that begins in the Boston Public Library: four strangers; Winifred, Cain, Marigold and Whit are sitting at the same table when a bloodcurdling scream breaks the silence. A woman has been murdered. They are all suspects, and, as it turns out, each character has their own secrets and motivations – and one of them is a murderer.

While crafting this new thriller, Hannah shares each chapter with her biggest fan and aspirational novelist, Leo. But Leo seems to know a lot about violence, motive, and how exactly to kill someone. Perhaps he is not all that he seems…

The Woman in the Library is an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship – and shows that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley

A book from the “what I read on my summer holiday” collection. I was fascinated by the blurb of this story, four strangers in a Library when a murder takes place – one of the four is a murderer but if the four were sitting at a table then how can one of their number be a killer?

Well it isn’t Sulari Gentill who will tell this story it is Hannah Tigone (Okay it IS Sulari but let’s give Hannah her place too). Hannah is writing about Winifred, Marigold, Cain and Whit – four strangers who are in a Boston Library. They are sitting at a table togegther when a scream is heard – the four are forged in a new friendship and Hannah will write her novel about these new friends and the steps they will take to discover more about each other and, more importantly, about who may have killed a woman in the library.

As Hannah writes she gives her readers a background into each of these four players in her story. They all have secrets, they all have a reason to keep them secret and Hannah is going to spin out the tale and deliver a whip-smart whodunnit. But between the chapters about the friendly four and their strengthening bonds Sulari Gentill is also telling her readers about Hannah’s life away from the story she is crafting. Hannah is getting feedback from Leo – he is reading her early chapter drafts as each chapter is completed and providing his own observations and feedback. Leo is a bit of an enigma and does seem to enjoy a bit of mansplaining but he also has thoughts and opinions of friendships, secrets and he seems remarkably well informed about murder too.

All very mysterious and very nicely put together. At approximately 270 pages in length I found The Woman in the Library a sharp and well exectuted murder tale (no puns intended here). Hannah’s story gives a satisfying murder tale with a seemingly impossible pool of suspects and Sulari’s story about Hannah is darker and more perplexing – reading to see how that plot unfolded was very much the reason I zipped through The Woman in the Library in just two enjoyable sittings.

I enjoyed the very different approach to the story telling here and this is a book I’d recommend readers look out for when it hits the shelves next month.

The Woman in the Library is published in hardback in the UK on 15 September 2022 and you can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-woman-in-the-library/sulari-gentill/9781761151545

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August 31

Eight Detectives – Alex Pavesi

All murder mysteries follow a simple set of rules.

Grant McAllister, an author of crime fiction and professor of mathematics, once sat down and worked them all out.

But that was thirty years ago. Now he’s living a life of seclusion on a quiet Mediterranean island – until Julia Hart, a sharp, ambitious editor, knocks on his door. His early work is being republished and together the two of them must revisit those old stories.

An author, hiding from his past, and an editor, probing inside it.

But as she reads the stories, Julia is unsettled to realise that there are parts that don’t make sense. Intricate clues that seem to reference a real murder.

One that’s remained unsolved for thirty years . . .

If Julia wants answers, she must triumph in a battle of wits with a dangerously clever adversary.

But she must tread carefully: she knows there’s a mystery, but she doesn’t yet realise there’s already been a murder . . .

My thanks to publishers, Michael Joseph, for the review copy which I received through Netgalley

Visiting a Mediterranean Island to meet reclusive author Grant McAllister is editor Julia Hart. Julia’s employers want to publish a collection of stories by McAllister which have been out of print and largely ignored for many years but Julia believes there is now a market for these clever tales. McAllister was a professor of mathematics and he devised a formula or a set of rules into which all crime fiction will fit – his collection of stories will be used to demonstrate each of these rules. One story per rule.

Julia and McAllister sit together, Julia reads a story and the pair discuss the rule or classification which that story fulfills. Julia also highlights some inconsistencies in each of the stories (there are always one or two) and challenges McAllister why he allowed them to creep into the text. Some are very subtle and I confess I missed virtually all of them – even when I knew to look out for them as the book progressed.

As a novel, Eight Detectives gives the reader a collection of short stories to enjoy – each a tale of Golden Age crime which are being hailed as Christie-esk in their execution. Indeed one of the stories is very much penned in homage to one of Dame Agatha’s finest novels and this is noted in the book. The stories are all quite different as each needs to conform to one of McAllisters rules and we only know the rule at the end of each tale. This ensures a reader can be surprised at the outcome of each story.

As with any short story collection (which Eight Detectives technically is not) there are some stories which are more enjoyable than others. So I found there were periods of the book where my attention waned. The story of Julia and McAllister between the short stories links the whole book and suggests there is a further untold tale developing; but that is a possible encroachment to spoiler territory and you need to read for yourself to learn about their conversations.

I found Eight Detectives a tricky book to review. I am very much a fan of the concept of the rules which McAllister devised. I liked Julia and though I cannot talk about her analysis of each tale and her ‘error spotting (because spoilers) this was also very well executed by the author. However I am not a great fan of short stories and I wasn’t gripped by some of the tales. To compare my reading experience to a train journey…there were times I was excited by the view, some bits felt comforting and familiar but at the end of the experience I felt a bit flat.

So a quandary – should I review it on the blog? Well as you are reading this…YES. It is a clever, clever premise. I am seeing a lot of love for it from other reviewers and for fans of Golden Age crime and “cozy” crime I would highly recommend it. Is it a page turning thriller? NO. I struggled to see it to the end as it just didn’t hit the mark with me. We can’t love them all.

Eight Detectives is published by Michael Joseph and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081R2MWFG/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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July 10

Beast In The Basement – Jason Arnopp

In a big house in the countryside, a recently bereaved and increasingly unstable author toils over a novel which will close the best-selling trilogy of Jade Nexus fantasy books.

Speculation and rumour are rife among hardcore Jade Nexus fans that their heroine will die at the novel’s conclusion – a possibility against which they loudly protest via social media as the release date nears.

How do you deal with grief, under such intense pressure? How do you cope with distractions from your work such as a violent intruder, panicked messages from your agent and a potential love interest moving into the cottage across the field? And far worse than any of those problems… what do you do about the Beast in your basement?

Normally I write my reviews by discussing the story and flagging/highlighting what I liked. I may discuss the characters that stood out and cover some of the subject matter (it’s a murder story, an espionage thriller, a dark comedy…). Normally that’s what I do.

Not with Beast In The Basement.

First rule on my blog is NO SPOILERS. So I am not even going to hint at Beast In The Basement, not going to discuss the story, not going to even name the characters. I AM going to tell you that this is a cracking story and I really enjoyed it.

Jason Arnopp has penned a wonderful wee shocker of a story. One of the stories that draw you in really quickly and keep you guessing right up to the point the clues fall into place and your jaw hits the floor. From that point (after you have picked up your jaw) you devour the rest of the book as you need to know what will happen next.

Beast In The Basement is recommended for those that enjoy their stories to have a bit of a twist, some tragedy, a shock or two and basically anyone that enjoys a bloody good read.

Don’t spoil it for anyone.

Only discuss it with people that have also read the book.

Tell others to read it too.

Get your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beast-Basement-Novella-Jason-Arnopp-ebook/dp/B0099Y6EVM/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1468189945&sr=1-2&keywords=jason+arnopp

Beast In The Basement is published by Retribution Books and is available in digital format.

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