Title: Blood Harvest
Author: S. J. Bolton
Publisher: Bantam Press
Read: September 14-16, 2013
Synopsis (Goodreads):
A TIME TO BE BORN
Twelve-year-old Tom and his family have just moved to a small town perched on the crest of the moor. But troubles begin when Tom sees a mysterious child lurking around the nearby churchyard.
A TIME TO DIE
Psychiatrist Evi is trying to treat a young woman haunted by the disappearance of her little girl. A devastating fire burned down their home, but even two years on she is convinced her daughter survived.
A TIME TO KILL
Harry is the town's new vicar, quickly befriended by the locals. But unusual events around the church suggest he isn't entirely welcome, and that this odd little town harbours a terrifying secret.
My thoughts:
I only just complained to a friend that I haven’t read a
good ghost story for years – that was before picking up Blood Harvest from my
local library. Being the last book currently out by S. J. Bolton which I hadn’t
read, the feeling on finishing it was bittersweet (now I have to wait till she
writes a new one), but like her other novels, it swept me up in nail-biting
suspense and kept me up all hours of the night reading. Its creepy setting also
managed to spook me so much that I was tempted to sleep with the lights on!
Harry Laycock has no idea what he has let himself in for
when he accepts a posting as minister in the small village of Heptonclough in
the Yorkshire Pennines. Surrounded by sweeping moorland, it sports two old
churches with a somewhat shady history, and old pagan rituals which at times
even manage to spook the pragmatic Harry. Being a newcomer, Harry soon forges a
firm friendship with Alice and Gareth, another couple who have recently moved
to the village and built their home on land which used to belong to the
diocese, nestled in between the churches and surrounded by graveyards. He
shares Alice’s concerns when their young sons Joe and Tom become fearful and
disturbed, reporting that they have been followed by the ghostly presence of a
very frightening looking “girl”, who is apparently trying to harm their
two-year old sister Millie. According to the boys, this strange spectre may be
responsible for abducting Millie out of the house one afternoon and abandoning
her on a small ledge high up in the nave of the church, nearly resulting in a
fatal fall. Although Harry suspects a prank by local youngsters to be
responsible, he is dismayed to find out that a little girl has previously died
in that very spot, also by falling from a considerable height onto the slate
floor. Delving deeper into the village’s history, he realises that several
young girls have fallen victim to fatal accidents in the recent past – and that
Millie may indeed be in danger.
To say that I loved this book is an understatement – I was
totally absorbed by its characters and setting from the very first sentence to
the last word. To me, Blood Harvest contained everything that makes a brilliant
novel – vivid characters, vibrant dialogue, a well-constructed murder-mystery
and a dark spooky gothic setting. Bolton has a keen eye for detail and human
behaviour, as well as a vivid sense of place, which allows the story to play
out almost movie-like in front of the reader’s eyes. I love Bolton’s attention
to detail, the small seemingly unimportant elements which later all come
together in the final reveal.
Blood Harvest first introduces the character of Evi Oliver,
a psychiatrist who features in S. J. Bolton’s second Lacey Flint novel Dead Scared. Like many of S. J. Bolton’s female characters, Evi is hampered by the
legacy of her past, in her case a physical disability from a skiing accident,
which means she has to deal with debilitating chronic pain on a daily basis.
When Evi and Harry accidentally (in the true sense of the word) meet, it is not
love at first sight – but they soon discover a kindred spirit in one another,
and there is even the hint of romance at one stage. I often find romance a bit
of a distraction in crime novels, but found Evi and Harry’s friendship
touching, and for me it did not overshadow the main story in the slightest.
Having protagonists which are not police gives the story an unusual
perspective, one which I thoroughly enjoyed –Harry does make a wonderful
amateur sleuth, whilst Evi’s profession allows insights into the darker
elements of the human psyche.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a
good read, whether you are an S. J. Bolton fan or not. Whilst not a typical
ghost story, it contains enough things to go bump in the night to make you snuggle
deeper under the doona, and as most of Bolton’s books, its murder-mystery
component is also not for the faint hearted. Another five stars from me – it
just reconfirms why Bolton is on top of my list of favourite crime novelists. I
am now eagerly anticipating her next book.
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