Book Review: BENEATH THE STAIRS by Jennifer Fawcett

 

Title: BENEATH THE STAIRS

Author:  Jennifer Fawcett

Publisher:  Atria Books

Read: February 2022

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

A woman returns to her hometown after her childhood friend attempts suicide at a local haunted house—the same place where a traumatic incident shattered their lives twenty years ago.

What attracted me to this book:

 

Count me in for all the haunted house books!

My musings:

 

As soon as I heard the premise of Jennifer Fawcett’s book BENEATH THE STAIRS, I knew I had to read it. And Fawcett’s Octagon House is as creepy as it gets. Just from the author’s descriptions of the house you would not get me anywhere near there, especially at night, but of course true to any character in a horror film or a creepy story, the people in this book are inexplicably drawn to the place. You may reason that if a door that opens and closes at will and an unlit, dank basement doesn’t scream “run for your life!” at you, then you may not be cut out for the natural selection process – but then we wouldn’t have the opportunity to watch these characters stumble headlong into disaster.

 

Whilst the story presents itself in four separate timelines and various POVs, our main character is Clare, who reluctantly returns to her childhood home of Sumner’s Mills to offer support to her childhood friend Abby who is in hospital after a suicide attempt. Clare knows some of the demons that have haunted Abby for most of her adult life, because she was part of the events that started Abby on this slippery path of trauma and obsession. Whilst Clare has been able to block out the events from twenty years ago, she knows that it is all connected to the creepy house in the woods, Octagon House – the site of a child’s disappearance and a family’s murder long before Clare and Abby were born. To help her friend, Clare knows she must finally confront the demons from their childhood ...

 

BENEATH THE STAIRS was a creepy story that gripped me very quickly and kept me up at night. However, I felt that it got a bit bogged down in the middle with detail that added little to the mystery (all those teenage friendship dynamics could have been cut short), and then wrapped up the ending so quickly that many of my questions remained unanswered. I’m still not sure if I missed something crucial or if the story had skipped over some of the detail that would have linked all the threads together in a satisfying whole. Apart from the characters making questionable decisions – after all, that is the essence of any horror story – I felt that someone along the way would have called the police and saved themselves a whole lot of trauma.

 

 

Summary:

 

All in all, I felt very divided about this book. On one hand I loved the creepy, Gothic atmosphere and the haunted house setting, which I could visualise vividly. On the other hand, I felt that the story lost its way a bit with too many timelines and POVs and backstory, which never quite came together in the end. I feel that the author wanted to pack too many element into this book, which sadly only worked to dilute its creep factor. However, as far as creepy house settings go, this one was atmospheric and nightmare inducing and made for a fantastic backdrop to a ghost story.

 

  

Thank you to Atria Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: THE WHISTLING by Rebecca Netley

Title: THE WHISTLING

Author:  Rebecca Netley

Publisher:  Penguin Michael Joseph UK

Read: October 2021

Expected publication: 14 October 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Alone in the world, Elspeth Swansome has taken the position of nanny to a family on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea.

Her charge, Mary, is a strange child. Distracted and secretive, she hasn't uttered a word since the sudden death of her twin, William - just days after their former nanny disappeared.

With her charge defiantly silent, Elspeth turns to the islanders. But no one will speak of what happened to William.

Just as no one can explain the hypnotic lullabies sung in empty corridors.

Nor the strange dolls that appear in abandoned rooms.

Nor the faint whistling that comes in the night . . .

As winter draws in and passage to the mainland becomes impossible, Elspeth finds herself trapped.

But is this house haunted by the ghosts of the past?

OR THE SECRETS OF THE LIVING..?

My musings:

 

It’s this time of year that I start looking for spooky, atmospheric reads and THE WHISTLING fitted that category perfectly, from its cover to its claustrophobic setting seasoned with plenty of gothic vibes. Its basic premise is an oldie but a goodie: a nanny arrives on a remote Scottish island to take up a position in a grand old manor house, full of hope for a better future and to escape her own personal tragedy. She soon discovers, however, that there may be a good reason the previous nanny left in a hurry, never to be seen again. Elspeth’s charge, nine year old Mary, is so traumatised after the death of her mother and her brother, that she has been mute ever since. Her aunt, a stern, austere woman, will not speak of the past. And the house itself harbours secrets that may lay in a realm outside the human consciousness (let’s just come out with it, the house is haunted!).

 

I loved the way Netley set the scene. From the moment Elspeth arrived on the island, I could picture it all vividly. The rugged coastline, so stunning in summer, that turns sinister and dangerous in the cold, dark and misty days of winter. The old house, grand from a distance, but with signs of neglect that run deeper than just financial – and of course there are rooms that shall not be entered, and secrets that shall not ever be spoken of. Dark corridors, lit only by flickering candle light. Hostile servants. Whispers in the night, objects that are never in the same place, dusty portraits staring down from the walls, an eerie lullaby coming from the nursery at night. Netley’s descriptive writing brought it all vividly to life in my head. And Elspeth’s own tragic past made her a well rounded character whose motives and aspirations I could easily relate to.

 

From here follows a story that may not reinvent the traditional haunted house story, but runs with the tropes and uses them well to create a tense, eerie atmosphere. Apart from supernatural vibes, there is a whisper of witchcraft and wise women that fits in well with the era and the setting. I read this at night and got the full effect of the spooky atmosphere. The mystery at the heart of the story gave it extra depth, even though I felt that the ending felt a bit rushed to me after the deliciously slow and tense build-up.

 

Summary:

 

All in all, THE WHISTLING is a beautifully written, haunting novel with a classical haunted mansion theme and a wonderful atmospheric setting. Netley’s writing has a dreamlike, almost wistful quality that made it easy to emotionally connect with the characters, the place and the era it is set in. If you love spooky old houses, the dark corridors of Skelthsea’s manor will lure you in and send shivers up your spine. If you are looking for a perfect Halloween read, and love slower, atmospheric novels in the vein of Laura Purcell or Michelle Paver, then look no further!

 

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

 

Book Review: THE GIRL WHO DIED by Ragnar Jónasson

 

Title: THE GIRL WHO DIED

Author:  Ragnar Jonasson

Publisher:  Penguin Michael Joseph UK

Read: January 2021

Expected publication: 29 April 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Una is struggling to deal with her father's sudden, tragic suicide. She spends her nights drinking alone in Reykjavik, stricken with thoughts that she might one day follow in his footsteps.

So when she sees an advert seeking a teacher for two girls in the tiny village of Skálar - population of ten - on the storm-battered north coast of the island, she sees it as a chance to escape.

But once she arrives, Una quickly realises nothing in city life has prepared her for this. The villagers are unfriendly. The weather is bleak. And, from the creaky attic bedroom of the old house where she's living, she's convinced she hears the ghostly sound of singing.

Una worries that she's losing her mind. And then, just before Christmas, there's a murder... 

What attracted me to this book:

 

I love Icelandic noir, and Ragnar Jonasson is one of my favourite Icelandic authors – with good reason. I was thrilled to be able to read and review his latest stand-alone novel, which delivered the same kind of atmospheric setting as his Ari Thor Arason books. With the added bonus of a spooky element! 

My musings:

 

Let’s talk a bit more about setting, which was my favourite element of the novel. A hostile little village – both in its isolation, the harsh weather and the suspicious and outwardly unfriendly villagers – made for the perfect claustrophobic setting. Very cleverly, Jonasson chose a 1980’s timeline for his story, which completed the sense of utter isolation. No cell phones, no internet, not even TV to keep in touch with the news. Can we even still imagine such a life? This is the situation Una, a city girl through and through, finds herself in when she takes on a remote teaching post in the far East of Iceland. I have been to the area Jonasson describes in his novel, and even though I found it breathtakingly beautiful, I could imagine that the long nights and harsh weather would soon wear a bit thin, and the lack of human kindness would soon get to you.

 

Not only has Una discovered that most of the locals are not very friendly, and don’t want her here, but she is also aware of some supernatural happenings in the house she is staying in. I give credit to Jonasson for striking just the right balance with his paranormal element to make it just the perfect degree of creepy without going over the top. I also loved the way he employed the setting to ratchet up the creep factor.

 

I found myself very involved in Una’s narrative but thought that the 2^nd POV didn’t marry well with the overall story and didn’t add much for me. I would even go as far as saying that it was superfluous and could easily have been merged into Una’s POV by letting Una discover the “secret”, which would have given the ending a much bigger impact. As it was, I wasn’t invested in those chapters at all.

  

Summary:

 

All in all, THE GIRL WHO DIED was an atmospheric and slightly creepy mystery with that sense of claustrophobia and darkness that makes Icelandic noir so compelling for me. It’s a slow burning mystery which will appeal to readers who value atmosphere, setting and an underlying sense of unease over action and plot. I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved reading a standalone novel by one of my favourite Icelandic authors!

 

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: THE HUNGER by Alma Katsu

 

Title: THE HUNGER

Author:  Alma Katsu

Read: February 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere.

Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone--or something--is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow a disastrous experimental route West, or just plain bad luck--the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party are at the brink of one of the deadliest and most disastrous western adventures in American history.

While the ill-fated group struggles to survive in the treacherous mountain conditions--searing heat that turns the sand into bubbling stew; snows that freeze the oxen where they stand--evil begins to grow around them, and within them. As members of the party begin to disappear, they must ask themselves "What if there is something waiting in the mountains? Something disturbing and diseased...and very hungry?"

 

My musings:

 

If you are a bit disillusioned that some historical fiction has become a disguise for romance and doesn’t have much grit, then THE HUNGER will soon dispel that notion. Based on true historical events, the book weaves facts surrounding the fate of the doomed Donner-Reed Party into a chilling tale of survival in the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges in 1846. And as if this particular part of history was not gruesome enough – after all, of the 87 people who had set out on the wagon train to California only 48 survived – the author adds some truly chilling and gruesome supernatural elements to her tale.

 

The fate of the wagon train led by George Donner on the Oregon Trail has been widely published and is well known, so you know that this tale is going to contain some gritty detail and heartbreaking moments as the group loses family members to hunger and disease. However, you may not be prepared for the horror elements the author has woven into the story, which become more sinister as the group finds themselves trapped in the wintry mountain ranges. I could easily visualise people’s minds slowly disintegrating and playing tricks on them as they were slowly starving to death, so even if you scoff at paranormal events, these can easily be explained as interpretations by people who are trapped, scared and close to their own death. For me, these elements highlighted the isolation and the often frightening power of nature, but also the sinister atmosphere of a landscape that is powerful and alien and not always friendly.

 

THE HUNGER has a rich cast of characters with true historical origins, and I thought that the author did a great job in bringing them to life, even if some facts are very open to interpretation and may have been tweaked to fit her tale. I particularly enjoyed the way tensions slowly build and tempers flare as opinions differ and personalities clash. Add a crisis to the mix and you can imagine that this group was never going to be a harmonious bunch for very long. As the story progressed it became more sinister and dark, and I admit that I found some aspects of it very disturbing (if you know anything about the real life fate of the group then you can probably guess what I am referring to). I did think thought that the atmosphere of the vast landscape could have been exploited more to create tension. As it was, I felt that the later part of the story, as the party is trapped in the wintry mountains, was more rushed than the build-up, and the claustrophobia and hopelessness of the situation, which would make for a lot of tension in itself, got a bit lost in the rush to the finale and the paranormal element taking over. 

 

 

Summary:

 

All in all, THE HUNGER was a dark, sinister and captivating story based on true historical fact woven together with a paranormal element. As it was, I did not find it as creepy as other novels of its ilk, such as DARK MATTER by Michelle Paver, but some elements were definitely more disturbing on an altogether different level. If you know anything about the real fate of the Donner Party, then you will know that this tale is not for the faint of heart, supernatural element or not.

Book Review: THE DROWNING KIND by Jennifer McMahon

 

Title: THE DROWNING KIND

Author:  Jennifer McMahon

Publisher:  Gallery / Scout Press

Read: January 2021

Expected publication: April 2021

My Rating: 🤩 all the stars!

 

Book Description:

 

 

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined.

In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the Northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.

My musings:

 

It surely reflects a lack of restraint when it comes to spooky books that I devoured THE DROWNING KIND as soon as I received it, even though it’s not being released until April. But I hope that I can redeem myself by singing its praises from the rooftops, because after keeping me up all night frantically reading and burrowing deeper into my doona as the story progressed, it was 5 stars all the way for me! Trigger warning: if you like swimming in dark rivers or lakes, enter at your own risk, because the thing that you thought was a bit of pond weed tickling your leg? It may just send you running for the hills, never to go near the water again!

 

THE DROWNING KIND revolves around water – but not any water. The underground springs near the small town of Brandenburg in Vermont have long been known for their healing power. All the locals know that this gift does not come without a price, and they choose to stay well away from them, but that does not stop desperate people flocking to the water, hoping for a cure or having their wishes granted. In 1929, Ethel, still childless at 37 and desperate for a baby, whispers her wish to the dark waters of the Brandenburg spring.

 

Fast forward to the present. Sisters Lexie and Jax have grown up swimming in their grandparents’ natural pool, dug into the mountainside and fed by a natural spring. They are not afraid of the dark, murky waters, even though one of their aunts drowned in this very pool as a young child. On some of their secret midnight trips, the girls even swear that they could see the shape of a little girl staring at them from the water. Now estranged in their adulthood, Jax has not seen Lexie for over a year, wary of her manic episodes related to her bipolar disorder. She is therefore both shocked and heartbroken when she finds out that Lexie has drowned in the pool during one of her midnight swims. When she travels to the house to sort out her sister’s affairs, she discovers that Lexie had recently become increasingly afraid of the pool. But was it really just a manifestation of her illness, or is there something more sinister afoot?

 

Squish, squish, tap tap, wet footsteps on the pavers – was that a glimpse of something alien in the water? Goodness me, this book was soooo creepy! The constant sense of foreboding and dread kept me turning the pages until late into the night, and all my childhood nightmares about the bodies of drowned victims floating up from the bottom of the lake we used to swim in as kids suddenly seemed all too real.

 

I loved everything about this book. Whilst the timeline in the 1930’s gradually revealed some of the pool’s dark history, Jax in the present is racing against time to solve the puzzle for herself. As the reader, I was trapped in the middle like a deer in the headlights.   

 

 

Summary:

 

In summary, if you love Gothic, spooky stories with supernatural elements that will make your hair stand on end, then look no further. Told in two separate timelines that were equally creepy, the book kept me up all night and then stunned me with a finale so unexpected and shocking that I am still trying to get my head around it. With a constant sense of foreboding, the book gave me the chills the whole time! Very highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

Thank you to Edelweiss and Gallery / Scout Press for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Two great Halloween reads: THE WOMAN IN THE MIRROR (Rebecca James) & THE CORSET (Laura Purcell)

 

Title: THE WOMAN IN THE MIRROR

Author:  Rebecca James

Book Description:

 

For more than two centuries, Winterbourne Hall has stood atop a bluff overseeing the English countryside of Cornwall and the sea beyond.

In 1947, Londoner Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne, looking after Captain Jonathan de Grey’s twin children. Falling under the de Greys’ spell, Alice believes the family will heal her own past sorrows. But then the twins’ adoration becomes deceitful and taunting. Their father, ever distant, turns spiteful and cruel. The manor itself seems to lash out. Alice finds her surroundings subtly altered, her air slightly chilled. Something malicious resents her presence, something clouding her senses and threatening her very sanity.

In present day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. Adopted as an infant, she never knew her birth parents or her lineage. At long last, Rachel will find answers to questions about her identity that have haunted her entire life. But what she finds in Cornwall is a devastating tragic legacy that has afflicted generations of de Greys. A legacy borne from greed and deceit, twisted by madness, and suffused with unrequited love and unequivocal rage. 

 

My musings:

 

Is there anything better than a creepy ghost story? I was supposed to read this book as a group read, in three instalments. I started it in the morning, and read the whole book in a day. I blame the ghost of Winterbourne Hall for this buddy-read fail – I am convinced that it bewitched me! So enter carefully, at your own risk, because this book will get under your skin.

 

Rebecca James has mastered what a lot of writers have tried and failed to do – found the perfect formula for a creepy, Gothic ghost story which never crossed the line for me into the over-the-top paranormal, eye-rolling ridiculousness or graphic horror. And yet its undertones of menace and danger to our main protagonists creeped me out enough that the story followed me into my sleep in the form of bizarre dreams.

 

As another sign of the author’s skill, the dual timelines in the book worked perfectly here. I often find that one timeline will overshadow the other, or one character be more interesting than another. As the 1940’s timeline gave way to the present, I was briefly concerned that modern, big city girl Rachel would not be as enigmatic as the poor hapless Alice who took on the nannying position at Winterbourne Hall. But I should not have worried, because soon Rachel was in just as deep as Alice as the house was weaving its evil spell. Blimey, this book was a great read from start to finish! And the best bit was the final sting of the scorpion’s tail just when everyone thought that the danger had passed. *applause* Well done, Rebecca James!

 

All in all, if you are looking for a spooky, Gothic Halloween or autumn read, then look no further. There’s witchcraft, an evil spell, a haunted old mansion (with gargoyles, no less), a remote atmospheric setting, a pair of creepy twins and an undercurrent of menace and danger that will get under your skin. Whilst it wasn’t as scary as some in our reading group would have liked, the balance was just right for me and THE WOMAN IN THE MIRROR  will definitely go on my list of favourite ghostly reads. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

 

 

Thank you to Edelweiss and Minotaur Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

-

👻_______________________________________________________________👻

Title: THE CORSET

Author:  Laura Purcell

Book Description:

 

Is prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer? Victim or villain?

Dorothea and Ruth. Prison visitor and prisoner. Powerful and powerless. Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder.

When Dorothea's charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted with the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets teenage seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another theory: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread. For Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.

The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations – of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses – will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality and the power of redemption.

Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer?

 

  

My musings:

 

“Victorian chiller” is a perfect description of this book, because it chilled me to the core! Not only are the descriptions of life for poor young women in the Victorian era a sober reminder of hardships regularly endured in those times, but there is also an underlying menace and a faint air of the supernatural that makes this a perfect Halloween read.

 

Both main protagonists are fascinating and enigmatic female characters. Ruth Butterham is a young seamstress sold to an evil dressmaker to pay off her family’s debts, endowed with an uncanny skill of embroidery that may hold more power than just being admired for its fine needlework. On the other hand we have Dorothea Truelove, an intelligent, free spirited gentlewoman dependent on her stern father who seems only interested in marrying her off to the best suitor because her spinsterhood at 25 is an embarrassment to him. The two women meet through Dorothea’s charitable work and interest in phrenology as Ruth is imprisoned for murdering her late mistress. As Ruth confides in Dorothea what has brought her to this point in time, the sorry tale of her childhood and abuse at the hands of her late employers unrolls, and it was a chilling tale indeed!

 

Apart from the constant tension and air of mystery underlying the story, I found Purcell’s descriptions of life in the Victorian era fascinating. If you have never heard of phrenology, it is a pseudoscience involving the measurements of bumps and irregularities of the cranium to predict personality traits, such as the murderous tendencies Dorothea is trying to predict in her female prisoners. First founded in the 18^th century, this was apparently a popular belief in the Victorian era and the first time that different functions were attributed to different areas of the brain.

 

Also fascinating were the beliefs of witchcraft and sorcery as causes of terrible illnesses that thankfully have become nearly extinct today thanks to immunisation, such as diphtheria, which claimed many infants, including Ruth’s baby sister. And then there is poison, seemingly a preferred choice of the times to do away with unwanted relatives or rivals. It made me shiver!

 

As the two women are thrown together by fate, the stark division of class in the Victorian era is exposed. However, this does not mean that Dorothea does not have her own obstacles to overcome, as we soon found out. Both POVs were so well written that they captured me equally and filled me with a terrible sense of dread. I do love such deliciously wicked Gothic tales!

 

But best of all was the final twist, which still makes me wonder whether Ruth’s gift was real, or merely a figment of her imagination and the superstitions of the era. I’ll let you work that one out for yourself. It may have seemed like a slow-burner of a story, but it had an undercurrent of menace and danger that made my heart race. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Book Review: THE DEEP by Alma Katsu

 

Title: THE DEEP

Author:  Alma Katsu

Publisher:  G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Read: August 2020

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.

This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths. Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner's illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers - including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher - are convinced that something sinister is going on . . . And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.

Years later and the world is at war. And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship. Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognises while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not - could not - have survived the sinking of the Titanic . . . 

 

What attracted me to this book:

 

Show me a person who isn’t fascinated by the history of the ill fated Titanic and its passengers – I certainly am, and the promise of a ghost story on the grand ship was just too tempting to resist!

My musings:

 

It is not all that farfetched to imagine that some would blame an evil deity or spirit for the great ship’s demise, seeing how all three sister ships of the White StarLine’s fleet of steamships succumbed to tragedy. And even though Annie, our main protagonist, was an entirely fictional character, Katsu wove several true historical figures into her story to lend it substance – I enjoyed reading up on some of them after finishing the book, and they provided a fascinating backstory. Especially intriguing to me was Violet Jessop, the true survivor of all three White Star Line maritime disasters. A stewardess on the RMS Olympic and the RMS Titanic, she also survived the torpedoing of the last sister, the HMHS Britannic. To be honest, I thought that Violet, who featured only peripherally, would have made a much better narrator than the somewhat insipid Annie, but I can see that this would have created inaccuracies that could not have been easily excused by writing fiction. My biggest disappointment, however, was that I bonded with many of the narrators who feature as passengers of the ill-fated Titanic, but never learned of their final fate.

 

If I had to put my finger of why I experienced an overall lingering feeling of discontent I would say that the book suffered from having too much packed into the one story. Two timelines from Annie’s POV, several POVs from various passengers on the Titanic, and a final rather fantastical supernatural element towards the end that felt forced and il-fitted to the overall story. Had the book stuck with the Titanic setting and its characters, it would have worked much better for me, especially as I never really connected to Annie but found some of the more peripheral characters (such as the two boxers) much more engaging.

 

The supernatural element, which is always a difficult theme to balance, was slightly underdone in the first part of the story, where the vast bulk of the Titanic could have provided more setting for unsettling encounters and an underlying feeling of menace and dread. It ramped up in the second timeline, but seemed ill-matched to the rest of the story and seemed unbelievable and forced to me. To be honest, the last quarter of the book barely managed to hold my interest, featuring – in my opinion - the two least interesting characters whose fate I was barely invested in.

 

 

Summary:

 

To sum it all up into one coherent paragraph, THE DEEP was the type of dual narrative where one timeline definitely overshadowed the other one, to the detriment of my overall enjoyment. Whilst I loved the chapters involving the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic, I felt myself skimming through large parts of the second timeline. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the historical details included in the book, and probably learned much about the events leading up to the sinking of the great ship by reading up on many of the people Katsu included in her story. It’s never easy to mix fact with fiction, and I feel that the author did a great job here by bringing some of these historical figures to life for us. I am very keen now to read her earlier book THE HUNGER, which also blends historical fiction with a ghostly element.

 

 

 

Thank you to Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam’s Sons  for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

 

Audiobook Review: THE OTHER PEOPLE by C.J. Tudor

Title: THE OTHER PEOPLE

Author: C.J. Tudor
Read: February 2020

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟

"People say hate and bitterness will destroy you. They’re wrong. It’s hope. Hope will devour you from the inside like a parasite."

Book Description:

Three years ago, Gabe's family disappeared. Most people think they died. Some of them blame Gabe. Hardly anyone believes the truth--that Gabe saw his daughter the day she and his wife disappeared, smiling at him from the back of a rusty old car speeding down the highway. So even though it's been three years since that day, Gabe cannot give up hope. Even though he has given up everything else. His home, his job, his old life. He spends his days travelling up and down the highway and sleeping in service stations, searching for the car that took her.

It's hard for most people to understand. But Gabe has found some who do in an online group set up by people who have also lost loved ones--who have suffered like him. They call themselves "The Other People." Because isn't that what everyone thinks: bad stuff only happens to "other people."

When the car that Gabe saw driving away that night is found in a lake with a body inside, Gabe is suddenly under suspicion--and in danger. In desperation, he turns to The Other People for help. Because they are good people. They know what loss is like. They know what pain is like. They know what death is like. There's just one problem . . . they want other people to know it too.

What attracted me to this book:

I can rarely resist the temptation of a mystery with a ghostly element, especially when it comes as highly recommended as this book.

My musings:

I am going to be a big party pooper here, because this book has probably been my biggest disappointment this year so far! I loooved THE CHALK MAN, really didn’t care much for ANNIE THORNE, and this one was a huge flop for me. I am coming to the conclusion that the author’s writing style might just not be a good fit for me.

Firstly, it was all so farfetched! Yes, I am terrible at suspending disbelief, but honestly, this was taking it too far! I don’t mind a good supernatural element, but one scene here actually made me laugh because it rolled out in my mind like some low budget supernatural horror flick. It was so out of context and so silly that I was wondering if it was meant as a satire or if I had missed something.

Ok, let’s back track a bit and start with some positive for the first layer of my shit sandwich. As the opening scene unfolded with Gabe driving on a congested highway and spotting his daughter in a stranger’s car, my heart duly plummeted. What a powerful image! Terrifying! I thought I was in for a treat. Tudor went on to set a dark scene, but I was soon finding that instead of feeling menacing and suspenseful it got depressing. Gabe really wasn’t the most engaging character, the relationships between the characters were unconvincing and I found that none of the other cast members particularly interested me.

As the story delved deeper into the premise of “the other people”, I found myself losing interest. Yeah, yeah, the dark web, we’ve all heard about it, it’s dark and sinister and criminals trawl it, but it just didn’t work for me. There were so many inconsistencies in the plot that I lost track of them all, and the regular little quips about the meaning of life thrown into the story at regular intervals started to grate. I was like a grumpy bear woken early from hibernation and not liking what I saw. I read words like “engaging”, “captivating”, “brilliant” in other readers’ reviews and I just don’t see it. The only clickety-clack I got was from my eye rolls as yet another totally implausible plot point or horror-movie cliché made its appearance.

In summary, I thought the idea was there but the execution didn’t work for me. I hated each and every character, the supernatural elements were thrown in randomly and without context (or purpose) and I was getting a migraine form all the eye rolling. Even though I listened dutifully to my audio book until the very end, I still feel none the wiser of all the hows and whys and how the loose threads could ever connect in a meaningful way. I missed the suspense and the menacing darkness of other thrillers and just felt sad and depressed as the lacklustre plot unfolded. I can normally see why other readers love a book that flopped for me, but I am struggling to understand how one could excuse so many plot holes without stumbling at least once.

Since you are meant to finish a shit sandwich with another positive layer, I will say that my audio version redeemed itself by offering some short stories at the end which I did enjoy much more than the book. 

Summary:

Sorry, folks – I hope that the many fans of the book will eventually learn to forgive me. I think I will stay clear of this type of story for a while ...

Book Review: MAGPIE LANE by Lucy Atkins

Title: MAGPIE LANE

Author: Lucy Atkins
Publisher: Quercus Books
Read: February 2020

Expected publication: 2 April 2020

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

Let me introduce you to my second 5-star read for 2020 – TA DA! 

Book Description:

When the eight-year-old daughter of an Oxford College Master vanishes in the middle of the night, police turn to the Scottish nanny, Dee, for answers.

As Dee looks back over her time in the Master's Lodging - an eerie and ancient house - a picture of a high achieving but dysfunctional family emerges: Nick, the fiercely intelligent and powerful father; his beautiful Danish wife Mariah, pregnant with their child; and the lost little girl, Felicity, almost mute, seeing ghosts, grieving her dead mother.

But is Dee telling the whole story? Is her growing friendship with the eccentric house historian, Linklater, any cause for concern? And most of all, why was Felicity silent?

Roaming Oxford's secret passages and hidden graveyards, Magpie Lane explores the true meaning of family - and what it is to be denied one.

What attracted me to this book:

MAGPIE LANE was like my own personal formula for reading bliss. A nanny in an old spooky English manor house in Oxford. Family secrets. A disturbed child who may or may not have some connection to the weird noises and shadows flitting about in the house at night. Characters who ALL have something to hide. All the very things I just LOVE in a mystery!

My musings:

Dee is a middle-aged woman with some secrets in her past that have seen her live a life looking after other people’s children. She has stayed with many different families and cared for children of all ages and backgrounds, but none has ever got under her skin the same way Felicity has, this pale, mute and unhappy daughter of Oxford’s latest Don.

I immediately loved Dee, from the very moment she shares her self-deprecating humour:

“It may be my functional approach to fashion, but people seem to assume that I’m in charge.”

The picture was painted. A somewhat plain but keenly intelligent middle-aged woman wearing drab clothes to roam the grey streets of a wintry Oxford, wielding an umbrella. I soon realised that I, too, had misjudged her, because Dee was not only smart, but also fiercely loyal to her latest little charge. Not an easy job when you are pitted against Felicity’s father, the arrogant Nick, and her trendy Danish stepmother Mariah.

It wasn’t long until the plot thickened. Nick and Mariah have a dark secret they are determined to keep hidden. Felicity is traumatised. The house, too, has secrets it divulges only at night, in its moving shadows, its silent whispers, its doors that open and close at random, and the spooky little priest hole in the attic where a rotten smell seems to linger. Even Oxford itself, described as: "...a place of dust motes, vaults and arm-span alleys, of angle-poised lamps and dimmer switches, of creaking floorboards and whispers in oak-panelled libraries.” You can see why this was totally irresistible for me! If you are not a fan of the supernatural, don’t despair, because Atkin is always willing to give a perfectly rational explanation for all the things that spooked hell out of me.

Let’s also talk briefly about the unique POV the story is told in. Dee, the nanny, is being interviewed by police who are trying to establish the whereabouts of Felicity, Dee’s young charge, who has disappeared from the house whilst Dee was in London and the girl was in the care of her stepmother. As Dee tells the story of how she came to be the nanny, the full picture slowly emerges in flashbacks and confessions until .... well, that’s something you have to find out for yourself.

I really can’t divulge any more without giving things away, so let me just say that this book was a perfect for me. If you like an atmospheric setting, a creepy mystery and characters that are as mysterious as the setting itself, then you can’t go wrong with this one. Good spooky mysteries are hard to find, and it doesn’t get any better than this. I look forward to reading all the author’s previous books now!

Summary:

In summary, I loved everything about this book. It read like it had been written specifically for me, with all the ingredients that make for perfect reading bliss. If you, too, are a fan of atmospheric, spooky thrillers with whispers in the night and characters who all harbour dark secrets, then this book should definitely be on your radar!

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.