📖 Book Review ~ The Valley of Ravens by Barbara Erskine

Harper Collins
30 July 2026

My thanks to the publisher for the invitation to read this book

In the depths of the valley, two women, centuries apart, are bound by fate…

Present

Eve, desperate for a fresh start, arrives in the Valley of Ravens to restore a long-abandoned cottage.

Everyone knows the place is cursed. Why else would it be called The Witch’s House?

As Eve begins her renovations it becomes clear the place has a secret waiting to be uncovered, if only she can make the connection with the past.

Wales, 1260

Alys, a healer living in the depths of the valley, discovers Llewelyn – last true Prince of Wales – lying wounded on the battlefield. She tends him and her fate is forever bound to his.

Her vow to keep his final secret will echo through the centuries…

📖 My Review..

The Valley of Ravens gives us a glimpse into the political world of thirteenth century Wales, which features Alys, a local healer, who befriends Llewelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales, who lived during the reign of the English King, Edward I. Running alongside the thirteenth century story is that of Eve, also a healer, who, in the present day, is irresistibly drawn towards the rural isolation of the locally named Tŷ’r Wrach (witches house). Eve is intrigued by the sensation of being watched by a woman from the past and, haunted by Alys’s story, Eve is soon bedevilled by suspicious events, fuelled by a dangerous obsession, which threatens to destroy everything.

Cleverly written, with a fine eye for historical detail, The Valley of the Ravens is filled with a brooding sense of unease, particularly in the older sections of the story which the author describes well. With Alys as our supernatural guide we are allowed a glimpse into the final days of Llewelyn ap Gruffudd, and of the precious gifts he entrusts into Alys’s safekeeping. Eve’s uncertainty and difficulties she faces on her own are explored in detail and there’s a creeping  sense of menace to the story especially with its fascinating connections to the past and the devastating consequences of one man’s obsession that continues to seek revenge. 

I particularly enjoyed the references to the author’s previous work, Lady of Hay, and having a couple of characters from that story turn up in this one adds an extra dimension to what is a haunting story of revenge, greed and terrifying madness. Beautifully authentic, and with a definite sense of foreboding, The Valley of Ravens is another fascinating dual time historical mystery from this bestselling writer.

About the Author

Barbara Erskine is the author of thirteen bestselling novels and three collections of short stories that demonstrate her interest in both history and the supernatural. Lady of Hay, her first novel, has now sold over three million copies worldwide.

 X @ Barbaraerskine

Website

X@ HarperCollinsUK

📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ Seething Lane by Jack Jewers

Moonflower
3 September 2026

My thanks to Moonflower for my copy of this book

January 1670. London is enduring its worst winter in decades. 

But for Samuel Pepys, the darkest days are yet to come. Reimagining one of Britain's greatest historical figures through a 21st century lens, Seething Lane sees the return of infamous diarist Samuel Pepys, complete with his trademark audacious wit, keen eye for observation and gripping historical adventure. 

When a strange young man turns up at his office on Seething Lane asking for help, Samuel Pepys is too distracted to take him seriously. Nell Gwyn is about to make her scandalous return to the stage and he wouldn't miss it for all the world.

But in the cold of a winter's dawn, tragedy strikes. Called upon to investigate the brutal murder of a libertine aristocrat, Pepys discovers that the dead man is connected to his mysterious visitor in the most shocking way possible.

A trail of secrets leads Pepys from the backstreets of London to the glamorous world of the theatre, where nothing is quite as it seems. But whatever the dangers, he may find that the deadliest threat lies closer to home…

📖 My Review

For nine years during the start of the Stuart restoration Samuel Pepys wrote his now infamous diary. His wry observations on life are regarded as one of the most remarkable first hand experiences of life in London between 1660 and 1669. 

This clever series of historical novels takes up the pen in 1670 and uses this as a starting point to bring to us Samuel Pepys in his role as an investigator looking into the curious and rather gory death of two people, one victim is known to be a friend of King Charles II’s illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth and the other is a mysterious young person who initially came to Pepys to ask for his help. In being drawn into this complex murder investigation Pepys and his assistant, Will Hewer, become increasingly involved in a dark and dangerous world, from clandestine business meetings with shady characters, to back stage shenanigans at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Pepys and Hewer get drawn into a complicated subterfuge which proves to be both dangerous and exhilarating. 

The author has a real skill for recreating this decadent and rather shadowy world, a world which is lavishly opulent, as in dining on fine fare in the King’s room at Whitehall, or alive with theatre gossip and the creeping unease of the actors’ dressing room of the Theatre Royal. There is much to discover amongst the great and the not so good of restoration London and I have thoroughly enjoyed walking in Samuel Pepys’s footsteps, he’s an agreeable raconteur, a proficient intelligencer working on behalf of the King and as entertaining a character as he is diarist. Cleverly written and alive with intrigue Seething Lane is a fascinating addition to this historical mystery series.

About the Author

Jack Jewers is a filmmaker and writer. His 2022 debut, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, was named one of the Sunday Times’ historical fiction books of the year, and a book of the month by The Independent and Financial Times. His career has been spent telling stories across multiple media formats and his work includes film, TV, and digital media. 

His films have been shown at international film festivals, including Cannes, New York, Marseille, Dublin, and London’s FrightFest, garnering multiple accolades, including an award from the Royal Television Society and a nomination from BAFTA Wales for Best Short Film. Jack’s passion for history has led him to many unexpected places, from uncovering hidden love stories in 3000-year-old poetry, to sending a portrait of Shakespeare into space. 

Seething Lane is Jack’s second novel.

BlueSky @jackjewers.bsky.social #SeethingLane

BlueSky @moonflowernooks.bsky.social

📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ The Jewel Keepers by Sara Sheridan

Hodder&Stoughton
14 May 2026

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Men would kill for this treasure.

The McKenzie women will guard it with their lives.

London, 1837. When 25-year-old Araminta McKenzie-Moore is summoned from Richmond to her great aunt's deathbed in Edinburgh, it's the first time she's met her extended family. The McKenzie women, however, have been keeping a close eye on her. For they have a long, secret and dangerous history as Jewel Keepers to the Scottish Crown and they need Araminta to play her part to solve a puzzle which stretches back generations.

But the McKenzies are not alone in this high-stakes treasure hunt though history. They're being pursued. The last of her line, if Araminta succeeds, she will uncover something more valuable than mere jewels - a secret that will change the lives of all women living on this, the cusp of the Queen Victoria's rule.

📖 My Review ..

The McKenzie women have been the secret jewel keepers for the Scottish Crown for generations but Araminta only discovers this when she is contacted by a great-aunt she didn’t know existed. Araminta’s arrival at the home of her great-aunt in Edinburgh is tinged with sadness and with more questions than there are answers Araminta is soon plunged into a dangerous world of intrigue and long buried secrets. Racing against time she tries to solve a puzzle which has been set by her female ancestors in order to keep the jewels safe.

The Jewel Keepers is a tightly knit cat and mouse style treasure hunt which sees Araminta pursued by some dastardly villains as she attempts to make sense of the clues which have been left for her. Georgian  Edinburgh, both the place, and its people, come alive and there is an authentic historical feel to the story. Overall, this is a fascinating story about strong women who have been trusted with a powerful secret and who must do everything they can to keep that secret from falling into the wrong hands.

About the Author

Sara Sheridan has written over 20 books including novels, non-fiction, tv tie-ins and ghost writing. Her novel The Fair Botanists was the Waterstones Book of the Year 2022. Sara has also written two plays for BBC Radio 4 and has reported from both Tallin and Shariah for Radio 4’s Our Own Correspondent.

X @sarasheridan

📖 Book Review ~ Sizar by Susan Grossey

Cambridge Hardiman Mysteries #2

Thanks to the author for my copy of this book

In Cambridge in the late Regency, Gregory Hardiman is learning the ropes as a university constable. But his quiet life is about to be disrupted by the gentlemanly sport of horse-racing and the lengths people will go to to win...

In the spring of 1826, ex-soldier Gregory Hardiman is settling in to civilian life as an ostler and university constable in Cambridge. When an undergraduate is found hanged in his rooms at St Clement’s College, the Master asks Gregory to find out what could have driven the seemingly happy young man to take such a drastic step. A second death at the same college suggests something altogether more sinister, and Gregory sets out to discover whether a love of illegal gambling on horse races could lie at the heart of the tragedies.

In the second of the Cambridge Hardiman Mysteries, Gregory finds himself on shifting sands – torn between family ties in Spain and the possibility of new affections in Cambridge.

If you're drawn to atmospheric Regency mysteries and immersive historical detail, you should make Gregory's acquaintance.

📖 My Review..

In his role as a Cambridge University Constable Gregory Hardiman often finds himself in the midst of unruly students but when he is called to investigate the suspicious death of one of the undergraduates he finds that there is far more to this mysterious death than even he could have imagined. This second book in the series offers just as good a mystery as the first and with inexplicable deaths occurring and a link to an illegal gambling ring, Hardiman must use his skill and determination, both qualities he has in abundance, to discover why the undergraduates at Cambridge are meeting such untimely deaths.

There is much to be appreciated in starting a series from the beginning as that way you get to know the characters so much better and certainly in this second book I feel that I have learned rather more about Hardiman’s character, his strengths and weaknesses and his unfailing steadfastness is to be commended. His unique ability to get right into the minutiae of the case is never doubted however, it’s just as fascinating to try to second guess the many twists, turns and red herrings which the author intersperses throughout, as it is to learn more about Hardiman’s role as Ostler at the Hoop Inn, his family connection to Spain and even to a possible romantic attachment at home in Cambridge.

With the author’s usual flair for bringing history alive, nineteenth century Cambridge would be instantly recognisable to anyone who once walked its streets. The research is meticulous, so much so, it feels as if you have been transported back to 1826 and sit companionably with Hardiman as he eats his, sometimes unappetising, supper with his landlady, Mrs Jacobs, enjoys a tankard of strong ale in the Angel or shares challenging vocabulary conundrums with his friend, Geoffrey Giles, the bookseller.

Spending time with Gregory Hardiman in Sizar has been a real pleasure and I look forward to many more companionable hours spent in his company in the next three books in this five book series of historical mysteries.

About the Author

Susan Grossey is the author of the successful Constable Sam Plank series of historical novels set in the early part of the nineteenth century. Sizar is the second novel in the Cambridge Hardiman Mysteries, set in Cambridge in the 1820s and narrated by a university constable called Gregory Hardiman.

Website

X@SusanGrossey

📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ The Persephone Code by Julia Golding

Harper Collins
One More Chapter
5 April 2024

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

1812

Deep below the hills of the Buckinghamshire countryside, the infamous Hellfire Caves house a pleasure palace for the idle rich – a secret society steeped in satanism, opium and debauchery of the highest order.

When the club’s warden, Antony Pennington, is brutally murdered, his bastard sister, Dora, must follow the clues to decode who the killer is, aided by an unexpected ally – ex-Army officer, former opium addict and son of a Viscount, Dr Jacob Sandys.

As a shadow dogs their every footstep, Dora and Jacob find themselves in the midst of a shocking conspiracy, caught between the legendary Illuminati and the Hell Fire Club. With time running out, they must fight against both the most influential gentleman of the ton – and the undeniable attraction they feel towards each other

📖 My Review...

Dora Fitz-Pennington's brother is brutally murdered and with only a handful of clues to his killer, Dora must try to find out why her brother died in such horrific circumstances and of the connection to the notorious Hell Fire Club. With the help of Dr Jacob Sandys, an ex-army officer and a former opium addict they negotiate the tricky clues left behind.

The story gets off to a good start and I enjoyed trying to piece together the many parts of the mystery in order to discover just what was going on in the infamous Hell Fires caves and the significance of the clues which Dora and Jacob must solve in order to discover why the club's warden Antony Pennington met such an untimely death.

The Persephone Code is an exciting romp through the Regency world with an interesting couple of  lead characters who very early on the story realise that they are attracted to one another. Dora is a feisty heroine, her acting backgrounds comes in useful and she is no shrinking violet when it comes to getting what she wants. There are more than enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you guessing and it certainly lives up to its description of The Da Vinci Code meets Bridgerton.

About the Author

Julia Golding is a multi-award winning writer for children and young adults. She also writes under the pen names of Joss Stirling and Eve Edwards. Well over half a million of her books have been sold worldwide in more than twenty different languages.Married with three children, she lives in Oxford, UK.

 

Twitter / X #ThePersephoneCode

@0neMoreChapter_

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

 

Mantle
22 June 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

‘My father had spelt it out to me. Choice was a luxury I couldn’t afford. This is your story, Red. You must tell it well . . .’

A girl known only as Red, the daughter of a Cornish fortune-teller, travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient method: the Square of Sevens. When her father suddenly dies, Red becomes the ward of a gentleman scholar.

Now raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendour of Bath, her fortune-telling is a delight to high society. But she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him?

The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red's quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads into her grave danger..,

📖 My Review..

A child, known only as Red, travels the country fairs with her father, together they tell fortunes using the ancient method of the Square of Sevens. They've each known hard times and sad times and their familial bond is precious so when Red's father becomes dangerously ill there is no-one, other than a casual acquaintance, who can take responsibility for this precociously talented child.

Moving seamlessly into the world of the Georgian middle classes we follow Red's journey as she learns how to be a lady amongst the elite of Bath society. From the inside of matronly salons, to the gossip of the Pump Room, Red absorbs everything around her whilst at the same time continues to share her prodigious talent for fortune telling. However, even as the lure of the Square of Sevens continues to entrance and delight, so the news of the resurgence of this ancient method of fortune telling disturbs those who know its history only too well and who would rather the secret of the cards remain hidden.

Long buried family secrets, deadly lies and scurrilous gossip abound in this wonderful Dickensian-like tale of Georgian England. It's mean, it's moody, it creates such an ambiance that at times I forgot where I was and it was only on looking up I realised that I wasn't  actually in Georgian London, watching the viciousness of bear baiting, fighting my corner in the Magpie or strolling amongst the crowds at the Bartholomew Fair.

To say this author brings history alive is an understatement, the story zings with anticipation, gloriously detailing a long standing family feud and controlling all the many players with a skillful eye for even the smallest detail and at centre stage stands Red, a feisty and all-consuming heroine, it is her story.

Beautifully written from start to finish I have no hesitation in making The Square of Sevens my Featured book of the Month for July.

About the Author

Laura Shepherd-Robinson was born in Bristol in 1976. She has a BSc in Politics from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. Laura worked in politics for nearly twenty years before re-entering normal life to complete an MA in Creative Writing at City University. She lives in London with her husband.

Twitter @laurasrobinson

Website

@mantlebooks

📖 Book Review ~ Lake of Echoes by Liza Perrat

 

Perrat Publishing
28 June 2022

Sainte-Marie-du-Lac Series #1

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

A vanished daughter. A failing marriage. A mother’s life in ruins.

1969. As France seethes in the wake of social unrest, eight-year-old Juliette is caught up in the turmoil of her parents’ fragmenting marriage.Unable to bear another argument, she flees her home.

Neighbours joining the search for Juliette are stunned that such a harrowing thing could happen in their tranquil lakeside village.

But this is nothing compared to her mother, Lea’s torment, imagining what has befallen her daughter. Léa, though, must remain strong to run her auberge and as the seasons pass with no news from the gendarmes, she is forced to accept she may never know her daughter’s fate.

Despite the villagers’ scepticism, Léa’s only hope remains with a clairvoyant who believes Juliette is alive.

But will mother and daughter ever be reunited?

📖 My Review...

In the summer of 1969, eight year old, Juliette Bellefontaine lives with her parents, Léa and Bruno, and her grandmère, Mamie Louise, at the Auberge de Léa which is situated near the atmospheric, Lac du Héron. This picturesque lake is a place of natural beauty however, it also has a brooding presence which is made all the more forbidding when Juliette goes missing after being upset by yet another noisy argument between her mother and father. Juliette's disappearance is quite out of character as she is normally a bright and sunny little girl, who enjoys playing with her friends, or running around with her dog, Belle, and yet with no real clues as to her whereabouts the local gendarmerie have to conclude that Juliette may well have been taken against her will. 

What then follows is a tense story of a mother's unwillingness to accept that she will never see her daughter again and of the effect that suspicion and mistrust has on a small community. This is a place where it would seem that whilst everyone knows each other's business there are still dangerous secrets deep in the heart of this rural community. The oppressive atmosphere of the late 1960s comes alive with a definite sense of foreboding which strikes right at the heart of the story and there is a sense of creeping unease which is skillfully handled by an author who knows just how to keep the suspense alive without ever compromising on the emotional pull of the story.

Beautifully written, rural France comes alive in the minutest detail and with an intricate and suspenseful mystery at its core, Lake of Echoes sees the successful start of a new historical mystery series by this talented writer.

🍷Best Read with..a slice of Mamie Louise's lemon chiffon pie

About the author

Liza grew up in Australia where she worked as a general nurse and a midwife. When she met her French husband on a Bangkok bus, she moved to France, where she has been living with her family for twenty-nine years, working as a medical translator and a novelist.

Several of her short stories have won awards, and been published in anthologies and small press magazines. Her articles on French culture are published in international magazines such as France Magazine, France Today and The Good Life France.

Sign up for Liza’s occasional newsletter about new book releases and receive a FREE copy of Friends & Other Strangers, her award-winning collection of Australian short stories.

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Girls from Alexandria by Carol Cooper

  

Delighted to host today's stop on this Blog Tour

Agora Books
29 March 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

‘Memories are fragile when you are seventy years old. I can’t afford to lose any more of them, not when remembering the past might help with the here and now.’ 

Nadia needs help. Help getting out of her hospital bed. Help taking her pills. One thing she doesn’t need help with is remembering her sister. But she does need help finding her. Alone and abandoned in a London hospital, 70-year-old Nadia is facing the rest of her life spent in a care home unless she can contact her sister Simone… who’s been missing for 50 years. Despite being told she’s ‘confused’ and not quite understanding how wi-fi works, Nadia is determined to find Simone. So with only cryptic postcards and her own jumbled memories to go on, Nadia must race against her own fading faculties and find her sister before she herself is forgotten.

Set against the lush and glamorous backdrop of 20th century Alexandria, Carol Cooper’s The Girls from Alexandria is equal parts contemporary mystery and historical fiction: a re-coming of age story about family, identity, and homeland.

📖 My Thoughts..

Seventy year old Nadia is an inpatient in a British hospital and whilst the, rather uncaring, medical people around her struggle to find out what is causing her health problems, Nadia is more concerned with trying to find her older sister, Simone, who she hasn’t seen for fifty years.

The story splits between two time frames, so that we get to spend time, in the present, with the elderly Nadia in hospital, and then, as she reminisces, we go back to the 1950 and 60s, and back to a time when Nadia and Simone were growing up in Alexandria. Using her own experiences of growing up in this part of the world the author describes Nadia’s life really well, painting a a colourful picture of growing up in a complicated family with a motley collection of aunts, uncles and family friends. We also get a real sense what was happening politically, and culturally, in Egypt during this time.

The story is particularly poignant in the present, especially as Nadia seems unable to understand just what it is that the doctors are asking of her and this general uncertainty is reflected in the way Nadia’s meandering thought patterns take her back time after time to her younger days in Alexandria. I especially loved how Nadia embraced the idea of social media and got to grips with a borrowed Ipad in quick time. 

Whilst this is a thought provoking and beautifully maintained coming-of-age story, it’s also about the frailty aspect of increasing age, and how easy it is for older people to become thought of as merely shadows of themselves and then are seemingly disregarded. The Girls from Alexandria is a quietly introspective story written by an author who understands how to hold the reader's attention with a beautifully written story about love, loss, family and cultural identity. 

About the Author

Carol Cooper is a doctor, journalist, and author. Born in London, she was only a few months old when her cosmopolitan family took her to live in Egypt. She returned to the UK at eighteen and went to Cambridge University where she studied medicine and her fellow students. On her path to a career in general practice, she worked at supermarket checkouts, typed manuscripts in Russian, and spent years as a hospital doctor. Following a string of popular health books as well as an award-winning medical textbook, Carol turned to writing fiction. Her first two novels were contemporary tales set in London. Ever a believer in writing what you know, she mined the rich material of her childhood for The Girls from Alexandria. Carol lives with her husband in Cambridge and Hampstead. She has three grownup sons and three stepchildren.

Twitter @DrCarolCooper #GirlsfromAlex

@AgoraBooksLDN

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

Picador
4 March 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Cornwall, 1972. Three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse, miles from the shore. The entrance door is locked from the inside. The clocks have stopped. The Principal Keeper’s weather log describes a mighty storm, but the skies have been clear all week.

What happened to those three men, out on the tower? The heavy sea whispers their names. The tide shifts beneath the swell, drowning ghosts. Can their secrets ever be recovered from the waves?

Twenty years later, the women they left behind are still struggling to move on. Helen, Jenny and Michelle should have been united by the tragedy, but instead it drove them apart. And then a writer approaches them. He wants to give them a chance to tell their side of the story. But only in confronting their darkest fears can the truth begin to surface.

📖 My thoughts..

In the winter of 1972 three lighthouse keepers mysteriously disappeared from a remote Cornish lighthouse situated in the sea miles from Lands End. Leaving only the slightest traces of their everyday living and with the door locked from the inside the disappearance of Arthur, Bill and Vince opens up more questions than it does answers. Helen, Jenny and Michelle, the three women they leave behind, their lives will never be the same again, and even the passage of time doesn't dim the sorrow, and confusion, over the men's strange disappearance. 

Twenty years on and the sea tower, known as The Maiden, still stands like a sentinel, guarding its secrets well, shining its light on everything but the truth. Gradually as the story progresses a sort of truth starts to emerge when the women are approached by a writer who wants to solve the mystery of the lamplighters but with unearthing memories comes bitter reflections and each of the women are troubled in their own enigmatic way. Moving forwards and backwards in time we get the individual stories of all those who are so closely bound together by this tragedy and in cleverly controlled streams of consciousness we start to get an impression of the hurt, resentment, and utter despair of living with too many bottled up secrets. 

Inspired by the real events of a similar disappearance in the Outer Hebrides in 1900, this fascinating novel brings to life the sheer hellish loneliness of life in a remote lighthouse. Beautifully descriptive about the unpredictability of the sea, the capriciousness of wind and the daily grind of living and working in close proximity with men who have been brought together by circumstance rather than choice.

Slow to burn, but beautifully controlled, with a poignant originality which makes the story quite special, the mystery of what happened to The Lamplighters in 1972 remains long after the book is finished. I am delighted to have it as my Featured Book in March.

The Lamplighters will be published by Picador Books on the 4 March and will be available from all good book retailers.

About the Author

Emma Stonex is a novelist who has written several books under a pseudonym. THE LAMPLIGHTERS is her debut under her own name and has been translated into more than twenty languages. Before becoming a writer, she worked as an editor at a major publishing house. She lives in the Southwest with her family.

Twitter @StonexEmma #TheLamplighter

@picadorbooks @vikingbooks

Publication Day Book Review ~ The Prophet by Martine Bailey

 

Severn House Publishers
26 February 2021

Tabitha Hart Mystery #2

My thanks to the author and publisher for my copy of this book

Cheshire. May Day, 1753. Tabitha De Vallory believes her life is perfect: she has an imposing home with all the comforts she has ever desired, and is expecting her first child with doting husband Nathaniel De Vallory. But Tabitha's happiness is shaken when a girl is slaughtered beneath the Mondrem Oak on the family's forest estate. Recognizing the victim from her former scandalous life, Tabitha vows to find the killer.

Nearby, enigmatic Baptist Gunn and his followers are convinced that a second messiah will be born, amid blood and strife, close to the oak on Midsummer's Day. Could the girl's murder be linked to Gunn's cryptic prophecy? Do his wild claims of a second saviour spell danger for Tabitha and her unborn child?

As Midsummer's Day draws closer, Tabitha soon learns the destiny that threatens her and those she holds most dear..

My Thoughts..

Married for just three months, Tabitha De Vallory and her husband, Nathaniel are expecting their first child and are slowly becoming accustomed to their new life as landed gentry living at Bold Hall in Cheshire. On Old May Day in 1753 Tabitha and Nat take an innocent trip into the forest around Bold Hall to view the Modrem Oak, the oldest tree in the forest, and come across the mutilated body of a young woman. This macabre death upsets the equilibrium of the woodland and inadvertently leads Tabitha and Nat into the clutches of Baptist Gunn, an enigmatic preacher who seems to have an uncanny gift for prophecy. Tabitha is sorely troubled by the death of this young woman and her robust investigation to discover the truth opens up many dark secrets.

The Cheshire countryside comes alive with myths and folklore and the unravelling of The Prophet plays into local superstition with hints at dark magic and predictions of the future. Tabitha and Nat are beautifully drawn characters,they have still much to learn, not just about about impending parenthood but also about gaining more of a standing in society, which doesn't always welcome them with enthusiasm. The mystery at the heart of the novel builds steadily which allows the tension to be stretched to breaking point and as we get to know more about the enigmatic preacher, and his plans for the future, so we realise just what danger abounds in the dense woods around Bold Hall.

I have great admiration for any author who can write history with such conviction that you feel as if you travel back in time with them and that is most surely the case with The Prophet. Beautifully written and impeccably researched, The Prophet continues the story of Tabitha and Nathaniel which began in The Almanack and whilst it is perfectly possible to read The Prophet without having read the first book, it does make sense to start at the beginning and follow this intriguing couple as they introduce us to their life at Bold Hall, and give us the pleasure of being involved in their adventurous life together.

About the Author

Martine Bailey is the author of four historical crime mysteries. She studied cookery with TV food historian Ivan Day and was a former UK Dessert Champion cooking at Le Meurice in Paris. This year she was longlisted for the Mogford Prize for Food and Drink Writing. She lives in a small village in Cheshire and is married with one son.

Twitter @MartineBailey #TheProphet

@severnpublishers

Amazon UK

Book review ~ The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

Mantle
5 March 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Some secrets are unspoken. Others are unspeakable . . .

August 1939.

Thirty-year-old Hetty Cartwright is tasked with the evacuation and safekeeping of the natural history museum’s collection of mammals. Once she and her exhibits arrive at Lockwood Manor, however, where they are to stay for the duration of the war, Hetty soon realizes that she’s taken on more than she’d bargained for.

Protecting her charges from the irascible Lord Lockwood and resentful servants is work enough, but when some of the animals go missing, and worse, Hetty begins to suspect someone – or something – is stalking her through the darkened corridors of the house.

As the disasters mount, Hetty finds herself falling under the spell of Lucy, Lord Lockwood’s beautiful but clearly haunted daughter. But why is Lucy so traumatized? Does she know something she’s not telling? And is there any truth to local rumours of ghosts and curses?

Part love story, part mystery, The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey is a gripping and atmospheric tale of family madness, long-buried secrets and hidden desires.

What did I think about it..

At the start of the second world war, Hetty Cartwright is the museum curator who is in charge of relocating the mammal exhibits from the Natural History Museum in London to a safer environment in the countryside. Lockwood Manor is the place which has been chosen to store the precious collection but right from Hetty's arrival it is obvious that there is something rather dark and dangerous about Lockwood Manor and it's inhabitants.

Combining a strong sense of history with the natural world and setting it against a backdrop of gothic gloom is an interesting one, and this is certainly a creepy story, especially when some of the artifacts go missing and Hetty begins to doubt not just her own sanity but that of those around her, particularly the daughter of the house, Lucy Lockwood, who has her own share of insecurities and terrifying nightmares.

Combining a haunting ghost story with a tentative and rather sweet love story, the author brings several  strands of the story together in an interesting and unusual way. I enjoyed the attention to detail  and the particularly lyrical way of explaining time and place.  Some of the narrative is a little slow in places but I think this works as it helps to create a certain amount of tension.

With more than a nod towards those gothic classics- Jane Eyre, Woman in White and more recently Fingersmith and Affinity, The Animals of Lockwood Manor is an interesting addition to the genre.

About the Author

Jane Healey studied English Literature at Warwick University. She has been shortlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize 2013, the Costa Short Story Award 2014, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2016 and the Penguin Random House WriteNow mentoring programme 2017. The Animals at Lockwood Manor is her first novel. She lives in Edinburgh.

Twitter @Healey_Jane #TheAnimalsatLockwoodManor

@MantleBooks

Review ~ In Two Minds by Alis Hawkins

The Dome Press
2 May 2019

Teifi Valley Coroner #2

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Harry Probert-Lloyd, a young barrister forced home from London by encroaching blindness, has begun work as the acting coroner of Teifi Valley with solicitor's clerk John Davies as his assistant.

When a faceless body is found on an isolated beach, Harry must lead the inquest. But his dogged pursuit of the truth begins to ruffle feathers. Especially when he decided to work alongside a local doctor with a dubious reputation and experimental theories considered radical and dangerous. Refusing to accept easy answers might not only jeopardise Harry's chance to be elected coroner permanently but could, it seems implicate his own family in a crime.

My thoughts..

Those who have read the first book in the Teifi Valley Coroner series will be familiar with lead characters, Harry Probert-Lloyd and his assistant Harry Davies, and in this second book we meet up with them again just as Harry has taken over the role of acting Coroner for this corner of rural Wales. When a body of a man is found washed up on the beach, it's not only his horrific injuries which causes problems but also Harry's involvement in the investigation upsets a few people as not everyone approves of the way he is conducting the enquiry. 

In Two Minds has a really authentic feel and cleverly combines both history and mystery in a story which is filled with lots of twists and turns. I like the way that the author gives us both Harry's and John's views in individual chapters which, sort of, reiterates the two minds of the title, and shows us that Harry and John's relationship is still evolving. The story also highlights the dilemma of those people who are eking out a living in struggling rural communities, and who are undecided about their future in Wales, and for some the prospect of emigration to America is a real possibility.

The author writes well and continues to pay close attention to historical detail. I can definitely see a lovely progression with both Harry and John's characters and I enjoy the way they work together, not always seeing eye to eye, especially with John's burning resentment towards his lowly station in life, and Harry's growing discomfort at being from the local gentry. 

Whilst this is the second book in the series it is perfectly possible to read it as an enjoyable standalone historical mystery. The author includes references to Harry and John's background which makes it easier to pick up on their relationship and we get to know the reasons why Harry relies on John in certain situations.

I can only see this series going from strength to strength and I look forward to meeting up with Harry Probert-Lloyd and John Davies in future Teifi Valley Coroner stories.

About the Author

Alis Hawkins grew up on a dairy farm in Cardiganshire. Her inner introvert thought it would be a good idea to become a shepherd and, frankly, if she had, she might have been published sooner. As it was, three years reading English at Corpus Christi College, Oxford revealed an extrovert streak and a social conscience which saw her train as a Speech and Language Therapist. She has spent the subsequent three decades variously bringing up two sons, working with children and young people on the autism spectrum and writing fiction, non-fiction and plays. She writes the kind of books she likes to read: character-driven historical crime and mystery fiction with what might be called literary production values.

Website

Twitter  @Alis_Hawkins #InTwoMinds

@DomePress

Review ~ The Lost Shrine by Nicola Ford

Allison&Busby
23 May 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Clare Hills, archaeologist and sometime sleuth, is struggling to finance her recently established university research institute along with her long-time friend, Dr David Barbrook. When they are offered commercial work with a housing developer on a site in the Cotswolds, the pair are hardly in a position to refuse. There is just one slight catch: the previous site director, Beth Kinsella, was found hanged on-site, surrounded by mutilated wildlife. Despite misgivings, Clare leads a team to continue work on the dig, juggling lingering disquiet between local residents and the developers. When something unsettling is unearthed, will Clare uncover the truth before it is hidden for ever?

My thoughts...

With the university research institute struggling financially archaeologist Clare Hills is persuaded to take over an established dig in the Cotswolds which has already had its fair share of trouble. With an unexplained death and an irate housing developer on the scene, looking for a lost Iron Age shrine is never going to be easy. And for Clare and her team it soon becomes a race against time to keep one step ahead of those who seem hell bent on thwarting her every move.

Combining a fascinating sense of history alongside a complicated mystery, the author uses her considerable archaeological knowledge to make everything feel really authentic. There's a real sense of being involved as the deposits of soil are removed, and when artifacts and other mysteries start to be revealed it feels like complicated layers are being stripped away from a piece of ancient history.

The mystery at the heart of the novel is handled well and there were quite enough twists and turns to keep me guessing, alongside some good character details. As this is now the second book in the Hills and Barbrook series, it was interesting to see how the characters have settled into their individual roles. I especially like Clare who is a feisty and determined heroine and even those she always finds herself in a spot of trouble, it's interesting to see how she copes with whatever adventure the author sends her way.

Whilst its not important to have read the first book in the series, this is easily picked up as a standalone, it is however, it's alwyas far more interesting to follow a series from the very start. This well written series has the potential to run and run and I am sure that both Clare Hills and David Barbrook will be back in another exciting adventure before too long.

About the Author

Nicola Ford is the pen-name for archaeologist Dr Nick Snashall, National Trust Archaeologist for the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. Through her day job and now her writing, she’s spent more time than most people thinking about the dead.

Website

Twitter @nic_ford #TheLostShrine

@allisonandbusby

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