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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan

Two different versions of the cover of A House of Ghosts.  






















from description:  Winter 1917. As the First World War enters its most brutal phase, back home in England, everyone is seeking answers to the darkness that has seeped into their lives. At Blackwater Abbey, on an island off the Devon coast, Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering to contact his two sons who were lost in the conflict. But as his guests begin to arrive, it gradually becomes clear that each has something they would rather keep hidden. Then, when a storm descends on the island, the guests will find themselves trapped. Soon one of their number will die. 

 There is definitely an Agatha Christie vibe to this one.  I thought it was fun--a little old-fashioned, but in a way that seemed appropriate to the time period.  

An old abbey converted centuries ago to a family home; a winter storm that cuts the inhabitants off from help; seances, spiritualists, and espionage.  :)

Read in June.  Blog review scheduled for 9/18/19.

NetGalley/Skyhorse Publishing
Historical Mystery.  Oct. 1, 2019.  Print length:  384 pages

---------  I've just started John Connolly's new Charlie Parker installment, A Book of Bones.  Anyone interested a mix of horror and thriller can look to the Charlie Parker series to provide a battle of good vs evil, supernatural, and suspense.  In 2014, I read The Wolf in Winter for an R.I.P challenge, and it is a good place to start if you want a good PI, mystery, suspenseful, supernatural thriller.  Intense creep factor, but great characters, plots, and writing.


8 comments:

  1. A House of Ghosts sounds good to me! Will check out John Connolly's books, too. :)

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    1. A House of Ghosts is Golden Age of Detective fiction style. John Connolly's Charlie Parker books can also be classified as horror!

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  2. This one does sound like a book I would enjoy: a winter storm, a seance...all good stuff! (I like that second cover the best.)

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  3. I like the non-photo cover best. This one sounds like a lot of fun...spiritualists! Yay!

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    1. I enjoyed the feeling of being in another era--in the time period and the writing style. There is something comforting about 1920-30's mysteries.

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  4. I love the idea of an An old abbey converted to a family home. A House of Ghosts sounds like fun.

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  5. Because you said this has more of a vintage feel, then I think the first cover would go better with it but both are good for setting the tone of this one. Sounds like the perfect Fall mystery too!

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