I’m thrilled to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for deliciously creepy A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan. Thank you to Tracy Fenton for the invitation and to Zaffre Books for my copy of this ghostly espionage thriller.
About the book:
‘Almost unbearably creepy and beautifully written’
Liz Nugent, bestselling author of Unravelling Oliver and Lying in Wait
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.
For Blackwater Abbey is haunted in more ways than one . . .
A gripping and atmospheric mystery packed with twists and turns, A House of Ghosts is the perfect chilling read.
About the author:
W.C. Ryan is a pseudonym for William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier and the Korolev series of historical crime novels. His books have been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year Award, the CWA Historical Dagger and the Ireland AM Irish Crime Novel of the Year Award and have been translated into over a dozen languages. William is married and lives in west London.
My Review:
A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan is an intoxicating mix of World War 1 espionage thriller and deliciously creepy ghost story. I loved the combination of the two genres and thought it worked very well here. It made for an atmospheric read that had all the elements of a chilling ghost story, but with the twists and turns of a murder mystery and espionage thriller.
Lord Highmount arranges a spiritualist gathering at the isolated and foreboding Blackwater Abbey, hoping that contact can be made with his two sons who were killed during the war. The abbey has a dark past and a reputation for being haunted, so Lord Highmount has high hopes that spiritualists Count Orlov and Madame Feda will be able to bring forth the spirits of his sons.
But some of the guests have more on their minds than raising the dead, including Kate Cartwright and Mr Donovan, who have been recruited by the mysterious Mr C to ensure Lord Highmount remains safe. But Donovan is not all he seems and Kate is harbouring a secret that could put her own safety at risk. As a storm rages over Blackwater Abbey, cutting the island off from all civilisation, tensions rise and secrets start to be revealed.
With their lives in danger and the ghosts of Blackwater Abbey beginning to make their presence felt, Lord Highmount and his guests find themselves trapped and with no place to go. With emotions already running high, the grief, fear and turmoil the characters are feeling bubbles up to the surface and threatens to spill over as séances are undertaken and more secrets brought out into the open.
What follows is a beautifully written and chilling ghost story that’s the perfect read for this time of year. A perfect blend of atmospheric ghost story, murder mystery and espionage thriller, A House of Ghosts is an immensely readable and enjoyable story that will keep you turning pages long into the night. Filled to the brim with suspense and surprises throughout, this is a book I would highly recommend.
A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan is available to buy now: Amazon UK
Check out what these other fabulous bloggers have to say about this wonderful book:
Cal Turner Reviews 