Orphaned at the age of five and sent away from England to Africa, Sir James Monmouth has spent most of his life travelling, following the footsteps of his childhood hero, the explorer Conrad Vane. He returns to England one dark and rainy night with the intention of discovering more, not just about himself, but the early life of the explorer.
Warned against travelling this path, Sir James becomes yet more determined to unravel the mysteries of the past - but who is the mysterious little boy who haunts his every step, and why can only he hear the chilling scream and the desperate sobbing?
Goodreads Summary
This seemingly typical ghost story has a lot more under the hood than is to be expected. We are set in Victorian England and the main character is seeking out secrets of the past in the chill of November. This is the perfect groundwork and all the right elements for a great ghost story. It also helps that the imagery presented is stellar and adds to an already eerie scene to enhance "hair on end" feel that is going on. The story builds slowly and hits a perfect apex of fear while still keeping many of the mysteries unresolved.
One thing that I did find a little bit comical about this book was the main character's fearless personality that pulled a 180 every time something slightly scary came along. It didn't seem to fit his character well but it made for a good laugh. Gothic lovers need not fear though because this does not detract from the tingling moments that will leave you paranoid at night. I happened to like the unresolved ending because it leaves the story open to further pondering but some may not like this. If you are a fan of the ghost genre though, this is definitely worth a read.
4 Stars
*Reviewed by Chris*
This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.
Posts
I must say i am a fan of the ghost genre so this might have to go on the tbr list.