With thanks to @TheWrite_Reads, @WriteReadsTours, @strangelymagic and @silverthistleps for the lovely book package and place on the Tour.
Synopsis
The War is over, but for petty criminal Charlie his darkest days are only just beginning.
Charlie Briggs is never off-duty, even when a botched job means he’s forced to lay low in a sleepy Hampshire town for the holiday season. Always searching for his next unwitting victim, or a shiny trinket he can pilfer, he can’t believe his luck when he happens upon a rare book so valuable it will set him up for life. All he needs to do is sit tight until Boxing Day. But there’s a desperate story that bleeds beyond the pages; something far more dangerous than London’s mobsters is lurking in the shadows.
Could the book be cursed? Why is he haunted by the horrors of war? Can he put things right before he’s suffocated by his own greed?
Review
There is so much packed in to this historical fiction novella – Williamson skilfully pens a compelling tale that captures our attention, weaving a chilling web of lies, greed and terror.
Charlie’s ruthless antics see him lying low in a quaint village as his criminal past is catching up to him. He relishes in the thrill of tricking unsuspecting targets, and when he encounters a rare war book he can’t let the opportunity for making some easy-money pass him by!
Williamson builds the tension perfectly as we try to piece the mystery together. The fear is palpable as we feel Charlie’s rising panic and desperation take hold. The reader doesn’t know what to believe – are the horrifying images real or just the trick of a guilty mind? The hallucinations were incredibly believable and vivid, could supernatural forces be in play?
Arthur’s terrifying story immerses the reader in the pain and tragedy of war. It’s a deeply sad narrative that was only too common during that time. The use of poppies was a powerful image, the contrast of their vibrant, beautiful aesthetic set against the intense devastation they represent.
I read this haunting story in one-sitting. It’s easy to get lost in the pages and the captivating prose as we explore actions and their consequences, and perhaps the role of karma in deciding our fate. Can the irredeemable be redeemed?
A spine-chilling winter ghost story set in the months after the Great War. A Perfect quick read for lovers of MR James and Susan Hill.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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