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Dangerous by Essie Fox #Review #Giveaway

If a gothic thriller is what you are after, look no further than Essie Fox's Dangerous which will be published by Orenda Books on April 24th. I also have the chance for you to win a print copy . Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.     When fiction is fatalā€¦   Living in exile in Venice, the disgraced Lord Byron revels in the freedoms of the city But when he is associated with the deaths of local women, found with wounds to their throats, and then a novel called  The Vampyre  is published under his name, rumours begin to spread that Byron may be the murdererā€¦   As events escalate and tensions rise ā€“ and his own life is endangered, as well as those he holds most dear ā€“ Byron is forced to play detective, to discover who is really behind these heinous crimes. Meanwhile, the scandals of his own infamous past come back to haunt himā€¦   Rich in gothic atmosphere and drawing on real events and characters from Byron's life,  Dan...

The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks #Review

 

I was delighted to be invited along on the blog tour for Elizabeth Brooks' The Whispering House. Published on 6th August in hardback by Doubleday, it was Elizabeth's description of the origins of the story which interested me, immediately.

Elizabeth Brooks writes:

ā€œI began with the idea of two sisters whose stories echo one anotherā€™s - they fall in love with the same place, the same man, the same dream of an idyllic bohemian life - but the first sister dies and the second survives. As the middle one of three sisters, I am fascinated by sibling relationships. My older sister, Rachel, committed suicide when she was 28. The circumstances were nothing like those described in The Whispering House, but obviously there were aspects of that experience that I drew on.

I am also very drawn to books about big, creepy housesā€¦the genesis of Byrne Hall was Greenway, Agatha Christieā€™s house near Dartmouth in Devonā€

Freya Lyell is struggling to move on from her sister Stellaā€™s suicide five years ago. Visiting the bewitching Byrne Hall, only a few miles from the scene of the tragedy, she discovers a portrait of Stella ā€“ a portrait she had no idea existed, in a house Stella never set foot in. Or so she thought.

Driven to find out more about her sisterā€™s secrets, Freya is drawn into the world of Byrne Hall and its owners: charismatic artist Cory and his sinister, watchful mother. But as Freyaā€™s relationship with Cory crosses the line into obsession, the darkness behind the locked doors of Byrne Hall threatens to spill out.

 

My Thoughts

This mystery will not disappoint. It has atmosphere, changes in timeline, strange characters who you will not be able to second guess and an intriguing mystery at the heart. Much of the plot is character driven and there is a terrible fascination in seeing Freya become drawn further and further into the mire. Byrne House is beautifully evoked. Standing proud, looking out sea, it is seen by some as the ideal wedding venue, but by others as an inherently evil place. You just know that its facade hides some secrets.

     I enjoy a book with literary allusions and for me, this one has hints of the gothic and the Madwoman in the Attic. The iso;ation and seclusion gives it the setting of many a Christie crime novel. You just know, all is not well. Freya's family dynamic is not straightforward. All I can say is thank heavens for Tom! There is a cold detachment in Freya's father on the surface and a need to control. Of course, he is not the only character to have those traits. Highly recommended.

In short: Sinister and beguiling.

About the Author

 

ELIZABETH BROOKS grew up in Chester, and read Classics at Cambridge.

 Her debut novel CALL OF THE CURLEW was shortlisted for the Waverton Good Reads award. The setting for her new novel, THE WHISPERING HOUSE, is a manor house named Byrne Hall and is inspired by the home of Agatha Christie. It is full of dark corners and old portraits that carry untold stories of their subjects.

Elizabeth Brooks lives on the Isle of Man with her husband and children.

You can follow Elizabeth here:  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Facebook 

Book link: Amazon UK  

Thanks to Elizabeth Brooks, Doubleday and Isabella Gaffari Parker for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

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