I received a copy of this book as part of the blog tour organised by TheWriteReads. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Publisher: Silver Thistle Press
Published: October 2022
Pages: 100
Summary
A spine-chilling winter ghost story set in the months after the Great War. Perfect for lovers of MR James and Susan Hill
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?
My Thoughts…
The Great War may be over, but its haunting presence lingers on for Charlie Briggs, a crook trying to lay low in a small Hampshire town while waiting for the heat to die down after a botched job in London. But hiding out doesn’t mean he needs to stop working completely, even though riches seem scarce in town. So he can’t quite believe his luck when he spots a book so rare and so valuable it could actually set him up for the rest of his life. But will this last job turn out to be more than he bargained for?
I was completely captivated by this short story and its haunting Christmas setting. Charlie was a deeply unlikeable main character, someone who clearly had a hard life but made some extremely questionable choices to satisfy his greed much more than his need. And boy, was it satisfying to see that greed come back to haunt him.
The effects of the curse and the war setting were extremely vivid, with a slow build-up that kept me turning the pages, desperate to see its conclusion. Although I found this to be really well-built (especially for such a short book), the ending is perhaps what I found to be the weakest element in the story. I’ll keep this spoiler-free, but I felt it didn’t quite do justice to the great build-up to that point and had a (minor) inconsistency.
Still, it was a greatly entertaining read perfect for anyone looking to keep the spooky vibes alive during the Christmas season!
Rating: 4/5
Huge thanks to the author, Silver Thistle Press and TheWriteReads for having me on this tour!
Be sure to check out the other stops as well for more great content.
