The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell
My Five Word TL: DR Review : I loved everything about this.
It seems that Laura Purcell is not only the Gothic Queen but she also seems unable to do little wrong in terms of her creations. This is an author that I usually dance a little jig to whenever I discover that she has a new release pending and so far I’ve enjoyed them all – very much.
Set in the theatre this is a dark and atmospheric read. It revolves around five key plays that reflect the story as it progresses. It’s a tale involving plenty of drama, unholy deals that come at a price, jealousy, ambition and tragedy.
As the story begins we meet Jenny, she’s fallen on hard times following the betrayal of her own brother which has left Jenny and her siblings in dire straits. When Jenny is called to meet the wealthy wife of of the Mercury Theatre owner she is intrigued and a little amazed when she’s offered the job of dresser at the theatre – the very place where her brother betrayed not only her but the cast and crew of the theatre itself. It seems that the lady herself has suspicions about her husband and his leading actress and wishes Jenny to be her inside eyes – a spy no less – and Jenny is desperate enough to take the position. Of course, when she begins to find out she likes the actress in question, admire her a little even, it doesn’t help her to undertake her new role.
I loved this. The setting, the plot, the writing, the dark gothic feel, the characters, the strange blending in of theatre and supernatural elements with such a deft touch. Absolutely loved it and frankly I could read it again.
The theatre setting and Victorian period is perfect and seems to be Purcell’s domain. The theatres is brought to life beautifully, dilapidated and yet startling when the bright lights shine. This is a dangerous place and when things start to go wrong, it seems like bad luck has come calling
The leading lady, Lilith Erikson, is a beautiful and passionate woman, full of ambition and determined to grasp the nettle now. When she comes into possession of a strange watch, one believed to contain dark powers, her troubles begin. Her performances on stage are magnificent, she lives and breathes the characters, but off stage she loses her will. Jenny is a great character too and it’s a pleasure to read two such strong female leads. Jenny is basically good at heart and therefore conflicted with her newfound role as tittle tattle. She feels bad for spying on Lilith but needs must when the devil vomits into your kettle, she’s basically in between a rock and a hard place and must take any work she’s offered – and this is indeed a lucrative position.
The supernatural elements revolve around a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse from Greek mythology. These elements are subtly woven into the story in such a way that I think readers who don’t particularly love supernatural elements will still enjoy.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The writing is fantastic, it provides the perfect balance in all ways, the theatre comes to life and the characters leap off the page. In a nutshell, I can’t say enough good things about this book. Put simply I loved it and like a greedy child desperate for more I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 5 of 5 stars
All the Blood We Share by Camilla Bruce
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Reimagining of Sinister Serial Killers
Well, if it doesn’t sound too hideous to say that I enjoyed a sinister reimagining of a family of serial killers, I will say that this was a very good read. Perhaps not the kind of read that’s going to bring a smile to your face or give you any laugh out loud moments, but definitely a compelling tale that you read with ever increasing shock that is heightened even more with the realisation that this family really existed and spread misery across the Kansas plains with their low regard for life.
This is a reimagining of real life events penned by a wonderful author who clearly has an interest and has researched the subject well. It’s positively gripping and a little bit like watching a dreadful trainwreck.
It was a sad day for Cherryvale, Kansas when the Benders came to stay. Trying to leave a dark past behind they arrive on the prairie where they set up an Inn and dry goods store. The females of the family are not entirely happy with this new start, wanting to go further afield, but William Bender believes they can make a living being so near to a frequently used trail and so begins a short and bloody spell in America’s history.
The Bender family consist of a young woman, attractive and persuasive, known as Kate. Her mother Elvira who shares a love/hate relationship with her daughter, Elvira’s new husband William and William’s son John. Although the four originally intend to keep a low profile in Kansas they soon become impatient with the slow progress of their savings and begin to murder and rob the travellers who stop at their Inn seeking a room or sustenance. Put bluntly they soon become greedy, Kate, as I mentioned is a persuasive character and convinces her step father that the angels talk to her, her bloodlust needs satisfying and William is happy to be persuaded. Elvira, whilst not entirely happy with the killings and unkeen to draw attention, is at the same time greedy enough not to make a real stand. Then we have John. Besotted with Kate he plays a moody and aggressive character who is capable of shocking violence in order to impress. Along with the Benders we have an alternative voice in Hanson who lives at the nearby trading post. He visits the family regularly and gives a great outside perspective, particularly as he goes from the blushing boy who has a crush on his attractive new neighbour, to a frightened boy scared by the killings, to a suspicious boy who doesn’t want to believe the worst.
I’m not going to really go into the plot but look at what worked well for me.
Well, firstly, this is a gripping story, it’s bloody and shocking and doesn’t hold back the punches so be aware of that. I found it pretty horrific but at the same time unputdownable. On top of this I think the author does a first rate job of creating a tense atmosphere what with the bloodlust and fear and on top of that the fact that the family don’t absolutely trust each other, definitely makes for an edgy read. And there’s a great sense of place, the open plains and remoteness all playing into the story and lulling the family into a false sense of security.
Without doubt though I think Kate is the winning element of the story. She’s so bad. Always ready with an easy lie and a sweet smile she has no problem wrapping people around her finger and coupled with her constant scheming, dark moments of lust and remarkable lack of empathy she makes for a very strong leading lady. Happily though, although Kate steals the show the other characters are a strong supporting cast.
Overall this was a quick read, the pacing was really well done and Bruce manages to give you that feeling of ever mounting dread. The murders themselves are almost coldly and cleanly delivered which probably makes them a bit less gruesome than they already are and the characters create an immediate hook to keep you reading.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
22 January 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Booking Ahead, Caffeinated Reviewer, Weekly wrap up
I’m trying to get back into the habit of doing a round-up of the week just completed and also take a look at my plans for the forthcoming week. I rather got out of the habit of doing so but I would like to reinstate this type of post as I feel it keeps me on track. So, I’m linking up to The Sunday Post over at Kimberly’s Caffeinated Reviewer. Without further ado:
Books read this week:
So, dad is still poorly and still in hospital. I’m currently looking after mum as it’s difficult for her to cope for this length of time not to mention lonely. I’ve still managed to do some reading and posting but not much time to actually sit down and blog hop. Hopefully I will catch up with comments and all your posts soon.
This week I managed to complete The Drift by CJ Tudor which I really enjoyed. I also read All The Blood We Share by Camilla Bruce. Another author who I’m a bit fixated on at the moment, this is from the work she seems to be enjoying that gives a fictional account of true life serial killers, the previous novel being In the Garden of Spite (or Triflers Need Not Apply as it’s also known). I’ve also started All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham which gets off to a very intriguing start. Look at the covers for last week’s reads – don’t you just love it when your covers conspire together to provide matching colours.
Next Week’s Reads:
Hopefully complete All the Dangerous Things then I’d like to press on with one or maybe two of my February reads and I do need to squeeze a SPFBO book in before the end of the month if I’m going to stay on track.
Reviews Posted since my last Sunday Post:
- Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
- How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
- The Drift by CJ Tudor
Outstanding Reviews
- Love Will Tear Us Apart by CK McDonnell
- SPFBO No.1
- SPFBO No.2
- The Ivory Tomb by Melissa Caruso
- The Vanishing of Margaret Small
- The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell
- All The Blood We Share by Camilla Bruce.
I will be trying to post three reviews again this forthcoming week.
Friday Face Off : How to Sell a Haunted House
20 January 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Friday Face off, Grady Hendrix, How to Sell a Haunted House
Today is the second week of a new Friday Face Off (a meme originally created by Books by Proxy) – similar in many ways to what came before but different going forward. From 2023 I will no longer be posting prompts or themes to guide cover choices. Instead, having noticed that many of my most recent reads have had more than one cover, I thought instead it would be a change to highlight something that I’m keen to shine the focus on. So, if you have a book that has alternative covers, highlight them and choose your favourite. If you’re taking part it would be great if you leave a link so I can take a look at what you’ve chosen.
My book this week is another read that I enjoyed very recently. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix.
Here are the covers:
My favourite this week is :
I like both covers but this one appealed to me because I hadn’t realised this was a toy house inside a house – I just like that idea for some reason! Which cover is your favourite?
Join me next week in highlighting one of your reads with different covers.
Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Winning format, creepy house, atmosphere
Episode Thirteen is perhaps not quite what I expected in some ways and I think that’s a good thing in this instance. I think I had in mind a regular traditional style ghost story with things going bump in the night. Instead this as a refreshingly unique feel, a style that I am an absolute pushover for in more ways than one and a group of characters that are expertly developed, plus things going bump in the night.
I’m not going to go into the plot (which is one of my constant refrains at the moment or at least it seems to be) but let readers discover things for themselves. What I can tell you is this is a story put together using found footage (whoops, that doesn’t really bode well in the first instance does it). The setting is a derelict and dilapidated mansion where a team of scientists undertook some dodgy experiments before seemingly disappearing into the ether – this also doesn’t bode well does it! On top of this the characters are producing a reality tv show that has proved a great success but is flagging a little, they’re determined to make this a winning episode – guess what, it’s episode 13 (unlucky for some) – what could possibly go wrong?
So, for me, the first thing that immediately drew me in was the format of story telling. I’m a sucker for epistolary style and this includes journals, blogs, camera footage, texts, etc. I just love this approach because you get a rounded feel for the characters and the action rather than simply following one pov. And that leads me to the characters themselves. I’m so overawed at how the author manages to develop all the characters in such a convincing way using this format.
The characters. They’re an eclectic bunch. We have the married couple, Matt and Claire Kirklin. They are almost like polar opposites. Matt believes in ghosts whereas Claire is all about debunking the stories using science. Fade to Black is in fact Matt’s creation, as a child he believed he was visited by a ghost and has pursued his fascination with the supernatural ever since. The element of Claire taking part as the ‘disbeliever’ waiting to be convinced is the winning element that originally boosted the show up the ranks. The rest of the team consists of a cameraman, an actress who brings the glamour to the series and a technician responsible for setting up all the paraphernalia needed. What I really liked about the characters is that they all have their own concerns and these play heavily into the story. On top of that I would say I struggled to find a favourite here and I think that’s because there are underlying resentments and jealousies not to mention egos that don’t always paint the characters in the best light. I mean, I love this because they come across as flawed and real. They have doubts and insecurities and these really come to the fore and send some of them over the edge.
The setting. The house is a great setting. The team are all so excited to be given access and can’t wait for the creepy goings on to begin. In fact the house itself is almost like a character. It takes it’s time to show it’s hand and revealing what it’s really capable of. In fact the team are super excited when they manage to capture ground breaking footage on camera. All I will say about this is what they’ve witnessed to this point is the tip of the iceberg, the main bulk of the monster remains hidden and the team teeter on the brink of a huge rabbit warren. I won’t say more.
To bring this to a conclusion, whilst I wouldn’t say I found this scary in particular I did find it easy to read and totally compelling. There’s plenty of atmosphere and the conclusion is not only downright creepy but I would say ripe for adaptation. The writing and pacing are perfect and I galloped to the end like a maniac. If you enjoy psychological hauntings this could be just the thing for you.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks, the above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
