Scan barcode
A review by saltygalreads
The Winter Guest by W.C. Ryan
5.0
Ireland 1921, after WWI and during The Troubles. The prestigious Prendeville family lives in their crumbling mansion by the sea, while the Irish rebels and the British loyalists plot their campaigns of violence and retaliation. Then an ambush by the IRA goes wrong and beautiful, heroic Maud Prendeville is killed. Her murder must be investigated and so former Army Captain Tom Harkin takes on the job of investigating the murder of his former lover and fiancee. Everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted, not even old friends. Meanwhile Tom is haunted by the horrors of trench warfare, suffering through terrible flashbacks.
The house also reveals its ghostly inhabitants to him - a long ago bride with her bouquet of rotting flowers, his dead friend and brother-in-arms Arthur Prendeville, and now Maud, sitting calmly by her bedroom window and leading him to clues. Tom struggles to put the pieces of the mystery together, clinging to the pieces of his broken mind and tortured memories while his country comes apart around him.
What an unexpectedly wonderful treat of a novel! I knew nothing about this book but the description captured my imagination when I read it. I was completely engrossed, living among the Prendevilles and navigating the deception and treachery with Tom Harkin. Everything about the story was well executed: the setting, the characters, the atmosphere and the mystery. The house itself felt like a living character with its ghosts, sadness and memories. The conclusion is quite satisfying, offering redemption and hope for Tom Harkin. I will be purchasing a hard copy of this one. A resounding five stars! Many thanks to NetGalley and Arcade Crimewise for this wonderful copy to read and review.
The house also reveals its ghostly inhabitants to him - a long ago bride with her bouquet of rotting flowers, his dead friend and brother-in-arms Arthur Prendeville, and now Maud, sitting calmly by her bedroom window and leading him to clues. Tom struggles to put the pieces of the mystery together, clinging to the pieces of his broken mind and tortured memories while his country comes apart around him.
What an unexpectedly wonderful treat of a novel! I knew nothing about this book but the description captured my imagination when I read it. I was completely engrossed, living among the Prendevilles and navigating the deception and treachery with Tom Harkin. Everything about the story was well executed: the setting, the characters, the atmosphere and the mystery. The house itself felt like a living character with its ghosts, sadness and memories. The conclusion is quite satisfying, offering redemption and hope for Tom Harkin. I will be purchasing a hard copy of this one. A resounding five stars! Many thanks to NetGalley and Arcade Crimewise for this wonderful copy to read and review.