I love a dramatised bit of history and that's precisely what this was. The author writes about her ancestor, Lord Thomas Erskine, barrister of Lincoln's Inn, Lord Chancellor (briefly) and politician, with some heavy doses of fiction thrown in for good measure. I knew of Lord Erskine's name but wasn't sure in what capacity but read about him with interest (not least as I am also a barrister of Lincoln's Inn). As often with things like this I took the opportunity to read a little of his factual history and I look forward to learning more about him next time I am at the Inn.

Very much enjoyed this romp which had the right amount of suspense and intrigue to keep me interested to the end.

I couldn't really get going on this one as the genre is a little out of my interest. It's very well written, just not my cup of tea.

However, I won't give a poor review or rating to a book I haven't finished. Also, I won't post to my public places.

I really enjoyed this book, it kept me engaged throughout and although it wasn't what I was expecting when I went into it, I was pleasantly surprised. The characters and plot were both intriguing to make this quite a quick read for me despite its length.

This book required a particularly huge and sustained suspension of disbelief and, I must admit, my effort wavered at times, giving way to the odd eyeroll or a low-key WTF moment. For me this was pure escapism, a bit of frivolous fun and, despite the ludicrous nature of some aspects of the plot, far from unenjoyable. The two time strands were both engaging - the present day story was not merely a frame for the historical storyline as in some historical fiction and the two strands flowed together in a satisfying manner. It did drag slightly towards the end and Tim and April's storyline got a little repetitive and tedious. It loses a star from the rating for having the most disappointing non-event of an ending I've encountered this year. It just ... ended. Given the type of book this had been I was expecting a satisfying all-ends-tied-up and juicy flash forwards in an epilogue type of ending. This one gave very little in the way of resolutions.

You can’t go wrong with Barbara Erskine, and this one proves the point. I was fully captivated and hardly put it down. Recommended - a lovely book.

I love Barbara Erskine's work and have read nearly all her novels. Some of them, particularly her early novels feature amongst my favourite all time reads.

That said, for some reason it has taken me an age to get through this one. I have tried to look at why it has taken me so long, as I am normally considered a fast reader. There was nothing wrong with the tale, and it was made all the more engaging as it was based on the author's own family history, but for some reason I didn't want to pick it back up once I had put it down, until I was about 60% of the way through it, and then finally I started to get hooked.

I have concluded that it is simply too long. The story is great, but it just goes on and on, I think a ruthless edit is needed to make this an amazing novel. I think that perhaps because this is the author's own family, it has made her less impartial about the story and more partisan for the fuller story.

I think it would have been interesting to have linked the Timothy and April characters back to past characters, such as Sarah's children, and I was expecting the novel to go that way, and so I was a little disappointed when that didn't turn out to be the case.

I found the end a little disappointing too, as I didn't think the characters plot lines were satisfactorily tied up.

All in all I found this to be a great story, but in need to a major edit to make it more compulsive.

This is my first time reading the author. I have some of her book, unread in my collection. Despite the premise and the author’s stellar reputation, this didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The book took ages to read, much longer than a book this length usually takes. I struggled to get into it and almost gave up a few times. For some reason, I just couldn’t engage with the story. I felt the book was too long and my attention drifted at times when I was reading to the point when I was starting to get bored. I liked the way the past clashed with the present. I found the narrative set in the past much more compelling than the one set in the present. The Ghost Tree is well written and I definitely enjoyed the author’s style. The book was very up and down which spoiled my enjoyment a bit. Still, I would read more of her work and my lacklustre reaction to The Ghost Tree hasn’t put me off.

I enjoyed this book and the supernatural elements that it bought to it.

This story switches between the past and the present which I feel certainly helped to draw the reader in. As always, a very atmospheric book which at times is also chilling.

Barbara Erskine is one of my favourite authors, I have all of her previous novels in many different formats. I enjoyed her earlier books enormously, and when I saw that there was a new one out I was happy to receive an advance copy. The past few have been nothing like her earlier ones but I persevered hoping they would get better the further that you got into the story. For me it was a bit of a disappointment, not even as good as her last, Sleepers Castle, but whilst the story was interesting I personally felt that it lacked an ending, seemed to be a bit of a rush, almost as if there is to be a follow on?

I Have to admit though I usually love this author's work this really wasn't my favourite of her books.
I did finish The Ghost Tree though it took me much longer than a book from this author usually does to complete.
I still think this was a somewhat solid read just not quite up to what I've come to expect.
This is definitely in her usual style but in this story, Erskine has delved into her own family tree for her inspiration and maybe there lies some of the problem.
I just wasn't as invested in the overall story unfolding here as I usually am maybe because it failed initially to grab and retain my attention.
I also found this overly long and I did find my attention wavering throughout.
Skipping back and forth this tale is told cleverly managing to weave a story steeped in history, suspense and ghosts that feel they have an axe to grind from past through to present.
There were two distinct narratives being told here and I think I was slightly more in tune with what had gone against what was to come.
But all strands do eventually convene at a single point in time.
I became more invested here the further I read but I also felt this ended rather abruptly and things were not explained fully to my complete satisfaction.
So this was very much up and down for me some things appealed to me more than others.
I failed to establish a good connection here and that did affect my overall experience
I will still be reading this author's next book as she is one that has become an auto-buy for me over the years: But this one just wasn't really my complete bag and I did struggle slightly.
This was as usual excellently written and that I cannot fault it on.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of The Ghost Tree
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

What a fantastic book, thank you for letting me read and review.

After Ruth’s father dies, Ruth finds that her father has hidden her late mothers things in the attic, for years Ruth thought he had thrown them away or burnt them and almost immeadiately starts to read through letters and diaries written by her great great great great grandfather, while reading through the stories and battling with her Fathers lodger over his will, Ruth finds that she can see and talk to her many times great grandfather Thomas as well as being haunted by his enemy.

A great page turner of a read I will definitely be reading more books by Barbara Erskine.

This is such a brilliant book, well written, and totally fascinating. I was hooked from.the first page. Very clever and exceptionally articulated. I loved it.

A story about Ruth and her family that spans from 1700 to present day.

I enjoyed this book and the way the story was told from both Tom and Ruth's perspective on the different timelines.

A good story that makes you think about spirits and your own family history.

Thanks Netgalley, Publisher and the Author. This is the first book that I have read by this author and will not be the last. The story is based in Edinburgh and Ruth. I really enjoyed this book

I can't believe this took me nearly a month to read it; I have to admit that it did take me a while to get hooked into the storyline but once I did, I could not put it down. This novel felt very different to what I've read lately and that was refrashing. I didn't like the character, Ruth, she just was not interesting to me, but I wanted to know more about Thomas. I would like to read more by this author.

A novel linking an eighteenth century politician and his only descendant in 21st century Edinburgh. Brilliantly written, and engrossing until the very end.

I love all of this author's books but this one for me wasn't as good a read. It just didn't hold my attention like her others, sorry just not for me.

I read other reviews before writing mine as I was afraid I was being unfair and maybe missed something others found in the book.. It appears there is a mixture of lovers and haters and unfortunately I am in the latter camp. The storyline held great promise for me - Ruthie finding her estranged father had died.and had left her his estate, although being contested by Timothy, her father's apparent carer. Sorting through all the effects left she discovers diaries and letters belonging to.an ancestor Thomas Erskine, one of the authors real descendants, and so the story moves between the present and the 18th century - what's not to like? This is where the book falls short for me as it moves slowly, very slowly and appears to be a vehicle for the author's own investigation into her ancestry and it fails to hit the spot for me with some characters that were not particularly pleasant and some very shallow. I persevered as I don't like to not finish a book but I have to admit I struggled with this one to the very end.

This is the first novel I’ve read by Barbara Erskine and unfortunately it’s likely to be my last.
I found that while the storyline was somewhat interesting, it just went on and on! Maybe this is typical of Erskine, but I found myself willing the book to end as I hate to not finish a book.
The story flits between the past and the present while Ruthie tries to discover her heritage through letters and journals found in her dead fathers house. Add in a ghost, paranormal activity some romance and a brother and sister trying to rob Ruth of her inheritance and you have the Ghost Tree. There were too many characters, that intertwined resulting in a clunky tale. Perhaps if the author hadn’t try to include her family history in with some new characters (I did not understand the purpose of Timothy and April)
Sorry for an unfavourable review but I did not enjoy this book!

This historical novel, based on the life of Barbara Erskine's own ancestor, was a fascinating read. The mixture of history, thriller, a little romance and the supernatural kept me turning the pages, wanting to know what was going to happen next. I was captivated right until the end, which I felt was rushed, and not very satisfying. A great read, nonetheless.