Ooh yes, this is a good one!

Weaving history, mystery and ghost stories in one compelling novel is quite a talent.

A superb, and fascinating approach to sharing the life story of an amazing man using an unusual, and very successful, device - ghosts.

I found this book quite unputdownable. I love social history and am not averse to a little romance (in the true sense of the word) and this novel delivers it all. Con-men, vengeful ghosts, illustrious ancestors, tales of derring-do, modern-day heroes...it has it all.

My only niggle comes from the character of the central character - who persists in rejecting the idea of an afterlife even when smacked around the head with the proof (literally) - and on occasion comes across as the most un-self-aware, negative individual ever! It is just a niggle however - you can't like everybody you meet!

*4.5 STARS*

Ruth reluctantly returns to her father’s home In Edinburgh after receiving news that he’s passed away. The pair had been estranged for some years, but she’s inherited his rambling old house and also any assets that her father may have had, however she’s met at the house by a man named Timothy who had befriended and cared for her father in his last months. To her astonishment, Timothy insists that it is he who has legal rights and entitlements to her father’s estate, not her!

Whilst trying to sort out this legal mess, she discovers amongst her mother’s possessions, some old diaries, letters and journals written in the 18th century belonging to her ancestor Thomas Erskine.

Ruth is fascinated with Thomas - he was a character that led such a varied and eventful life, but her fascination soon turns into obsession when she discovers that Thomas made an enemy of an evil personality by the name of Andrew Farquhar back in the 18th century, and she is about to find out that not even death will stop Farquhar taking his revenge on Thomas’s descendants!

Well I must say that this was a really different read, a truly compelling and engaging storyline that crosses genres to include historical fiction, adventure, romance, and even the supernatural to entice the reader. Though it was a work of fiction, it included some real historical characters, of whom Thomas was one. Added to that is the fact that author Barbara Erskine is actually a descendant of Thomas, which makes this even more fascinating!

A really interesting and unusual narrative that had me hooked!

* My thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and Barbara Erskine for my Arc for which I have given an honest unbiased review *

I have enjoyed most of Barbara Erskine's books and this one was no exception, though it took me longer to get into the story. There is added interest as it is based on the author's family.
It is a good read if you like ghost stories and I would recommend it thoroughly as a holiday read. Unusually, the past is written in 2 sections. One in italics which is the ancestor's account in the first person and a second in normal type written in the third person - this is occasionally disconcerting.

A fascinating read and even more so when you realise that it's very heavily influenced and in places based on the real story of the author's own family.
It's like a literary version of Who Do You Think I Am - just when you think there's enough twists and turns in the story, there come some more.

The dual time lines of the past and present are nicely done and flow with ease. I always seem to prefer the stories of the past and I do think this was the strongest one as we travelled to St andrews, Bath, and then across the open seas to Barbados and Jamaica as the backstory of one of the characters is slowly built and crafted.

At the same time of course, Erskine cleverly weaves a story set in present day Edinburgh where a woman is having visions and dreams of someone from a past life. She's been left a house and now someone else is laying claim to it. Brr I shivered from the first page; there's something delicious about tracing the shadows of history.

And this is heavily inspired by the author's family - just how I will leave you to find out, but it's one heck of a story and Erskine is a name which has had quite the path through history! Don't google anything until you've read the novel - just enjoy and anticipate that shiver down your spine.

Barbara Erskine has crafted a story, a legend and a family history all at once and I can only imagine the emotional journey she took with this one! Now, it's time for the readers to do the same.

This is mostly an engaging novel, part a fascinating historical novel, including excerpts from letters, part a gripping present-day love story and part a ghost story. It may well also be part psychological novel, and that is how I have chosen to "read" the ghost story element, which I found quite unsettling. For me, the author adeptly demonstrates how obsession, suggestion and self-suggestion may make a person's past experiences, their false perceptions of the present, or information they have acquired (maybe deviously) come to haunt them, in extreme instances leading to a mental illness which takes control of their actions. But maybe that was not the author's intention; this is the first of her books that I have read. However, it will not be the last!

Ghosts, murder, romance and intrigue - this novel has it all. Changing narratives keep the reader on their toes, with an evil spirit spanning the centuries hellbent on ruining the lives of Thomas Erskine and his descendants. I very much enjoyed the story, which kept me gripped - in fact, I nearly missed my stop on the train I was so engrossed!

Absolutely loved this book and the supernatural elements. Also enjoyed the way that the story switched between the past and present, which made it a very intriguing plot. Highly atmospheric and at times, chilling (but in a good way!).

Erskine's trademark is supernatural historical fiction as ghostly figures from the past reappear in the present. Here journals are the link that cross time and activate a malevolent presence.

This isn't quite as gripping or historically rich as Erskine's Lady of Hay or Child of the Phoenix, or as eerie as her On the Edge of Darkness - but it's an entertaining read.

Ruth having split from her husband receives a message that her father is dead and needs to return to Edinburgh, she has inherited his estate but has been estranged from him for quite a while. Upon arrival she meets Timothy a man who befriended her Dad and looked after him until his death and now thinks he has every right to stay in the house and contest the will!!

Ruth finds her Mother’s possessions in a cupboard and her ancestor Thomas Erskine’s diaries and letters written in the eighteenth century.

Ruth fascinated by Thomas’s life reads his diaries, discovering his life story and how he first joined the Navy then the Army. But Thomas made an enemy who has had a Vendetta with him that will last 500 years and no one in Thomas’s life will be safe!!

This is such a gripping story, at times chilling but always compelling. Loved the way the story is linked between the timelines of present day and the 18th century.

A must read book which is beautifully written and will stay with you long after reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review

A very atmospheric story. After Ruth's father dies she returns to Edinburgh to sort out his house and her inheritance. But the will is challenged. Ruth also discovers documents about an ancestor, and the past becomes entangled with the present.
This is an intriguing read,ideal as a holiday novel.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC