Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Thanks very much to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. Many thanks, Dave

The blurb for this book has all the keywords that tempt me into reading it. Supernatural elements, murder, spooky old house full of secret passages, ghosts. The era was perfect and just heightened the mood. If you're sensing a but here, you'd be correct. For all the familiar gothic elements, everyone managed to stay alive for over 100 pages and I do think comparisons to MR James take it a little far. There is plenty to like about House of Ghosts but it didn't really work for me.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as I had hoped. I liked the sense of unease I got right from the start. A good read, just not a fantastic one.

Very atmospheric and with a brilliant setting. Dark, creepy and very apt for a winters evening. The characters seemed a little flat but all in all a good story.

This is spot on for atmosphere. Don't read this on your own, it has a wonderful spooky, chilling feel to it. The sense of place in post war times is excellent. A great read to curl up with on a dark winter's night.

Very descriptive in a way that once you are settled into the first few pages, your sense of being is lost within the scene setting. I really got lost in this book and it was a welcome treat. The characters were really well written and I'm left wanting more. It kind of gave me the feeling of putting a hand over my face as you would if you were watching a movie. It really ups the tempo on a cold dark night. Fabulous, well done!

Great concept but the story fell a little short for me. Atmosphere was great but characters felt a little stilted.

This was a brilliant and gripping mystery! I love a good ghost story/mystery and this didn’t disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that it was set in WW1 so the way the characters talk and carry themselves is very different from today.

Blackwater Abbey sounds amazing, and as you can guess from the title….is full of ghosts! A ghost hunt there would be amazing! The author has done a brilliant job of describing the place and the surrounding island which really helped to bring the story to life.

On to the characters – I wasn’t sure about Donovan, or Kate to start with but I loved them both so much by the end and really want another book to see where they’re sent to next, and what they’ll come up against! Some of the characters are really shady and that’s exactly what you need in a book like this. They all have their own secrets and many are dealing with heartbreak (as you would imagine in the war).

I was thoroughly gripped from beginning to end! This is a brilliant book to curl up with on a winters stormy evening….even better by candlelight….you might even feel like you’re there!!!

Great read. Beautifully paced, atmospheric, tense, with wonderful characterisation. Have recommended to lots of people.

Fans of historical crime novels by authors such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers will love this book I know I did. Espionage and the presence of ghostly goings on come together with murder to give you a walk back in time to a time where a world war was taking place and spies seemed to be an everyday threat. A remote island provides the backdrop for our spy hunter an his partner to investigate which member of the house party is giving vital secrets away. Their job is not made easy by the ghostly happenings that are taking place around them. Are the ghosts real or is the séance a smokescreen for nefarious goings on. Circumstance’s conspire to cut the island off from the outside world so our duo must use what resources they have to hand to solve the crimes that have taken place. A wonderful, thrilling book that transported me back in time to 1917 as I fell into the pages. It kept me enticed and enthralled right up to the last page, the spooky claustrophobic atmosphere and gradual build up of the plot to the finale make for a compulsive read.

Eerie and decidedly spooky at times, the writing is done perfectly to hook you into the storyline even at times you may just want to look away! This is an author with a flare for creating a story that is brilliantly uncomfortable to read at time, and just such a thrilling ride! If you enjoy a story that will make you think and perhaps give you shivers, this is the one for you!

A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan is an intoxicating mix of World War 1 espionage thriller and deliciously creepy ghost story. I loved the combination of the two genres and thought it worked very well here. It made for an atmospheric read that had all the elements of a chilling ghost story, but with the twists and turns of a murder mystery and espionage thriller.

Lord Highmount arranges a spiritualist gathering at the isolated and foreboding Blackwater Abbey, hoping that contact can be made with his two sons who were killed during the war. The abbey has a dark past and a reputation for being haunted, so Lord Highmount has high hopes that spiritualists Count Orlov and Madame Feda will be able to bring forth the spirits of his sons.

But some of the guests have more on their minds than raising the dead, including Kate Cartwright and Mr Donovan, who have been recruited by the mysterious Mr C to ensure Lord Highmount remains safe. But Donovan is not all he seems and Kate is harbouring a secret that could put her own safety at risk. As a storm rages over Blackwater Abbey, cutting the island off from all civilisation, tensions rise and secrets start to be revealed.

With their lives in danger and the ghosts of Blackwater Abbey beginning to make their presence felt, Lord Highmount and his guests find themselves trapped and with no place to go. With emotions already running high, the grief, fear and turmoil the characters are feeling bubbles up to the surface and threatens to spill over as séances are undertaken and more secrets brought out into the open.

What follows is a beautifully written and chilling ghost story that’s the perfect read for this time of year. A perfect blend of atmospheric ghost story, murder mystery and espionage thriller, A House of Ghosts is an immensely readable and enjoyable story that will keep you turning pages long into the night. Filled to the brim with suspense and surprises throughout, this is a book I would highly recommend.

A House Of Ghosts is a fantastically atmospheric, creepy story which is part ghost story and part mystery. It is the perfect story for those looking for a spooky Halloween read.

The story starts of slowly as we get to know the characters and their history better but soon gathers pace becoming a gripping read. Things start getting very intriguing as we discover the links between the guest and I found myself questioning all the supernatural events, wondering if there was more going on then I realised.

The growing storm battering the house throughout most of the story helps create a claustrophobic atmosphere which is made more creepy by the presence of some interesting ghosts which helped send a shiver down my spine and ensured I didn’t want to turn my light out at night!

The story is told mainly from the point of view of Kate and Donovan but is often added to with the story of one of the other guests which adds to the mystery element of the story as the reader soon realises things are very murky indeed. I found I enjoyed watching the story unfold and trying to work out what was actually happening. It was a story I struggled to put down at times as I wanted to find out what happens next and I’m excited to read more from this talented author. I hope that there will be another book with Kate and Donovan in as I thought they were great characters!

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Zaffre for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

A House of Ghosts is part wartime espionage, part ghost story and part whodunnit, and also has a lot to say about the reality and misery of war itself.

First and foremost, though, just look at that beautiful cover – this is a stunning looking book.

Second and secondmost(!) it’s got a map! I love a map and this one is very useful:

The story starts with an intriguing prologue, then there is some necessary exposition as the scene is set and we get to know our leading characters but the action really gets going once we arrive on Blackwater Island.

The island is so atmospheric! It’s got all my faves: people snowed in, raging storms, secret passages, a surly groundsman and a murderer on the loose! The writing totally brings to life the howling gales, the dark and gloomy nights, the wild and dangerous sea and the creepy desperation of Blackwater Abbey and its inhabitants.

All of the characters were well drawn and I very much liked feisty Kate and rough diamond Donovan. I also enjoyed seeing some of the more unlikable characters get what they deserved.

I did find some of the dialogue a little stilted – and that may well be because it is authentically arch 1917’s Upper Classes – but I did find myself having to reread several of the passages throughout the book, which pulled me out of the action temporarily.

All in all this is a classy, intelligent book with spooks and scares and creeps and corpses and, as such, is the perfect read for Halloween!

Thank you to Zaffre Books for my copy of A House of Ghosts and to Tracy Fenton for my spot on the tour.

"A House of Ghosts" is not easy to categorise - it seems W.C. Ryan was not sure whether he wanted to write a detective story, a gothic ghost story or a story a-la Jeeves and Wooster. Set in 1917, the narrative focuses on wartime espionage, but a parallel murder mystery gives the book an Agatha Christy feel. And yes, there are also ghosts and mediums aplenty.

Sadly, this mix of genres made it difficult for me to appreciate the book - I was looking for a gothic story and what I got was a murder mystery sprinkled with humour. And I wish it was funny.

A lot of potential but, sadly, a disappointment.

With many thanks to @NetGalley and the publisher for providing the book for free in exchange for a fair review.

It is Winter 1917 and the world has been turned upside down.

Thousands of young men have lost their lives, thousands more missing, presumed dead and equal numbers have returned home from The Great War bearing the burden of physical and mental injury. The country is cloaked in a collective grief and interest in spiritualism is on the rise.

Off the coast of England, in an old Monastery Lord and Lady Highmount have assembled an varied group of people together, hoping to contact their sons, recently killed in France.

The group includes not one but two celebrated mediums; Count Orlov, a displaced Russian, whose wife and child were killed as their boat to England fell prey to a U Boat, and Madame Feda. The gathering has also attracted the attention of intelligence officers, who have planted two agents in their midst. The mysterious ‘Donovan’, recently returned from serving in the trenches, a man not easily shaken, and Miss Kate Cartwright.

Kate too has lost her brother in the war and is attending the gathering with her parents, both desperate to contact their fallen son. Kate too is a gifted, if somewhat reluctant, spiritualist. She continually sees spirits all around her, and has inherited the FitzAubrey glass, a mirror which shows the dead and sometimes the future.

Add to the gathering a shell shocked solider, Simms, a cad of an ex-fiancé and a socialist Butler. Then top it off with a raging snow storm and the scene is set for a intriguing and dark tale. Secrets are closely guarded in all quarters and the host of the gathering appears to be enemy number one.

I have to start my reaction to this book by saying that this week has been ‘off the chart hectic’ away from all things blog and book related…

…and I still managed to devour A House of Ghosts in just over 2 nights. It is the kind of book that from the first page gets into your head, under your reading skin and just pushes you forward to the last page.

Very definitely a supernatural tale, there are spirits surrounding the narrative from the earliest chapters, this is also a murder mystery, a family saga and a story filled with intrigue.

As the story unfolds over just a short period of time the action and plot are pacy. There is a feeling of inevitability and tension right from the off. The background of the war years contributes to the feeling that people are behaving in unexpected and unconventional ways. These are unprecedented times which are challenging all members of society, whatever their background and beliefs.

Strong characters and strong emotions carry the story forward. It has a sense of purpose and place with a unique setting and a gripping storyline.

Kate is a strong female lead. Despite the challenges and grief in her life she exhibits a core of steel. She is Donavan’s intellectual equal and the novel is all the stronger for it.

This book is the perfect read for the encroaching storms and long awaited firesides of October. A truly atmospheric read.

A House of Ghosts: a ghostly whodunnit treat

As Halloween looms, A House of Ghosts is the ideal spooky treat for you all to enjoy! With murder, ghosts and just the right amount of sexual tension this is a gripping page turner. It is the perfect read as the cold, dark nights draw in.

W.C. Ryan skilfully employs the use of the classic Agatha Christie structure of a remote weekend party setting with murder mystery – yet brilliantly interweaves it with an enticing ghost story. Added into the mix is a wartime drama, espionage and the brilliant use of humour which had me storming through this historic fiction at a rapid pace.

Set during the First World War on the weekend of the 1917 Winter Solstice, Lord and Lady Highmount invite a select gathering to their remote island home, Blackwater Abbey. Along with many of the guests, the Highmount’s have tragically lost loved ones in the war. Hence the aim of the weekend is to hold a seance in the hope of communicating with their lost loved ones.

As Lord Highmount has made his fortune manufacturing weapons, he plays a key role in the war effort. But with many soldiers ill equipped for the horrific conditions on the front line, some blame Highmount for the wartime slaughter. Furthermore it appears that secret war plans have got into the hands of the enemy.

One of the guests at the party is Miss Kate Cunningham, an acquaintance of the Highmount family. However Kate has an ulterior motive for attending – she has been tasked by the Secret Service to go to the party to discover which one of the guests is a German spy. Kate also has a unique gift – she can see ghosts.

Kate is accompanied by her estranged fiance and Captain Robert Donovan, who also works for the Secret Service.

With tensions already high, a storm descends and cuts the island and its inhabitants off. The Highmounts’ and their guests are trapped. Then a murder is committed.

Full of drama and intrigue with short, snappy chapters, I raced through A House of Ghosts and loved every page. It was one of these books where I kept thinking ‘I’ll just read one more chapter‘ and before I knew it, I’d finished it!

Personally I love history and I feel I know a lot about the First World War (I’m a bit of a history buff). However A House of Ghosts introduced me to historical facts about World War 1 that I didn’t know. Yes, I found these facts unsettling, but it was really interesting and I feel people need to know about them.

I thoroughly enjoyed A House of Ghosts and really recommend it – especially if you love a good whodunnit with a bit of a twist. It’s available now, so I urge you all to read it!

Thank you to Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me to be part of the blog tour to help promote this great read. However a massive thank you to W.C. Ryan for keeping me gripped throughout.

With it being the month of Halloween what better than a nice mystery featuring spiritualists, ghosts and a strange mirror that breaches the curtain of death.
This beautiful black and gold book on opening includes a map of Blackwater Island and a great opening chapter introducing Captain Donovan. We then go on to discover he is there for a meeting with military intelligence as top secret information is finding its way into enemy hands.
At the meeting he meets Kate Cartwright, her brother is MIA and her engagement has been called off. I loved Kate, her intelligence shone from the page.
Kate is commanded to accept an invitation which she had previously declined to attend a spiritualist event contacting the dead who have been lost at war with her ex fiancé (awkward) and Donovan posing as his valet (wearing an eye patch to explain why he is not fighting in the war).
The setting of an island cut off from any help, storms, secret passages and ghostly goings on it’s easy to see why this has been compared with Agatha Christie.
This is a slow burner and more a character driven book as the action doesn’t really start until three quarters of the way through. Don’t let that put you off though as the writing is enough to hold your attention.
This is not only a tale of espionage but a great little mystery with supernatural elements .

It's 1917, Britain is embroiled in the most brutal war ever seen until this point, with grief and death casting a long shadow over the lives of many. But while the war rages on the front line, the Highmounts, owners of one of the country's biggest weapons manufacturers, are hosting a gathering of family, friends and acquaintances at their island property just off the Devon coast. It's not simply a reunion, however. The Highmounts have invited two mediums to try and contact the spirits of their recently deceased sons, casualties of the shelling and gassing of the front lines. Kate, our protagonist and an employee of the war office, is sent with Donovan, a former army officer-turned-spy, to keep an eye on proceedings. Why, she doesn't know, but with grief, desperation and the impacts of war threatening to explode the relationships of all involved in the gathering, it's only a matter of time until the cracks start to show.

The Gothic novel has seen something of a resurgence in recent years, and haunted house novels, in particular, have broken into the mainstream, buoyed by the success of books like The Silent Companions and the Haunting of Hill House TV series. With many Gothic novels, however, there's a hefty dose of ambiguity as to whether the events are psychological, supernatural or simply misdirection. That's not the case here, with the author early on making it very clear that ghosts and spirits exist and are constantly involved in the plot, and it's both refreshing and makes for a very original approach.

Kate, who has recently lost her brother to the war and is keen to see him again, is able to see these spirits, and whilst dramatic events are unfolding in the real world, there's clever asides about the way that the spirits in the room are reacting, whether they're advancing menacingly, watching with interest or pointedly ignoring the scene. It not only helps to keep the reader invested, but marks a major point of difference to other similar books and adds some brilliant colour to the world.

In a completely masochistic way, I love gothic novels because of the way they make you feel. They're totally immersive, usually rather claustrophobic, and above all, spine-chillingly creepy. Certainly, with previous haunted house novels I've had to put the book down at points, or have had to turn the light on to keep reading. With this book, while I was utterly gripped by the mystery and the characters, I was never on edge or scared. Perhaps this is better for some readers, but for me it felt slightly lacking.

The plot itself is thoroughly enjoyable, romping along at a good speed, with lots of intersecting storylines and two central mysteries which manage to converge and split at the right points and create an atmosphere ripe for a good twist or two. While the twists themselves aren't mind-blowing, they're very cleverly realised, make complete sense and offer a whole new dynamic to many of the characters you've spent 300 pages with. The climax itself is tense, revealing and explosive, leaving a fantastic conclusion to a highly enjoyable journey. My one nitpick with the plot is that a major revelation relies on a very conveniently timed eavesdropping scene, which is a real bug bear of mine. It just feels slightly lazy for an otherwise very tight, impressively-drawn plot.

I do feel there were perhaps slightly too many characters. One of the benefits of this kind of storyline with a group of people isolated in a foreboding location is that you really get to know each of the characters involved quite intimately. In this case, however, they are some characters who are purely there to make up the numbers and offer nothing to the plot, and others who are wholly underutilised. I appreciate it's sometimes necessary to have auxiliary characters, but it definitely feels like a couple could've been culled here to streamline without affecting the plot.

All in all, this is a really fantastic book, combining a brilliant plot, a rather unique take on a haunted house narrative and two fantastic mysteries that are entirely satisfying throughout. Managing to tackle heavier themes in rather commercial fiction can often be a challenge, but concepts of grief, war, pacifism and revenge are tackled with aplomb while never distracting from the pace of the plot. It's a fantastic read as the nights draw in and Halloween is nearly upon us, and one I'd wholeheartedly recommend. Here's hoping to read more from this author (and ideally with these two protagonists) again in the future.