Loved the atmosphere and feeling of this book. I felt I was there during the bombings and the tragedy. Haunting.

I’ve enjoyed Neil Spring’s books since the Ghost Hunters, but admit to being slightly disappointed here - there’s something about the modern setting and characterisation that didn’t quite ring as true as the historical elements in this and earlier books. There were a few points where I was really distracted by an event as it just wasn’t believable, but actually they did all pay off - it’s just that I misinterpreted clues as errors, so arguably that’s on me, not the author!
Spring creates a superb atmosphere as ever, so I feel rather churlish in complaining! It’s an easy read mystery with supernatural overtones - some twists are heavily foreshadowed, others are genuinely surprising, which gives a nice unpredictable nature.
Good winter read by the fire. Ideally somewhere exposed and lonely...!

Star rating has been bothering me as it’s interestingly flawed - It’s a 3/4 really, but will round up!

A Sense Of Impending Doom.....
When Lizzy moves to a remote and desolate shore side location she is hopeful of escaping her past and making a fresh start. Someone or something have other ideas. Tense, haunting suspense which maintains a sense of impending doom throughout and a well crafted tale combining past and present forces. Protagonist Lizzy isn’t all that likeable but is credible. An atmospheric and suspenseful read.

The Haunted Shore follows the main characters journey back to the childhood home on Shingle Street which she left behind many years ago, the story is told in first person through the eyes of Lizzy.

This is the first book by Neil Spring which I have read and I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed it. I liked the mystery and suspense which was enhanced by the craziness of her father’s caretaker Hazel. Unfortunately no matter how much I tried I didn’t connect with Lizzy or her brother because I found them to be self-centred and Lizzy only cared about money. I did have a little bit of respect for Lizzy at the end of the book because of the way she fought for her dad and because of what she helped to accomplish at the end. My favourite character was definitely Hazel because she was creepy, aggressive, smug and at times unstable.


The twists and turns throughout kept me on the edge of my seat, the fact that the story was inspired by dark and fascinating legends which took place at Shingle Street made it even more interesting. The ending is surprising and beautiful. This book is a chilling and suspenseful story filled with the ghosts of histories dark past.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

I do love Neil Spring books. He picks the most fascinating places to write about and whilst his books are fictional tale you never really know what the whole truth is. I mean, these places are ghostly places or ones linked to conspiracy theories etc. He's the man who wrote The Ghost Hunters which was a brilliant TV series. He picks some of the most amazing things and themes to write about and make you wonder which makes him unique.

This latest offering looks at an area in England noted for being haunted by soldiers coming ashore during the war. The story of the helper looking after the narrator's father is chilling and the rest of the characters try to work out what on earth is going on. All the while, the background of haunting ghosts flitters from page to page.

Recommended!

I have followed Neil Spring since his first book, The Ghost Hunters. It ticked all my boxes, as did his next book, The Watchers. Between ghost hunting and UFO spotting, I was hooked. Even his next book, The Lost Village, kept me wanting more, although it was a different animal to his first two.

Neil's website says he "writes psychological chillers, many of which are inspired by real events." and knowing that always add an extra dimension to my reading. The Burning House, set on the shores of Loch Ness, came next and was inspired by Jimmy Saville and a house he lived in. I found this one more tricky to get into, but nevertheless enjoyed it. What I didn't enjoy so much was the main characters, who I had trouble engaging with. And it's the same with The Haunted Shore. It's a good read, with definite touches of Susan Hill and even Lovecraft. Lots of atmosphere and tension, stormy nights, dark, cold sea and a lonely spot with a mysterious stranger. Great stuff.

But Lizzy, and her brother, I just didn't take to. Damaged goods, both, with baggage galore, they just left me cold. The book is a slow burner, no bad thing, but this pair didn't grow on me, as I'd hoped they might.

The final quarter of the book I enjoyed immensely. Good old fashioned spookiness and goings on. Revenge and retribution, all galloping along to a satisfying conclusion, worthy of James Herbert.

Overall, the book is another triumph for Neil, and will appeal to old and new readers, I'm sure. Selfishly, though, I hope he returns to "Ghost Hunters" territory next. Thanks to NetGalley, I got to read a advance copy, and I'll definitely pick up a copy of the paperback for a second reading (all of Neil's books deserve a second reading) .

After losing her job, Lizzy moves back to her childhood home to help take care of her ailing father.
Instead of the fresh start she hoped for, she has to navigate life with her father’s overbearing carer, a woman she can’t quite bring herself to trust. To make things worse, Lizzy is soon plagued by eerie visions of figures by the shore, and disembodied voices. Is she going mad, or is something sinister at play? Surely things cannot get any worse?

I’ve read several of Neil Spring’s books in the past and really enjoyed them, I was a little bit disappointed by The Haunted Shore. I think it was quite slow to start off with and the plot didn’t really grab me at first.

That said, I kept reading and I did find it much more exciting towards the end. The pace seemed to pick up a lot and there was a lot more action.

The ending was definitely unpredictable, noone could possibly guess all of the revelations and secrets, it does come together quite well in the end!

The tiny hamlet of Shingle Street sits on the Norfolk Coast overlooking the frigid North Sea and the disused military facility at Orford Ness. It is a desolate, haunted place certainly not somewhere you’d want to live.

Shingle Street was once home to Lizzy Valentine, her parents renovated a Martello Tower turning it in to home for Lizzy and elder brother Colin. Lizzy has long been away from Shingle Street, she has a good job in London, a lovely flat, a great life, that is until the day she doesn’t.

Leaving London in a hurry she seeks out her family back at Shingle Street, her dad Cliff and brother Colin still call the tower home but the tower also has a new resident, Cliff’s carer Hazel. She is a matter of fact woman and from their first meeting Lizzy instantly dislikes her, something about her put her at unease.

That uneasy feeling isn’t helped by her fathers failing health and the fact that Lizzy starts hearing and seeing things she cannot explain, the shoreline seems to be haunted with memories of something extremely sinister. Lizzy finds herself torn asunder, she has her father’s health to worry about, her brother runs away to Scotland, Hazel seems to have a hold over her father and Lizzy’s own past from London is coming back to haunt her. Shingle Street has secrets to reveal and they are not going to be at all pleasant, Lizzy is going to have to deal with whatever is coming her way.

I really enjoyed this, its not a criticism but I was expecting it to be a little bit scarier, this could be down to me reading it during the day rather than at night in the dark like I usually do however the description of some of the incidents and settings would have you reaching for the lamp switch if you where reading at night I’m sure. The setting is just perfect and I was so pleased to discover it is actually a real place, the imposing tower and the shoreline with the waves crashing in just totally nails it. I also loved the fact that Rendlesham Forest played back drop too, UFO fans may recognise the name as the location of one of the most famous UFO sightings of all time.

So to sum up this is a spooky good read set in a fantastic location with a female protagonist who feels she is slowly losing her grip on everything, you’ll want to see if she makes it to the end in one piece.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Spring has made a name for himself by tackling the odd, the unusual and the supernatural. From UFOs to ghosts and poltergeists, Spring builds character driven stories attempting to prove or disprove the case. This time, Lizzy, a young woman concerned for her father’s failing health and the strange and elusive caregiver working for him. The seaside location was supposed to give her a fresh start, but instead, she’s troubled with visions of bodies and a sea on fire. Readers looking for gore and violence need not look here, instead they will find a well crafted tale of suspense driven by both strong characters and an immersive location