The Wounded Thorn

Hilary has just retired from teaching, but she’s having a hard time relaxing with her husband volunteering in Gaza. To take her mind off the danger he’s in, she decides to explore the historical sites as Glastonbury with her friend Veronica. But there delight turns to dismay, then horror when they find one site defaced and an abandoned bag that contains a bomb

This books tells the tale of two women who are looking for a spiritual relaxing break to take their mind of the loss of one of their husbands and absence of another who is working overseas in a wartorn country.  The story does develop quite quickly and it becomes a whodunnit following a series of tragedies that happen close to them turning them in to Miss Marples as they decide that they need to find out what has happened and who was responsible.  I did find the story enjoyable but the main characters did start to grate on me part way through, but I persisted and was back liking them at the end.  Its an easy read.  I received a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author Fay Sampson has done a marvelous job of familiarizing readers with the religious sites centering around Glastonbury. If this first novel in a new series is any indication of how thoroughly informed readers will become with historical sites around Britain, we are in for a series of treats.

I enjoy reading mystery novels which feature slightly older main characters. Here the women are in their late fifties or early sixties which seems to lend them an air of level-headedness so they aren't forever rushing off into danger just because they can't sit still for a moment. The two women nicely balance each other from a personality standpoint with neither being so dominant that the other can't be seen as a normal, regular person you might know and enjoy talking to. I liked that. The author wasn't afraid to allow her characters to show some religious bias which stemmed from not fully understanding the motives of a character. When a rucksack was found on the site of the Chalice Well these two women found themselves embroiled in the mystery of who could have placed it there and why they wanted to do so. This was an enjoyable first novel in this new series and I look forward to reading more books by Fay Sampson in the future.

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

The two main characters, Hilary and Veronica,  (two old friends of mature years),  have for personal reasons decided to take a break together visiting the historical religious sites in Glastonbury.  Very early on they find the religious site of the “Glastonbury Thorn” vandalised and a suspicious object at another – the  Chalice well. This sets off a chain of events with several suspects to choose from and moves throughout  at a good pace.
The style of writing is elegant and convincing.  It reminded me a little of the TV series “Rosemary and Thyme”.   However this has a lot more bite to it and is thought provoking with the theme of religion, how people can be quick to make assumptions and how crowd mentality can harmfully influence individual thoughts.
In the preface the Author tells us that Glastonbury is “well worth a visit”.  Through both the narrative and dialogue she deftly conveys information of the religious sites and history which does make the reader interested to see for themselves.
This novel is a pleasure for readers who enjoy murder mystery mixed both with history and modern day issues.
Thank you to Severn House Publishers & Netgalley for the opportunity to read “A Wounded Thorn”.

Hilary has just recently retired and her husband is volunteering in Gaza.  She decides to take a sight-seeing trip with her friend, Veronica, who has just lost her husband.  It will give them both an opportunity to see new sights, meet new people, and think of things other than their troubles.  What they didn't expect was to have trouble follow them around in Glastonbury.

Severn House Publishers and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published June 1st, so check for copy then.

While these two women are friends, they are very different from each other.  Their personalities will clash before this trip is over.  The friendship remains the same, though.  That's just how life is.

The first place they visit, they find a suspicious looking backpack by the the main attraction.  When Hilary calls it in, they find that it was a bomb and people could have been hurt.  This is just their first encounter with the police.  Hilary soon gets in trouble for asking too many questions and attempting to find the bomber on her own.  She also finds her picture in the newspapers and on TV, which doesn't make her happy.

As another bomb goes off and a young Muslin woman is killed, the stakes are getting higher for the police.  The woman cop doesn't appreciate their interference but the male is willing to listen.  And both ladies get in trouble with their families and are told to go home now.  They just keep waiting one for one day, and then another, and then...

There was more than one criminal involved and the actual murderer surprised me.  Let me know if you saw the ending coming.  I didn't until until the very last few pages.

Hilary and her friend Veronica are off to vacation in Glastonbury, the famed, sacred site where it is believed King Arthur and Guinevere were buried, where the Isle of Avalon existed, where ancient Celtic Churches were founded and where danger lurks for our two main characters.  A place like Glastonbury is a place that attracts not only sincere, curious, educated and sincere tourists but also some people who can best be described as “strange.”  Yes, there are New Age followers, staunch Christians, Muslims, and other individuals one would expect in any tourist spot in the world, but some of the characters in this story are “colorful” to say the least.
Hilary and Veronica on their first day of visiting the are run into a Muslim woman dressed in tradition burka, a gentleman who dresses more like a court jester than a 21st century male visitor, and a deeply conservative man who promises curses and damnation for all those who are not Christian.  His intolerance gives him an apoplectic look that actually frightens Hilary and Veronica.  But their shock at this person is nothing compared with what is to follow.  Without spoiling the story, the reader will be flipping the pages as Hilary and Veronica explore a potential bomb plant, a devastating bomb explosion and a shocking murder.  It’s these two spunky ladies who are always two steps ahead of the police and detectives in their slow but precise investigation.  The plot is complex, several characters are the targets of our heroines’ search, and the conclusion is so staggering the reader could never imagine it all coming to pass as it does.  Suffice to say that the need for attention in several characters runs over the top and the author challenges all who would stereotype certain characters to task for their erroneous thinking.   In a world where terrorism on the national and international levels seems always looming, this novel explores the issue with its ambiguous, complex and deeply frightening complexities.  “If you see something, report it,” becomes much more than just a nice platitude in this cleverly crafted mystery thriller.  Nicely done, Ms. Sampson!