The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James on October 4, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Historical, Fiction / Thrillers / Supernatural, Fiction / Women
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
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“I don’t have an opinion about ghosts. It’s people I don’t believe in, I suppose.”
1920s England. Sarah Piper’s lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist an obsessed ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis, rich, handsome, and scarred by World War I, has been summoned to investigate the spirit of the nineteen-year-old maid Maddy Clare, who is said to haunt the barn where she committed suicide. Maddy hated men in life, and she will not speak to them in death. But Sarah is unprepared to confront an angry ghost, real or imagined, on her own. She’s even less prepared for the arrival of Alistair’s associate, rough, unsettling Matthew Ryder, also a veteran of the trenches, whose scars go deeper than Sarah can reach. Soon, Sarah is caught up in a desperate struggle. For Maddy’s ghost is no hoax, she’s real, she’s angry, and she has powers that defy all reason. Now, Sarah and Matthew must discover who Maddy was, where she came from, and what is driving her desire for vengeance, before she destroys them all….
I’ve read better, but I’ve also read much, much worse, and overall my experience with this novel is a positive one. I enjoyed this book and can think of no better way to spend an afternoon if you’re looking for a quick, engaging historical novel with an effective ghost story. The only thing that didn’t work for me was the uncomfortable romance, but I don’t think that’s enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel. I also felt that this one was missing something that the other book of hers that I read had. But as always, I still loved the characters, the atmosphere and the plot. The plot was a little slower moving than normal. But I think that really built up the tension and added more to the eerie atmosphere. Although this wasn’t my favorite, it’s still a really good book and would recommend it!
I gave this novel a three star rating. In the end the best I could say is: I’ve read better, I’ve read worse. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, I know, but that’s that.