Cover Image: A House of Ghosts

A House of Ghosts

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With England deep into the First World War, the Highmounts, like many other families, are reeling from the loss of their two sons. Wishing to hear from them one more time, Lord & Lady Highmount have invited a specially selected group of people to their isolated island off the coast of Devon for a unique gathering. Their home, Blackwater Abbey is unlike any place you have been before. The estate is known to be haunted by ghosts from long ago, a setting perfect for the weekend's planned seances. Kate Cartwright, a long time friend of the family has been convinced to accept her invitation to attend by her boss in the intelligence service. Accompanying her will be another member of the military, undercover as a manservant. Plans for top secret weapons designed by Lord Highmount's company have fallen into the German's hands and Kate's boss believes that the guilty party will be in attendance this weekend. Kate and Donovan have been tasked to figure out who has betrayed their country. The mediums the Highmounts have hired for the seance aren't the only ones that are able to contact the spirit world. Kate has a secret gift of her own, one that will come in handy as she attempts to solve the mysteries that Blackwater holds within its walls. W.C. Ryan has written an absolute page-turner! A murder-mystery at its core, "A House of Ghosts", is told from multi-POVs so the reader doesn't miss a beat of what is happening while the living are stranded for the weekend in the company of the dead. Be sure to pick up a copy when this book is released on October 1, 2019. A must read for all suspense/mystery fans! A big thanks to Netgalley and Arcade for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of A House Of Ghosts!
I’ve just recently learned in the past few months that I am a sucker for books in this genre, so of course I had to read this. While Ryan weaves a world all his own and brings his characters to life in his own way, I still felt as if I was reading things from a mashup of different authors (which may be my fault for reading so many different books of this genre back to back then starting this one). However, I did enjoy the book. It was worth the read and enjoyable.

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This was an interesting mashup of genres: Gothic meets cozy mystery meets spy thriller. It sounds convoluted, but Ryan actually meshed all these things well to create an interesting story.

Despite employing loads of gothic tropes, the book is low on the creepiness factor and is more of a cozy mystery in tone and structure.

The “spy” element feels a bit separate from the other plot threads. It was a little tough to reconcile WWI espionage with a bunch of benevolent but occupying ghosts, but the pieces eventually come together in a fairly satisfactory manor.

I didn’t love the solve and felt that the book could have used more atmosphere (particularly that which employs the Creepy Old House element of the story), but its an entertaining read and certainly a unique blending of genres in a way that worked better than one might expect.

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I am not a fan of historical mysteries. Or ghost mysteries. Or anything to do with WWI really. All of which are part of A House of Ghosts. And I loved it. Reminiscent of the best of Agatha Christie, but fresh. One of the main characters is a strong, modern female; but modern for her time, not modern for ours, an anachronism that too many authors today seem to fall prey to. There are ghosts and spies and ghosts and above stairs and below stairs. With a satisfying mystery to boot. All in all, a delightful read. Call it 4.5 stars.

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Winter 1917. The middle of World War I. A group of people show up at an isolated mansion to take part in a seance intended to contact their dead relatives, many of whom are presumed dead from the war. But soon people are being attacked and someone winds up dead. Are the many spirits who inhabit the mansion to blame? Or is the real culprit composed of flesh and blood?

I loved this book! It's a good, old-fashioned, slow-burn murder mystery / ghost story. I say slow-burn not to imply that the story moves slowly, but that the author deftly increase the sense of dread a bit at a time. Not with big scares, but with a steady undercurrent of creepiness, until you start to feel as if you're trapped on the island with the characters in the book. I'm not a big fan of historical fiction but this book pulled me right in and I could not put it down. The ghosts in this book are characters unto themselves, and presented in a way I've not seen done before. Typically, in novels, ghosts are either presented as scary or trying to help. In this book, however, the ghosts are neither. Most are simply curious, observing the living and inexplicably drawn to scenes of tension and violence. But their presence in the background of many of the scenes is effective and VERY creepy!

An added bonus: There was no sex, extreme violence, or even cursing (not enough that I noticed, at least). That's practically unheard of in contemporary, mainstream fiction, and it was a breath of fresh air for readers like myself who are sick of writers packing their books full of rubbish because they think "that's what sells." The author is such a good writer that he doesn't have to rely on any of those tired old tropes just to make sales. I wasn't familiar with any of W.C. Ryan's other works prior to reading A House of Ghosts, but I was very impressed with his writing and would absolutely read more books by him in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

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Creepy, atmospheric A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan is the perfect book for fans of historical fiction with a supernatural element.

Here’s what you need to know:

Winter 1917. As the First World War enters its most brutal phase, back home in England, everyone is seeking answers to the darkness that has seeped into their lives.
At Blackwater Abbey, on an island off the Devon coast, Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering to contact his two sons who were lost in the conflict. But as his guests begin to arrive, it gradually becomes clear that each has something they would rather keep hidden. Then, when a storm descends on the island, the guests will find themselves trapped. Soon one of their number will die. For Blackwater Abbey is haunted in more ways than one . . .
An unrelentingly gripping mystery packed with twists and turns, A House of Ghosts is the perfect chilling read next winter.

This crime story appealed to me right away because I always love the idea of a remote setting with a group of people, one of which may or may not be a killer, kind of like an Agatha Christie type scenario.

I enjoy historical crime drama and I think you will too!

Due out on October 4.

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I love ghosts. Point blank period but good ghost stories are hard to find and unfortunately this was the case of that. The story dragged and I found myself drifting while reading. It has more crime elements than haunted which also probably contributed to me not liking it as much.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

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I am very into ghost stories. I am also very particular about them, and this author did a wonderful job with this one. Very Agatha Christie like which a paranormal twist. This book does not dance around with the fact that ghosts exist. It is very real in this story and I really enjoyed that. I enjoyed the atmosphere that W.C Ryan set up and how he kept the mystery alive in this one.

*Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan, William Ryan is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. This book features a haunted house and it does have plenty of ghosts but the main story is the many mysteries! The ghosts are just there and watch the show! Lol! There is an island just off the mainland and several people are invited. It's a big mansion and the year is 1917. Miss Cartwright is asked to come with her fiance but she has called off the wedding so is asked to go with Mr Donavan. They both work for C, a secret organization for the war dept.
Everyone at the house has there own reasons for being there. There is also supposed to be a famous psychic doing a seance at some point.
The author really sets the atmosphere for the year, (speach, styles, war related themes, etc), and mysterious mansion.
I love that two of the ones that arrive at the mansion can really see ghosts but one pretends not to. Also lots of many fascinating and curious mysteries happen and they just keep piling on before anyone can solve one, another happens!
I like the simple and charming romance that starts to bud between Donavan and Cartwright!
Although I hoped for a good scary haunting book when I picked this book, I am glad it is just like it is! The evil was the living and the harmless ghosts enjoyed the show

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ghosts, paranormal, war-is-hell, WW2, murder, England, fraud, military-intelligence, romantic *****

It was a dark and stormy winter solstice in 1917 on the island off the Devon coast.
Despite all the ghosts, it's all very business-like til the last quarter when a bit of romance wriggles in. Kate is rescued from an important but boring job in decoding by the head of a rather sketchy government department and told to rescind both her invitation regrets and her recently dropped fiance to join her parents and attend a house party/séance in hope of reassurance regarding those missing in action in France. Kate knows she can see ghosts and things but it's not spoken of. Despite the evil winter storm there are several people there for the séance as well as another undercover person. The mansion was once an abbey, and the hidden passages figure highly in this twisty plot full of red herrings. I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Skyhorse Publishing/Arcade via NetGalley. Thank you!

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This is a very interesting story. The style of writing is a little unusual since it feels as though it were written during world war one. The story takes place during world war one at the home of a munitions manufacturer. A group of people are gathered on the pretense that they are attempting to communicate with family members that are missing and presumed dead during the war. Some of the members at the gathering may actually be spies. The government sends in an agent along with a family member of the group that can see ghosts to infiltrate the group and attempt to find the spy. This is a spy mystery romance ghost story that takes place on an island in a house full of ghosts. Nicely written story with the possibility for a series.

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I enjoyed this book and had a difficult time putting it down. It's very Agatha Christie like in regards to the setting and the murder mystery, but I enjoyed the added spiritual element as well. The story was sexy and smart in all the right places. I look forward to having more Kate and Donovan in my life.

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A House Of Ghost by W.C. Ryan, is a interesting story that pulls the riveted reader in, and holds their attention to the very last page !
Great chemistry between protagonist.
4 Stars !


I received this ARC through Netgally for a honest review.

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OK, so I read a Christmas book before Christmas, and I don't care what anybody says. Ryan is always worth reading, and the ghosts have a lot to be said for themselves. I would love to hear this read by a good actor.

Ryan is also the author of a series of Russian settings. He has a great gift for making readers remember who said what to whom, and where, and why. Come November I'm going to read it again and see what I've missed.

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My favorite aspect of this book is the assumption that ghosts do exist. There is no dancing around whether what the characters are experiencing could indeed be ghosts or not. It is understood that they are surrounded by ghosts, and it is both exciting and terrifying. I found the two main characters extremely likable, and I was rooting for them until the end. While I felt that some conversations were repetitive and the pace could have been a bit faster, the story was full of surprises and I enjoyed the book overall.

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If the blurb doesn’t get you itching to take a sneak peek at the first chapter then I hope this review will.

Firstly, it’s a brilliant murder mystery with a lot of emphasis on mystery – and to top it off with ghosts, well, don’t put too much expectation into the latter bit. Being biased and having read way too many Cliff Barker novels, I often make the mistake of putting unnecessary hype on a name and not really paying that much attention to the blurb the authors write up.

Even if the ghosts merely act as decoration in the novel and serve convenient plot points by enhancing certain moments or situations, I would really commend Ryan for putting so much focus on the gravitas of the story’s setting and the ominous atmosphere which heavily occupies almost every chapter. This is a perfect example of a character study as he expertly acquaints the reader with every characters inner thoughts and intentions, especially when he keeps concealing every idea I had of who the final culprit of this intricate puzzle might be.

If I was surprised in not reading about malicious ghosts actively getting involved with the living (Jonathan Janz does this in a fantastic way) or poltergeists not making in appearance in a house with such a deep history, then I’m absolutely pleased to declare that Ryan more than made up for this slight absence.

After all, I don’t think a writer of his skill would try and copy a current idea in the vain hope of rewriting it to resemble something original when in fact ripping off others is such a common thing in the creative industry.

Ryan also keeps us well-informed about all of the subplots and the affairs of the outside world as (I became so riveted in this book that I actually forgot about it at times) the setting of the story is still in the thick of things with various war efforts, espionage, and double agents. Using clever dialogue and dropping tidbits of information here and there, this is an author who doesn’t leave his reader in the dark.

That said, you can add A House of Ghosts to your mental list of you’re looking for a great read on a cold day or, even better, if you really want to treat yourself to a fantastic book.

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This was a good mystery with supernatural elements thrown in also. There is a large creepy house which is supposedly haunted, and atrocious weather to be had. I loved the characters of Kate and Donovan and hope there are more adventures to come for them.
Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel. Excellent writing and enjoyable characters with a little history and espionage. A good time.

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I enjoyed this book. It's not the type I usually read, but I was hooked from the beginning. I would definitely recommend it to others.

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One would expect that a book called "House of Ghosts" would be about, y'know, ghosts. The house is, in fact, filled with ghosts, but they actually don't matter to the story even a little bit. Instead, this is a locked-room mystery where we need to figure out which of the guests is a would-be killer and why that person has it in for several others in the house.

There's a lot of confusion and pointing fingers. The story isn't that compelling and the book drags on unnecessarily.

Via NetGalley.

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