Not really what I expected, W.C. Ryan’s, “The Winter Guest,” rather than a ghost story is rather a reflection of Ireland after WWI and the horrors of the ‘troubles’ between IRA Catholic rebels and British Protestant loyalists.

The entire first chapter is an expository tale about the sad decline of the once grand Prendeville family that many say is cursed; their dilapidating Irish ancestral mansion; as well as a brutal attack by rebels that kills heroic daughter of the Easter Rising, Maud.

The Prendeville family is haunted many say. When one of their family members dies, the pale, white shape of a woman is seen moving silently through the mists nearby, along with a stench of rotting roses—or is it corpses—detected floating in the air nearby. However, no one really knows who this apparition is or why she appears—just that she does.

Throughout the novel it was difficult for me to keep track of which characters were on what side of the civil war because many of them are spies and double agents, including Maud’s former fiancée who is sent from Dublin to Kilcolgan to investigate her murder.

“The Winter Guest” is a meandering tale of double crosses, family intrigue, and a country in turmoil.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author W.C. Ryan, and Publisher Arcade CrimeWise Book a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

Captain Harkin goes to the Prendeville’s home to investigate the death of his finance. Maude’s death is suspicious. The family insists that the fault is the IRA and the IRA says she was still alive when they left her. Two very different stories are given and Harkin has to decide for himself who is telling the truth. The house itself is an entity that is throwing him off his path. An intriguing historical fiction story with a mystery and a touch of the supernatural. The story has excellent characters and a well thought out plot.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Skyhorse publishing, Arcade Crimewise for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I struggled to get through this one and I don't really know why. There was a lot of interesting and provoking research into this book but the pacing just dragged a bit for me. I think if I was in a different mindset, I would have enjoyed it way more.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Having greatly enjoyed The House of Ghosts, I couldn't wait to see what our next treat from William Ryan would be. The Winter Guest is set in Ireland during the Civil War, as in the previous book, the writing has it all! A bit spooky, hugely atmospheric and in this book the darkness surrounding the fighting with brother against brother, family loyalties torn apart and the English establishment still very prominent, makes for compulsive reading. This is another winner from Ryan and I know it will be a hit. Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and author for the opportunity to read and review The Winter Guest.

This was a great atmospheric mystery set in Ireland during a time period I don’t know much about, the Troubles. Our hero is sent to investigate the murder of his former fiancé and sister of his friend. Was she caught in the crossfire of a rebel attack or something else?

I liked the main character, he was haunted by what he had endured during WW1 but an honorable guy. All of the characters I felt like were fully drawn in their personalities. Kilcolgan House itself feels like a character in this story as well.

There is a supernatural touch to this story that I really liked but I include the warning for those who don’t like that in their mysteries.

I did a combination of listening to and reading this story and I thought the narrator did an excellent job.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange fir an honest review**

I have been eagerly awaiting a new book by W.C. Ryan for a while. I had hoped for a sequel to to his last book but definitely enjoyed this book. I learned a ton about Ireland and the Troubles as well as enjoying the solid mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of The Winter Guest!

Great book! Harkin is a Veteran of WWI, back in Ireland and secretly involved in the resistance against the British. One night, he manages to escape a close call, convinced that a dear friend somehow was able to help. But, he discovers she has been murdered when he is asked to help investigate the crime. I do not know much about the "troubles" and found that aspect of the story fascinating. The crumbling manor house that may or may not be inhabited by spirits also pulled me in.

I had high hopes with this book, historical, Gothic, Ghostly…..sounded perfect for me.
The author created an eerie atmosphere and was extremely descriptive with the surrounding lands.
It started off promising, but it was just a bit too slow, a bit too drawn out. There wasn’t enough to hold my interest.
I did finish it but it was more because I felt I had too rather than wanting to.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

This was a wonderful whodunit set during the Troubles in Ireland in the 1920s. Through one town and one family, you see the complexities of that time period and its effects on everyone involved. The sleuth is still shellshocked from his time in the trenches, and is battling through his PTSD to solve the death of his former fiancé. The premise was fascinating and well-executed. The house itself with its slight touch of the supernatural added a lot to the narrative. The cat and mouse game between all of the different players involved kept me turning page after page and not wanting to go to sleep until I was done.

A fantastic mystery, and one I will be recommending quite a bit. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this interesting, gothic-tinged historical mystery. I am not overly familiar with this historical era, Ireland after WWI during its Civil War, so I enjoyed learning about this era while also being invested in the mystery.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the author really set the eerie atmosphere with the house and land. I just wish there would have more ghosts in this story. There were a few references to ghosts throughout the story and a couple sightings, but with the creepy atmosphere of the book more would have been appreciated. I liked the history within this book and learning about the uprisings in Ireland, which I did not know much about. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I really really tried with this one. I’m a big history nerd, so this book sounded like the perfect fit. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish this book. It was just very slow and drawn out. I couldn’t get into it at all. Thank you for the opportunity to read this though!

Tom Harkin is haunted, haunted by the recent war, haunted by those who died, and by those he left behind. One of those is Maud Prendeville, once his future wife, and now, a victim of an ambush that Tom is sent to investigate.

WWI has been over for three years, but the "rebels" are fighting for their freedom from a different oppressor, in "The Winter Guest," set in the Ireland during the Troubles. Tom is ostensibly an insurance investigator, but he has multiple roles to play. He finds out that he's not alone in the game, and not knowing whom to trust will cost him his life, possibly at the hands of his countrymen.

The book was very enjoyable, although I did expect a bit more on the ghostly side, having read Ryan's "A House of Ghosts." "Winter Guest" has the same great description of the environs, the people, and the relationships between them. It's necessarily a bit grimmer than his other book, but every bit as enjoyable. The characters are well-drawn and, even when you know what's going to happen next, may still surprise you.

I was provided an advance reader copy by Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

4 out of 5 stars

On a cold January night an IRA ambush goes terribly wrong when Lord Kilcolgan's daughter is murdered. Though the column admits to being involved with the attack they steadfastly insist that they aren't responsible for Maud's death. She was alive when they left. Dispatched to investigate her death, Captain Tom Harkin is all too familiar with the Prendeville family having served with their sons in the Great War and at one time being engaged to Maud. Now it's up to Tom to uncover the truth about the night Maud was killed, having to navigate all of the secrets being kept and the ghosts from his past coming back to haunt him. I was so eager to read "The Winter Guest" having absolutely loved another of this author's books. The promise of another spooky read based on the blurb was shut down a bit when that element of the story largely took a backseat to politics of the era. Though the story was well written and I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoys Historical Fiction/Crime genre I still place Ryan's "A House of Ghosts" at the top of my list of his work. A good read but not really one for spooky season.

Former Army Captain Tom Harkin survived World War I damaged in mind and spirit only to return to an Ireland still wracked by active war. Many thought they would win Home Rule in the trenches of Europe, now the IRA fight guerrilla war against the English daily on Irish soil. When Tom, now an IRA intelligence officer, hears that his former fiancee Maud Prendeville was murdered in an IRA ambush gone wrong just outside her own home, he agrees to go to her funeral and investigate. But no one wants him asking questions: not the family living in the crumbling mansion; not the IRA, who claim they killed two of the people in the car but left Maud alive; and definitely not the English 'police' who are blaming the IRA for all the deaths. Amid family secrets and political secrets, fears, and ghosts both real and psychological, Harkin must tread carefully to protect his own secrets and try to uncover the truth behind Maud's death.

Tom Harkin is both likable and highly sympathetic main character. His flashbacks and PTSD are heartbreaking, his desire to find the truth behind Maud's death despite the danger to his own life is commendable, and his honesty in acknowledging that he doesn't really know how to investigate murder, especially in his condition, is refreshing for an amateur detective. The atmosphere is a constant presence without being too heavy handed: the grey skies, bleakness and rundown nature of the landscape are a perfect mirror for the Troubles the Irish people are living through, just as the crumbling Kilgolan house mirrors the family living in it.

I was lucky enough to discover W.C. Ryan's first book, House of Ghosts, when it first came out and I've been watching for a new Ryan book ever since. And finally, one has arrived! While very different from House of Ghosts, readers won't be disappointed: Ryan has once again combined elements of psychological suspense with postwar trauma, and a touch of the supernatural to create an engrossing and compelling murder mystery. Readers who don't want the supernatural with their murders won't find the ghost aspect overwhelming and those who do like it will find the ghosts add just an edge of supernatural atmosphere to an already atmospheric story.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Winter Guest is the 2nd book I have read by W. C. Ryan. The book starts with an ambush outside an Irish estate where Maude Prendeville is murdered, supposedly by the IRA, but as someone who was a sympathizer to the IRA cause, this seems unlikely and the IRA is quick to deny killing her. Her fiance Tom Harkin is tasked with going to her family estate of Kilcolgan to investigate. Tom has his own demons leftover from fighting in WWI that may be clouding his judgement and there is a supernatural tint to the house and the investigation. Will Tom be able to solve the murder of his fiance?

I enjoyed the time period and the back history of the IRA and the troubles, the supernatural element was subtle and fit into the story well.

Thanks to Netgalley, Skyhorse Publishing and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

In an IRA ambush, Maud Prendeville survived the attack. Recognized for her part in the 1916 uprising, the attackers made her comfortable and left her to recover. Moments later a gunshot rang out and Maud was dead. The IRA denies their responsibility but the police count her a victim of the attack. Tom Harkin, Maud’s former fiancée, is an IRA intelligence agent who is sent to investigate. He arrives from Dublin at the Prendeville estate for Maud’s funeral under the guise of an insurance investigator.

W.C. Ryan sets The Winter Guest in 1921, the time of the Troubles. Harkin had served as an officer in WWI with Maud’s brother Billy. Still trying to cope with the effects of his wartime experiences, he often suffers with visions of his fallen men, making him physically ill. The Prendeville estate itself has fallen on hard times and the neglect is evident as he arrives. The village and surrounding areas are filled with troops sent to put down the Irish rebellion. They are led by Major Abercrombie, who will take any measures to stop the rebels. Tom often sees the smoke from destroyed homes of suspected IRA members. He knows that he is in danger if his true identity is discovered, but he is determined to find Maud’s killer.

Even though Maud is dead, her presence is felt throughout the story. Tom senses her perfume and presence at the time of her death even though he is miles away. He also sees her in her room at the estate. Ryan reveals clues to her murder that lead Harkin to believe that he has found her killer, but those same clues could also point in a totally different direction. This is an atmospheric mystery that brings the period of the Troubles to life and allows the reader to experience this turbulent period of history. It is a mystery that will stay with you long after the story has ended. I would like to thank NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for providing this book for my review.

Was unable to connect with the characters, which made getting through difficult. I did make it through and it was very well written.

Murder during The Troubles!

Ireland after the first World War. It’s 1921. The IRA has murdered one of their own, a woman, the Honourable Maud Prendeville, a hero of the Easter Uprising.
Captain Tom Harkin has been sent by the IRA’s top people to investigate. Firstly because he had been engaged to Maud, and because he was once a secretary to Maud’s uncle, John Prendeville, who also is supplying a shipment of guns to the IRA. There was a legitimate insurance policy taken out for Maud which needs legally to be investigated. That would be his cover. He’d also received a telegram from Maud’s brother Billy asking him to come to Kilcolgon House.
His investigations lead him to make contact with a man who’s his opposite with the British Army, a man who was secretly associated with Maud, Major Hugo Vane.
The man leading the British Auxilary Forces forces stationed in the district is Major Abercrombie. A harsh, sadistic leader who’d already had complaints about his behavior reportedly by District Inspector Teevan, a victim in the attack alongside Maud.
Hardin has trouble separating his experiences in the trenches at the Somme. They dog his footsteps. He’s haunted by ghosts. Ominously, he sees the White Lady, an apparition who reputably appears whenever a Prendeville is about to die.
The brutality of the times, of Irishman pitted against the Irishmen, against the British, fighting for freedom and self determination is not to be underestimated.
A convoluted haunting tale, startling and engaging. A curious tale of murder mixed in with the atrocities that were part of the Troubles. Hard to look away from and hard to put down.

A Skyhorse Arcade ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

While I enjoyed the historical aspects of this story it was a little slow and perhaps overly descriptive in the beginning making it difficult to get into right away. Sticking with it was worth it, however, a wonderful spooky thriller for long winter evenings.