This is a gripping, eerie tale for readers who love their thrillers infused with both spectral dread and emotional resonance. The story is set to a good pace with the main characters fighting against time as they gradually realize what must be done to restore peace and dignity to the lost souls of Scapa Flow. I loved the writing style and the story. I loved the historical part. I thought the storyline worked well, even if there were a lot of characters to juggle, however the pacing was a little uneven at times & it was odd how the suggestion of a haunting was actually believed by so many with relatively little pushback.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

Two American divers hire a Scottish boat captain with sketchy morals to take them to the site of HMS Vanguard so they can illegally dive on the war memorial site. While on the wreck, they pilfer three mess plates and bring them to the surface. Weird occurrences soon plague anyone who possesses a plate. Puddles of saltwater, wet footprints and the smell of sea brine abound. What starts as ghostly nuisances escalates to murder when the apparitions aren’t taken seriously.

Souls of Scapa Flow starts out well enough, but soon trips over itself, and the ending leaves you scratching your head. Apparently, the ghosts from the WWI wreck want their plates back. Why? No clue. Why can two museums have other artifacts from the wreckage, but possession of the plates is their deal breaker? Again, never answered. Without solid answers, all we’re left with is the ghost must be pissed off about the immorality of taking items from a grave. It’s too bad. The writing is solid enough to keep you turning the pages, but it all starts to get very cliche. And without a point, you’re just left feeling meh.

2.5 Cursed Relics out of 5

I highly enjoy books based on an actual place. It kept my interest. There is repetition which seems redundant. There was some slow spots, but the overall story was great.

A nicely moody read as the nights draw close. The spooky ghost aspects never veer into intense horror, and the morality is quite uncomplicated. This isn't breaking any moulds, and that's fine. The pacing needed polishing, though, and an editor's attention to the repetitive "show, then tell the same again when someone interacts with someone else" would have been welcome. It doesn't feel self published, but also doesn't feel far off. Still, a promising start!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to a time-limited e-ARC.

Souls of Scapa Flow
by S.D. Read.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the cover and blurb of this book. It looked spooky. I loved if you take what isn't yours there's always a price to pay. I requested it just from that and the cover. I loved the writing style and the story. I loved the historical part. Especially when something is true. It shows it was well researched. I do recommend this book.

Near the Orkney Islands off the mainland Scottish coast, two divers pay a local to take them out to the area where the HMS Vanguard, a WWI ship which exploded taking almost all those onboard with it, lies. It has been designated a war grave & is therefore off limits to divers, but whilst illegally exploring the wreck one of them uncovers several plates from the ship's mess (canteen) & thinking they could be worth something, he takes 3 of them. As the plates pass from one person to another, the people are haunted by the ghostly presence of a sailor & these hauntings ramp up until a tragedy occurs. The group which includes a priest, a medium, & a deliverance minister work together to lay the spirits to rest.

There were several things I really liked about this one, especially the historical aspect (what happened to HMS Vanguard really did happen & there is a short piece about it at the end of the book), & the setting. I've always wanted to visit the Orkney Islands particularly to see Skara Brae - the prehistoric site - which makes a brief appearance here & it's made me want to visit even more. I thought the storyline worked well, even if there were a lot of characters to juggle, however the pacing was a little uneven at times & it was odd how the suggestion of a haunting was actually believed by so many with relatively little pushback. Overall it was an interesting read & I'd definitely read more of the author's work. 3.75 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, The Book Guild, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Souls of Scapa Flow is a hauntingly atmospheric thriller that lingers long after the final page. S.D. Read takes the storm-lashed beauty of Orkney and sets it against the chaos of Manhattan, weaving a tale where history refuses to stay buried.

The novel begins with a reckless act—two divers disturbing the wreck of HMS Vanguard, a WWI war grave—and from that moment, the story pulses with unease. The cursed relics pass through unsuspecting hands, each encounter escalating the supernatural menace. What makes the book compelling is not just the ghostly terror, but the human struggle: a haunted priest, a blunt medium, and a deliverance minister forced to confront forces beyond their control.

Read’s prose balances pace with atmosphere, capturing both the salt-stung isolation of Orkney and the frenetic energy of Manhattan. Beneath the chills lies a deeper meditation on guilt, redemption, and the weight of history—reminding us that the past is never truly silent.

This is a gripping, eerie tale for readers who love their thrillers infused with both spectral dread and emotional resonance.

With thanks to SD Read, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

First time reading this author, and if this is his debut novel, it shows: this is a sweet, cozy ghost story, told in bland, crystal clear prose, where everything is explicitly stated, the same information given every time someone learns of it (even if the reader is already aware of it), and, perhaps most irritating of all, the supernatural is taken for granted right from the start, as if it were part of nature. The story flows easily, repetitions aside, and the premise is charming, though a bit funny and not all that original: a couple of 'mess plates' are stolen from a underwater WWI war grave by a thoughtless and arrogant American diver, a theft which gives rise to spectral presences bent on revenge - in other words, ghosts haunt anyone who gets the plates, since the whole issue is getting the plates back! The cast is large, the Scottish setting captured very well, and the characterization decent - but the pacing is very uneven, very slow in the beginning, too slow in the middle, and way too fast in the last third. In fact, this story might easily have been a novella, with several scenes and characters simply cut. There's also an emphasis on Christianity that I did not expect. Ultimately, the strongest point of the book may be its connection with the "real facts" advertised on the cover: the HMS Vanguard - namely, the aforementioned WWI war grave resting beneath Scapa Flow in Orkney - is portrayed in fascinating detail, and the author appends a list of further reading for those interested.

Thank you to the author for a free digital copy to read and willingly review.