A House of Ghosts

Starred review from October 1, 2019

In 1917, British armaments manufacturer Lord Highmount has lost two of his sons in World War I. He invites a number of people, including two mediums, to a gathering at Blackwater Abbey on an isolated island off the coast of Devon. He hopes to contact the ghosts of his sons. Kate Cartwright, a young woman with her own inherited ability to see ghosts, along with the mysterious Capt. Robert Donovan, attend the party at the request of the Secret Intelligence Service. The SIS suspects that a spy who stole munitions plans will be there. High seas and a dangerous storm trap everyone on the island, but it's not a ghost that cuts the telephone line or wrecks the abbey ferry. The unconventional historical mystery combines spies, ghosts, and wartime in a riveting Agatha Christie-type story that tells of the tragedy of a lost generation. VERDICT Already published in the UK, this haunting story was a finalist for the NBA Irish Book Awards Crime Fiction Book of the Year. Readers willing to accept the existence of ghosts will appreciate the atmospheric mystery, which seems designed for fans of Charles Todd's "Ian Rutledge" books.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
After a trio of well-received WWII crime novels featuring Russian Captain Alexei Korolev, Ryan goes back to WWI in a mystery that combines espionage and treason with spiritualism and ghosts. In 1917, Secret Intelligence Service staffers Kate Cartwright and Robert Donovan are dispatched, along with Kate's former fianc�, Captain Rolleston Miller-White, to Blackwater Abbey, the country home of armaments manufacturer Lord Francis Highmount on an island off the Devon coast, where their assignment is to attend s�ances during the winter solstice. Mediums Madam Feda and Count Orlov are in attendance, along with friends and family, to try to contact soldiers recently killed, including the Highmounts' two sons and Kate's brother, Arthur. Kate, who happens to possess the ability to see ghosts, and Donovan are on the lookout for spies among those gathered, since plans for secret weapons developed by Lord Highmount's company have recently turned up in Berlin. After a violent climax in the ghostly country home, there are hints of adventure ahead, with a frisson of romance, for Kate and Donovan. A promising mix of supernatural and historical thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)