'A House of Ghosts' by W.C. Ryan is a historical mystery set during the winter of 1917 at Blackwater Abbey, the residence of arms manufacturer Francis Highmount. The story revolves around a house party gathering on an island where guests attempt to contact the spirits of Highmount's two deceased sons who died during the war. Among the guests are undercover intelligence agents, a former fiancée, a psychic, and a mix of paranormal mystery, spy thriller, and historical novel elements. The plot unfolds with secrets, espionage, hidden passages, and a touch of romance between the main characters, Kate Cartwright and Captain Donovan, while ghosts play a significant role in the atmospheric setting of the haunted mansion.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of war trauma, murder, and emotional distress stemming from the loss of loved ones.
Has Romance?
While there is a budding romance between Kate and Donovan, it is not the central focus, but rather a subplot.
From The Publisher:
Finalist for the Irish Book Award for Crime Fiction Book of the Year, a Classic Cozy Big-House Mystery Haunted by the Specters of World War One-For Readers of Agatha Christie and Simone St. James
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, armaments manufacturer Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering to contact his two sons, both of whom died at the front.
Among the guests, two have been secretly dispatched from the intelligence service: Kate Cartwright, a friend of the family who lost her beloved brother at the Somme and who, in the realm of the spiritual, has her own special gift; and the mysterious Captain Donovan, recently returned from Europe. Top secret plans for weapons developed by Lord Highmount's company have turned up in Berlin, and there is reason to believe enemy spies will be in attendance. As the guests arrive, it becomes clear that each has something they would rather keep hidden. Then, when a storm descends, they find themselves trapped on the island. Soon one of their number will die. For Blackwater Abbey is haunted in more ways than one . . . .
An unrelenting, gripping mystery, packed with twists and turns and a kindling of romance, A House of Ghosts is the perfect cold-weather read.
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