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Blog Tour: The Ghost of Villa Winter by Isobel Blackthorn

 


SYNOPSIS

English psychic Clarissa Wilkinson is holidaying in the Canary Islands. Hoping to have an adventure, she boards a tour bus bound for Villa Winter, a secret Nazi base on the idyllic island of Fuerteventura.

Instead, she discovers a body in a chest and finds herself teamed up with hapless crime writer Richard Parry. What unfolds is an edge of seat mystery brimming with intrigue, as they try to unravel the clues together, and find the killer.

Setting rich with a colourful cast of characters, The Ghost of Villa Winter is a delightfully gripping read with plenty of twists and turns that will appeal to all good mystery lovers.

REVIEW

From the very beginning it feels as though Blackthorn takes you on this mysterious journey right from the word 'go'. From when we first are able to read about the interior of Villa Winter, to the spine-tingling feeling that a murderer is on the loose and they could be very close, maybe a little too close.

I think the best way to describe Villa Winter is a mix between Cluedo with Death in Paradise and for some reason, even though I have not been a great fan of either of these pieces of now pop culture, Blackthorn's writing made me want to read on. And without a doubt I am here for it. 

The thing I love most about this book is the ordinary nature of signing up to a guide tour, only to then be thrown into this great mystery and the dilemma of trying to figure out who the real culprit might be. Which I must tell you, if you get to the end, I'm not sure that many people are able to figure out exactly before it is revealed the true intentions. Even I was guessing till the very end and it was deeply shocking to realise what was really going on. I think that it made it harder to guess when everyone began pointing fingers to another person and no one really trusting one another. Everything it seemed, was open to some form of interpretation by someone else in the group. Showing that really, in the case of danger, what is truly important to some people, is to save themselves from the horrors that they are having to face and bringing it back to the concept of what it would mean to survive.

Even though there were chilling moments to this tale, Blackthorn was able to move the plot with great ease. It didn't seem forced and it made the story far more enjoyable to read. I read it in a day! Even I am impressed! I think that this is a great read for those who like mystery, but also, like myself, those who like to just escape to somewhere else (especially at this moment in time) and are open to a new genres they haven't tried yet.

RATING: **** (FOUR STARS)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Isobel Blackthorn is a prolific novelist of unique and engaging fiction. She writes across a range of genres, including gripping mysteries and dark psychological thrillers.

Isobel won the Finalist Award in the Readers' Favourite Book Awards 2020 for her novel A Prison in the Sun. Her short story 'Nothing to Declare' was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019. Isobel won a Raven Award in 2019 for her dark thriller A Legacy of Old Gran Parks. The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018.

Isobel holds a PhD in Western Esotericism from the University of Western Sydney for her ground-breaking study of the texts of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Her engagement with Alice Bailey's life and works has culminated in the biographical novel The Unlikely Occultist and the full biography Alice A. Bailey: Life and Legacy.

Isobel carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain, her former home. Four of her novels are set on the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. These standalone novels are setting rich and fall into the broad nature of travel fiction.

Isobel has led a rich and interesting life and her stories are as diverse as her experiences, the highs and lows, and the dramas. A life-long campaigner for social justice, Isobel has written, protested and leant her weight to a range of issues including asylum seekers and family violence. A Londoner originally, Isobel currently lives in rural Victoria, Australia.

BUY LINKS

Amazon: The Ghost Of Villa Winter (Canary Islands Mysteries Book 4) eBook: Blackthorn, Isobel: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

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