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

FOLLOW THE BLOG TOUR

Just the Two of Us (Book 2) by Ryu Hyang

SYNOPSIS Soohyuk, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist, came to Korea in search of his birth parents, wanting to sort through the muddled darkness of his past. When he met Yuna, an anxious cook, he didn't expect to fall in love. Yuna has struggled all her life to trust men after an incident in her past and spends all her time doting upon her nephew and pursuing her one true love: cooking. The last thing she expected when she met Soohyuk was that she would want to move in with him. Both took a leap of faith and found happiness. Now, it seems certain they were meant for each other. Yet, navigating the twists and turns of a real relationship proves more difficult than either of them expected. Yuna fears what her brother will say when he finds out she's living with Soohyuk. and she grapples with the changes brought on by her young nephew's recent medical diagnosis. Meanwhile, Soohyuk is tied up working hours on end at S University Hospital, fending off the hospital direc...

Blog Tour: The Beast Hunters Dark Sovereign by Christer Lende

REVIEW So we are back in the world of the Beast Hunters for a sophomore instalment where we see Ara, Khendric and Topper back on another adventure. But this time with a difference. Instead of the world building from the previous book, we get to delve into a mystery with darkness starting to make pace in the background. We meet new characters, some good and some not so much. Not only do we have the overarching themes of beasts but also political intrigue and secretive plots. It is far more intricate than the previous instalment where the characters are making decisive and confident choices. Especially for our fave apprentice, Ara. If you want to get away from the current world affairs, this book will serve as an escape from reality. What these last two books do remind me of however, is a tv show. Why I say this is because it felt kind of episodic but they both have reinvented themselves with different themes. I found this to be quite good actually. This is because it feels l...

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I know that this has been a review which has been a long time in the making. Especially when I received the books back in August last year. So I guess, that is quite a long time. But as some of you may already know, they all pack a punch as to how big they all are in pages! So, to put you all out of your misery, here is the long-awaited review for 'The Lost Symbol'. YAY! The main plotline is based around the organisation called the Freemasons, which throughout the years have had quite a bit of controversy. Not because they may have done something immoral, but rather that no one really knows what they actually do - except for Freemasons of course. People say that they are a secret organisation. But, that is completely and utterly incorrect. They are simply an organisation with secrets. Otherwise if they are a secret organisation, why do people know that Freemasonry actually exists, rather than a conspiracy? Anyway, onto the review I go! The omniscient narrator had a m...