Skip to main content

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




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Favourite Books... So Far

I have only really been reading seriously since I was thirteen years old, but I sure have found some books which I believe have really entertained and changed my perspective of life. Here are a few that I have rounded up that might be of interest to you. 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Yes, this is pretty much a staple in any young reader's bookshelf, but not for me it wasn't. I didn't get to read this treasure until I was nineteen and I was so annoyed that I left it so long. Seriously, who doesn't love the idea of winning a golden ticket to a chocolate factory? It's the perfect little read for any age. Don't get me started on the writing! Oh, I could talk all day about it. It's simply perfection. 2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell I know I'm basic. This is already such a popular book already, but I just couldn't resist. This book personally came at the right time for me. I read it just as I was going round and researching universities t...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Worm to Bookworm

Since beginning of this blog back in 2014, I have taken you through many of the books that I have read and my thoughts on various other topics involving books. However, one thing that I have never really opened up about is how I became a bookworm . How I started and how my love affair still continues to this day. Back in primary school I struggled. I mean really struggled. Struggled to fit in, struggled to be present, struggled with reading and comprehension and make any real friends. It was only when i moved to another primary school i began to see my self-worth. I was finally able to have the chance to read anything. You would think this is where I got the bug right? WRONG! Yes, the change helped me but it wasn’t long, I mean just under two years until I thrust upon secondary school. As you can imagine, this was a challenge like what most 11 year olds would experience. Me? I felt like I had been swallowed up whole. It was only when I turned year 8 (12-13 years old) the wind began to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle

So what do I truly think about this book? Well, it says it all when it takes a whole two years to get through. If I am being honest, when I first came to read this book I was very excited. Possibly even elated to find out more about one of my favourite pythons. But I came out with a very different opinion to what I began with. First of all, if you want to keep your sanity, as well as your time and money, don't read this. I mean seriously don't read it - not even if you have a curiosity. Trust me it will help you in the long-run. The book itself starts with his beginnings, who he was and what made him become the very python that we all know today. (Albeit, this can be seen to be very brief). But after this character development is where this book begins its downfall into the pit of doom. Why? Is all I can really say. Fame has really gone to his head. He has really gone down the road of no return. Not only did he cheat on his first wife but his name droppings became inc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga

When I look at 'Here we are now' I think of a fair few things. First of all, there is not many father/daughter relationship type YA books on the market at the moment. Secondly, I thought that it would be interesting to see how such a relationship between father and daughter, with the added stress of the Dad being famous adds to the hype of this type of story. However, when delving into the book itself, it felt as though it was more about the relationship between her father and mother, rather than the main protagonist herself. In fact, it seemed as though the main character was pushed to the side so much, due to the flashbacks, that it felt as though she was a weak supporting character. To this day, it feels as though I haven't really understood what Taliah (the supposed main character) was all about and her mind processes, that we usually see with other beloved characters. Throughout the book I had found that for the plot itself, I felt as though it was far too shor...
Post a Comment
Read more

The One That I Want by Sandy Barker

The One That I Want is simply the friends to lovers trope packaged with bad communication. Has this trope been written well? I think not. It is drab and boring and I feel so bad for the matchmaker, Poppy. The only redeemable character in this book. Greta, unlucky with love, is the main focus of the story. She is getting older and she wants a real kind of love. Somehow, her work gets roped into her shenanigans and soon she is off having dates with men who she doesn’t even like. When she does finally get somewhere with someone she actually would like to spend time with it almost like she wants to sabotage her happiness for her stupidity. I just feel sorry for how much effort Poppy had to make and even then it mainly went to waste. I really hoped that  I would enjoy this book as I enjoyed Poppy and Tristan’s story but the story and writing really fell short. It took me numerous times of picking up the book and putting it down again to get through. Honestly, I kind of wished that I DNF...
Post a Comment
Read more