AMAZON UK
This book came as a surprise to me. I understand it is one of a series that has gathered many followers and my first impressions are that the concept is interesting, amusing and unusual. Well, it is not often almost every character in a book is a ghost. Yes, truly.
If you cannot get past the idea that everyone who dies becomes a ghost and that a city like York is crammed to the rafters with them, then this book is not for you. If you can, and many do, then the tale of Richard III visiting York to visit with his father the Duke of Northumberland, will entertain you.
Richard is not the main feature of the tale however. Harry Hotspur, Dick Turpin and Guy Fawkes live in the city, cheek by jowl with a horde of Vikings and an unruly set of Roman soldiers. Worried by the nasty turn that the usual “hauntings” have taken in recent weeks, they agree to find out what is causing such unrest since the simple delight of photobombing tourists taking selfies has progressed to armed combat in the night time streets of York. Something must be done to restore order, but what?
I found the pace rather slow in places, but in others was carried along grinning at the very idea of a ghost cat called Seamus delicately pawing at the legs of unsuspecting diners in the pub and ghosts holding their own Christmas festivities in Clifford’s Tower at midnight. The writing is calm and clear, there are no sexy encounters (well, these are ghosts….) and York, the city itself, is well described. If you fancy reading something very different to the normal run of literature, then try Ms Wilson’s Kindred Spirits : York. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
© Jen Black
note from Helen Hollick: anyone visiting York for a vacation would be well advised to join with one of the organised evening 'ghost walks' - great fun!
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I am one of those followers that has been gathered! Excellent series, I must say
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