The starting premise of the book is terrific. It's the winter of 1917 and on a tiny island off the Devon coast, Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering in an attempt to contact his two sons who have already been lost in the war. He has a very specific guest list and this attracts the attention of military intelligence who ensure that included in the invitations are a number of people in their employ. As the guests gather a storm descends on the island, cutting off the route back to the mainland.

So we have a house party on an island, a raging storm, spies, ghosts, and guests with secrets. Excellent! The setting is Agatha Christie-esque but deals with much more serious issues than she would have tackled in her books. Some of the guests have profited from the war and commercial decisions aren't always the same as ethical ones, people's actions have had unpleasant consequences.

I'm not sure if there has been an increase in the books which have a ghostly or supernatural slant to them or I just happen to have read more recently but what sets this book apart is its unambiguous approach to spirits, an approach I really liked, although this does mean they don't necessarily add to the suspense with the story.

There is a strong cast of characters and everyone adds something to the story. The main characters are Kate Cartwright, a bright, young woman with her own connection to the Highmount family, and Irishman Captain Robert Donovan, a veteran of the war and with plenty in his own past that he would prefer no-one knew about. There is a hint of chemistry between them but the relationship that unfolds is very within keeping for the period setting. One common trait in Ryan's writings is the 'reserved hero', in the Korolev series and The Constant Soldier this is more due to the necessity of the situation but while that is to some extent true in this book it also reflects the etiquette of the time.

The book is neatly plotted with many layers and although the elements may make it sound like it's all about the action there are some serious themes at the heart of it, including the treatment of those who have served at the front and returned. The writing had a very visual quality and by the end I felt as if I might have seen a film rather than read a book, my recall of the scenes being very vivid. An excellent read for dark winter nights.

I find that some gothic literature can be slow moving and too heavily reliant on dense prose to create atmosphere, so I was pleasantly surprised by "A House of Ghosts."

Billed as a murder mystery with supernatural elements, the murder occurs rather late in the day, as a group of people gather on an island to see if they can contact fallen soldiers with the help of a few supposed psychics. No one is quite who they seem, with undercover agents and fraudsters included in the party.

I found this to be one of those books that sucks you in without you realising it so you just have to know what happens next and before you know it, hours have passed and you've finished it when you should actually have been working...

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

A House of Ghosts is like Agatha Christie meets cosy crime with added ghosts. It ticks a lot of boxes that you’d expect to find in this type of story, but with added ghosts. Mistaken identity? Check. Secret passages? You got it. A mysterious letter? Of course! It’s fun and has enough twists and turns to keep you interested.

Normally I prefer my Gothic novels to be set in the 19th Century, but I thought I would give this the benefit of the doubt because the premise sounded really interesting – a fantastic setting, mysterious characters, and a supernatural twist. I have to admit, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Part of the story is some sort of WW1 espionage spy adventure, and part is about a woman who has ‘abilities’ and a weird magic mirror that was never really fully explored. There are some good elements in the story, but its weakness is that it hasn’t quite decided what genre it fits into and because of that I didn’t think the story whisked me away as much as it should, and had it really committed to one or the other it would have gained a couple more stars from me.

The setting, though, really saved this book for me. I love the idea of the isolated house on the island, the isolating storm. I thought the descriptions of the house was fantastic and I started to get a sense of what the novel could have been with a tighter hand on the amount of elements in the plot.

I feel that W. C Ryan has a lot to give and I look forward to seeing if he writes more in the Gothic genre.

I am currently working on expanding our school library's senior section after years of a dismal and uninspiring selection of books that our older readers never checked out. My job has been to seek out much more diverse, gripping and modern books that will get them into reading by appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible. This really appealed to me because of its fantastic narrative and sense of atmosphere, combined with believable characterisation and its page-turning nature. It's hard to get young people into reading and if the library is not stocking the kind of book that they might grow up to buy as adult readers then we are not really meeting their needs. I can imagine this provoking lots of discussion after finishing it and a long queue of people trying to reserve it as they've heard so much about it. Will definitely be buying a copy and know that it's going to be a very popular choice. An engrossing read that kept me up far too late to finish reading it. It certainly stood out from the other books that I was considering and I look forward to converting more gothic fiction fans in future!

Love love love this book. Murder, intrigue, ghosts, and a little bit of romance. It has it all. A proper page turner, I struggled to put it down.

If you like Agatha Christie, then you’ll love this.

A twisting mystery set amidst the World War, this mixes the supernatural with the everyday perfectly. Whilst I picked it up due to the ghosts, the characters and natural events were what kept me turning the pages

I loved this spooky book, with its wartime theme, haunted house and claustrophobic Island setting.

House of Ghosts is an old-fashioned ghost story set in 1917, mixed with Christie-type classic crime and espionage. It's grim, dark and chilling, highlighting the mental and physical scars of the returning soldiers and the grief of the families of those who didn't return from the war at all.

Here, you have a locked room scenario, with an authentic array of characters trapped on a windswept island off the Devon coastline, a murderer among them. There are grieving hosts, dubious clairvoyants, dedicated staff and some unexpected house guests. The two main characters, Kate and Donovan, investigate lies and deception, murder and sabotage. The house, Blackwater Abbey, is a character in its own right, with its ghostly corridors, secret passages and tunnels and creaky floorboards.

Short snappy chapters keep the storyline moving at a fast pace, with lots of cliffhangers, heart-pounding moments and surprises in store. I was having such a great time reading this murder mystery that I really didn't want it to end. Despite its unsettling nature, the book is filled with humour, creating an enjoyable atmospheric read. I don't know if this is the start of a series. But I'm hoping there will be another book featuring Kate and Donovan, with more espionage and ghostly goings-on.

Perfect for dark stormy nights, as well as cold winter one!

I heard this book was simular to 'The Silent Companions' and wanted to give it a go. However it didn't really hit the mark for me. I found it quite average really and it didn't chill me. I read it near Halloween but it just wasn't that scary.

I was attracted to this book by the cover and the fact that I’d read another book by this author which I’d thoroughly enjoyed.
A House Of Ghosts was part mystery, part ghost story and part espionage thriller. There was also a bit of romance in it so it covered all bases. It is set in World War 1 and captures perfectly the sadness of the war years when so many young men lost their lives and so many families were bereaved.
Donovan is a military spy who works for C: he is asked to go to Blackwater Island and take part in a house party organised by Lord and Lady Highmount. Kate Cartwright is also asked to go to help out Donovan and their task is to seek out a German spy who has been stealing important military information from Highmount and passing it to the enemy.
Lord Highmount and his wife also invite Kate’s parents as they are old friends. The main purpose of the party seems to be contacting departed spirits- Kate’s brother and two Highmount sons killed in the war. There are two spiritualists present and seances are held with this aim.
Meanwhile Kate seems to be able to see dead people and is surrounded by their spirits or ghosts in the house and can predict the future by looking in her mysterious mirror.
This book reminded me slightly of an Agatha Christie and slightly of a John Buchan with some ghostly elements thrown in.
I enjoyed the mystery and espionage side of the plot but I’m not really into ghost stories so this aspect did not appeal to me as much.
I liked the characters of Donovan and Kate ; they were well described and the effects of the trenches on Donovan and the gas attacks he had to endure were particularly poignant as it was approaching Remembrance Sunday when I finished the book.
The novel was well researched as there was a lot of information about the tunnels, campaigns and the woeful equipment provided during the First World War.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to readers of historical mysteries.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve just finished reading this book and I’m afraid that it didn’t grab me in the way I hoped it would. I thought from the description that there would be more of a supernatural element to it and, while there were ghosts, they weren’t scary in any way and weren’t really the main focus of the book. The murder mystery side was equally lacking so this book fell in between the cracks for me. It would have been stronger had the author focused on one of the genres rather than try to cover both.

It's 1914, and Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering on his island off the coast of Devon in order to try to contact his two sons who were lost in the war. However, his guests each have their own agendas and, with the arrival of a storm, find themselves trapped on the island with the ghosts, their own secrets, and a killer.

The surface appearance of this book is that it is a ghost story. The title and cover are a little but misleading, because it is, in reality, it's a murder mystery novel with themes of espionage, most easily compared to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. It is a bunch of different characters, bought together for a weekend of seances and spiritual contact, trapped on an isolated island when a murder takes place. With the exception of Donovan and Kate - our two detectives sent to the island on a mission by the military - every character has a motive, so every character is a suspect. There's plenty of tension and red-herrings to keep the story interesting.

I liked Kate and Donovan and their budding romance. They made a good team and I would be interested in more books following them on future missions. I also really liked Count Orlov, but some of the other characters were a bit weaker and not so well developed throughout the book (Madame Feda and Captain Miller-White, in particular).

Despite not exactly being a key feature of the story, the ghostly elements do add a lot of atmosphere and really pad out the plot which was, at times, quite weak. I enjoyed this book, but I found it a bit too long and I did get lost occasionally trying to work out the point of every direction the plot went in. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A twisting and turning, atmospheric mystery. A story which seems to have a bit of everything - not a terrifying tale by any means but more an historical mystery with several threads which is almost verging on the gothic - well written and engrossing. It's an enjoyable read for a cold Winter's night.

Part ghost story and part Agatha Christie style murder mystery, this book is the perfect way to kick start your autumn evening reading. Set at the height of the First World War, codebreaker Kate Cartwright and Captain Robert Donovan are tasked by the secret service with attending a spiritualist gathering at Blackwater Abbey. Lord Highmount is attempting to contact his sons who have died in the war and the secret service believes that one of the visitors to the house has been passing along war secrets. Kate has a hidden talent, she is able to see ghosts and spirits while Donovan has the more conventional gift of undercover work.

The house is filled with mysterious characters, all with their own motives and suspicions and the tension is ramped up as the seance ends dramatically and the party is cut off by a furious storm. Blackwater Abbey has all the secret passages and dark corners you’d expect of a old mansion and the author uses this device to great effect. All the elements are here for a terrific mystery, overheard conversations, double crossing and cries from other rooms. There’s plenty of dashing down corridors to investigate a scream and this book doesn’t go long without giving the reader something to exclaim over. It’s a beautifully atmospheric book and while there wasn’t as much of a ghostly element as I expected, it didn’t dampen my enjoyment as the story was very absorbing and I really got pulled into the mystery part of it. There’s nothing like a stormy night to illicit a few ghostly thrills and this book is full of them.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

It is 1917 and WWI is still at its peak. Some plans have been leaked to the Germans and a house party is set up to discover who has been doing this. Donovan and Kate Cartwright have been sent to Blackwater Abbey to take part in this weekend house party. Also there are two mediums, Lord Highmount and his wife, Kate's parents and a shell shocked private and his doctor. Oh........and a large number of ghosts!

To be totally fair this book is rather cliched but I loved it. It is mostly set on an isolated island where the main house is an ancient abbey. Predictably there is a storm so no one can get off and the phones are out. They are on their own with someone who is not adverse to a bit of violence! Yes, I've read this scenario before and I am sure you have too. However, it didn't actually stop my enjoyment of the book.

This is actually a clever and well written ghost story. Seances are held and voices from the dead come through. Various people can see the ghosts around the house including Kate. However the relationship with the people and the ghosts is done so very well - the ghosts are really quite benign.

I loved the characters - Kate a very independent woman for her day who copes daily with her ability (or disability) to see ghosts. Donovan is a wonderful hard-hitting rather stereotypical Irishman who is great fun and excellent in a crisis. The Highmounts and Cartwrights have lost people they love in the war and the author allows us beneath their facade of a stiff upper lip to see their desperation at loosing sons. The two mediums are also excellent - are they who they seem to be? Can they talk to the dead? I'll leave you to discover that.

This is a well written book with a great plot line and a slight twist at the end which surprised me. As ghost stories go I would say it leans slightly towards the "cosy" as opposed to having a lot of suspense. There certainly is a lack of blood, guts and gore which pleased me as ghost stories should not be mistaken for horror stories.

I would be happy to seek out further books by this author especially if Kate and Donovan return!

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

An enjoyable Edwardian tale of murder, treachery and suspense. Part ripping yearns part Agatha Christie, reading this book is an ideal antidote to the days cares and woe's through losing yourself in a story well told.
However, anyone expecting a strong supernatural theme might be disappointed, while running throughout the book it doesn't really serve any purpose other than setting up the initial plot structure.
I expect this is the first book in a series and look forward to the author's future work.

This book sounded perfect for October and while I was sent the e-book on Netgalley, I actually listened to it on BookBeat instead and I'm so glad I did as it was a much quicker read and the narrator made it even eerier. Set in a remote and eerie grand house with the backdrop of the devastation of the first world war we follow two British secret intelligence operatives who are invited to a spiritualist gathering by Lord and Lady Highmount. What follows is the uncovering of secrets which all of the guests seem to hold, an exploration of the spirit world, the aftermath of war and a classic mystery in the style of Agatha Christie.

I'll admit that it did take a few chapters, at least, for me to get into this read so I'm thankful for the audiobook as otherwise I might have given up on the e-book before it started to get interesting. I liked the narrator of the audiobook as he definitely made it very eerie and it's already quite eerie in terms of the setting, mysteries and paranormal elements. I definitely enjoyed the paranormal elements, setting and atmosphere the most as well as the main characters of Kate and Donovan but as I've said it is a little slow to start. I can definitely see this is an Agatha Christie style TV mini series!

I loved the sound of this book and the cover looks amazing, so was excited to start reading. It got off to a good start. Lovely map inside and I liked the touch of the drawings at the beginning of each chapter. It was a Great setting. Reminded me more of the film Gosford Park than the novel And Then There Were None, especially the part when all the 'servants' arrive and are shown to their rooms. I did struggle at first with the introduction of characters. The novel refers to them very early on using both their first and surnames but not necessarily together which I found confusing when you are trying to place new characters.
I got very intrigued with the mention of secret missions, fortune telling mirrors, ghosts and aliases (though yet more names!) and continued reading. However it then started to not quiet live up to what I had hoped. It talked a lot about ghosts and yes they were there, Kate and The Count could see them but I didnt find them particularly spooky. The story of the gas masks seemed to go on for a very long time too, and I was hoping that it was maybe a bit of a red herring.....
Therefore when it came to the end I was hoping there would be a dramatic twist, but alas there wasn't. I did like the story but felt that it could have been more spooky and had a few unseen twists and turns. Therefore I give it a 3 out of 5. But remember this is just my opinion. Give it a try, you may disagree.
Thank you to Netgalley, as I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting a spooky ghost story from this book as the cover promises, but I was let down.
It's a normal crime book, which takes place in a remote house. And there are ghosts, but they didn't have much to do with the story.
It took a lot of effort to understand who is who at the beginning of the book, as the writer used names, surnames alternating. It was very confusing.
It says there's a crime, but crime didn't happen until 70% of the book. And the whole thing together with the wrap up was a bit silly. I got bored as well in the middle, was hard to continue.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for granting a copy in exchange for an honest review

Loved this book!

Initially I felt a bit anxious as it felt VERY similar to the beginning of certain Agatha Christie novels, particularly And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. In fact the similarities to ATTWN were so marked at first in plot, character and tone that I genuinely feared I would already know the ending!

Luckily I was wrong and by the second and third chapters the author had really got into their own flow. The style and setup may have been an homage to the late great Christie (whose work I thoroughly enjoy), but the plot turned out to be unique and cleverly constructed.

I particularly enjoyed the way in which the ghostly element of the plot was integrated and useful at points, but did not take over and ended up as more of a world-building feature than anything. There is lots of scope for more novels set in this world which resembles our own in all ways, except the general acceptance of spirits and people who can see/communicate with them.

Many of the characters tended towards the stereotypical, again very similar to the classic Christie set up: the doctor, the medium, the clerk, the heiress and so on. The two main ‘investigatory’ characters of Kate and Donovan became more rounded as the story progressed however, and I thoroughly admired their stiff upper-lip attitude in the face of danger and drama alike!

Definitely a great read for Christie fans who like a bit of supernatural on the side. I have my fingers crossed that Ryan is working on his next ‘Kate and Donovan’ mystery right now, as I’m very keen to find out more about her mysterious episodes and his secretive past…



‘So perhaps the question is: who in the house doesn’t have a reason for murdering Lord Highmount?’
‘Well,’ she said smiling, ‘I didn’t do it. And nor did you. At least, I hope not. And my parents are unlikely suspects – they are very fond of both Highmounts. As for the servants, they seem content enough. Everyone else, though – you make a good point.’
‘You forgot Vickers being a Bolshevik. Not that I think that amounts to a motivation for murder, not until the revolution comes to pass, at least; and he is a pacifist, more or less.’ Donovan shook his head. ‘Is this how people like the Highmounts normally arrange their entertainments? By inviting everyone who might want to kill them to stay for the weekend?’
Kate laughed. ‘It is probably more common than you might think,’ she said.

– W. C. Ryan, A House of Ghosts

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Set in wartime Britain on a remote island cut off from the main land by stormy weather, this has a bit of an ‘And Then There Were None’ vibe to it. The book follows an unusual house party, hosted by the wealthy Lord and Lady Highmount. The guests are a combination of the wealthy elite, dubious mediums and a couple of undercover agents thrown in for good measure. The Highmounts plan to hold a seance to attempt to contact their sons, and the son of their family friends, all lost in the war.

The book follows Donovan, and undercover officer posing as a valet, and Kate, a family friend of the Highmounts and also Donovan’s colleague.

The plot is full of twists, turns and secret passages, and some of the characters feel a bit like caricatures, but it all works together well and makes for an entertaining story. The ghostly element is almost an aside - the real villains of the piece are the people - but it adds an extra dimension. For all the pomp and showmanship of the spiritual mediums at the house party, the quiet Kate is the one who can actually see spirits, and the descriptions of these are woven in to great effect.

Spooky, twisty and fun.