The author's previous book was about a haunted house and there was a touch of the supernatural about this plot too with the enigmatic White Lady. But the theme is definitely 'of this world' and the time being 1921 in Ireland it is the all too violent world of post WWI and those Irish soldiers returning to find the promise of Home Rule offered to send them to support the British Army in the squalid and deadly trenches over turned by the cruelty and dominance of British rule once again.
I liked the central character Tom Harkin and how his nightmares/shellshock disturbed his ability to see reality and have vivid shocking dreams. Also how his immersion as an Intelligence Officer for the Nationalists wanting to subvert the RIC (British Army Police) led him back to a past that included many secrets.
When his past love Maud Prendeville is cruelly killed in an IRA ambush there is no way Tom believes she, as a past rebel involved in the Easter Rising against the British can believe supporters would have murdered her in cold blood.
Kilcolgan House is decaying like much of the past aristocracy that survives in such Irish houses of that time. However the locals add much reality through Mrs Driscoll and Bridget and the wonderful Moira who owns a local guest house 'with her memsaabs' and who has always loved Tom.
The cruel Abercrombie is perhaps a little too stereotypical of the British anti-Irish but having read much Irish history of that rebellious time and been married to an Irishman sometimes the stereotype is apt......
The unravelling of the real murderer does at a time become quite complicated and the relationships that challenge the sexual mores of the time did come out of the blue but overall an incredibly intriguing novel that I enjoyed. I did perhaps want more description of the surrounding scenery to evoke Ireland and perhaps more spookiness with the images but as they were linked to Tom's mind of that time I could see its limitations.
I look forward to further novels by this author especially if based in Ireland.

There is something about this book that despite it being set in the troubles in Ireland following the Great War there is still something charming about the story. That’s not to say it doesn’t perfectly convey the tense atmosphere of civil war and divided loyalties but the book still manages to have a heart. I think it is the attention to detail with all the characters and the way they are all so well and sensitively written that makes it such a good read alongside the relationships between all the characters. The murder mystery is well plotted and with a touch of ghostly visions this is definitely a recommended read.

Simply, a beautifully told classic ghost story.

I was immediately taken with William Ryan's first foray into ghost stories, "A House of Ghosts" so was delighted to be offered a Netgalley ARC of his latest spine-tingler.

Set in the same post-WW1 period as his previous book, this new spooky tale takes place in Ireland where civil war is raging and the Troubles are building. The IRA and the RIC are playing a tit-for-tat game of bombing and retribution. When an IRA ambush goes wrong, and Maud Prendeville, daughter of Lord Kilcolgan, is killed, Captain Tom Harkin, former soldier and now IRA intelligence officer and Maud's former fiancé, is sent to investigate. The Kilcolgan House is a dark, and haunted place, filled with memories and a family struggling to keep secrets.

This is a classic ghost story intertwined with an historical detective story. Harkin is a troubled soul - suffering PTSD from his time in the trenches, he struggles to decide which ghosts are his and which are real. He meets several people, none of whom are quite what they seem and whose motives are hidden. Working undercover as an insurance investigator, Harkin seeks to uncover the truth while faced with a town at war and families with hidden motives and allegiances.

The story unfolds slowly, but moves forward nicely, as Harkin's mind wrestles with his demons and those around him. The prose seems to fit the period perfectly and images of rural Ireland are drawn beautifully, as the murder mystery, love story and ghost story all blend together. There are characters to love, hate, and sympathise with, and I truly was drawn into the world of 1921. I even learned a bit about the uprising. This is truly a classic ghost story.

Sincerely recommend for fans of Susan Hill, Wilkie Collins and Laura Purcell. I'm looking forward to reading this again, in proper book form.

I liked this book because of the simplicity in plot. I'm not saying that it is a simple book but the plot isn't over-complicated with too many back stories. Harkin is brought in to investigate his former fiancées' death. It's an interesting time period too, just after the First World War, set in Ireland, a couple of years after the uprising.

A very solid who-dunnit at the forefront of the story,and a country under tension running in the background.
Some great partnerships getting our lead character through it all.
The ghostly aspects of the story were almost blink and you'll miss them,but added just that extra level of something to the story.

Most enjoyable