The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson is a short but gripping read that delves into the shadowy torment of a man haunted by his choices. The story is unsettling, capturing the relentless grip of his waking nightmares and sleepless despair. While the premise is compelling, I felt it didn’t fully deliver on its potential. It was an okay read for me, earning 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Silver Thistle Press for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

'The Haunting Scent Of Poppies' might be short but there's a lot happening in it from the first page. World War I is over but for Charlie Briggs that doesn't matter, he never served and he's never over duty- a committed thief, Charlie has had to flee London temporarily after failing his last job. Settling in a small Hampshire town, Charlie just needs to be patient and wait for things to die down. However, when he comes across an extremely rare book desired by his dealer (and enough to set up for life) he can't resist stealing it. Bought by a loving mother for her son a day before the war, the book soon starts to cause strange emotions and sights in Charlie- including the scent of poppies. Soon enough Charlie realises he's being haunted and the only way to save himself is to stop his greed. This was a quick read but deeply atmospheric with a main character who genuinely is terrible. I loved the ghost story element and how it blended with historical fiction and the traumas of the era. I wish it had been more than just a novella!

incredibly quick read and a pretty good ghost story for that. wouldn't say it was awesome, adn needed more meat, but 3.5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Can a book be possessed? Can a book cause the deaths in war of every man in the family that owns it? And, if this is true, can the horrors of war and death be passed on to another man, a man who stole it for personal profit?

The book is a valuable edition of The Art of War. The thief is Charlie Briggs. The Haunting Scent of Poppies, a quick, unsettling read, lets you see through Charlie’s eyes. You won’t want to. And you most definitely wont want to look behind you in the dark. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Silver Thistle Press and Victoria Williamson for this ARC.

Such A captivating and harrowing read! This is what a ghost story should be about. Love the supernatural elements and historical fiction backstory. Def recommend!

A harrowing short story.
Labeled as a ghost story yet gave me an insight on what it is like to live having been in war.
The main character, I believe, showed the daily struggles most veterans have to deal with every day.
The Haunting Scent of Poppies was a great story. A quick read, perfect for reading any time between Halloween & Christmas! A ghost story that takes place at Christmas time.
I think the ending was a full circle moment, perfect.

"Remember me! Remember!"

This captivating novella had my undivided attention from the very first page. Let me just say, the MMC gets the karma he so dearly deserves.

Charlie Briggs, is a notorious thief, often relocating from town to town to elude law enforcement. In his last venture, he discovers a bookstore, with a rare French edition of The Art of War, worth more than enough to fill his wallet. After swiping the book, things take a grave turn for Charlie. He finds himself haunted by an unwanted presence and the horrors of war. The scent of mustard gas and poppies will follow him forever....

This novella was everything I crave in a ghost story! From the chilling supernatural to the historical fiction backstory. I cannot wait to explore more work by this author!

Thank you NetGalley and Silver Thistle Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

**Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon (pending review), will be posting on Instagram before the end of the year**

Horror is not my usual genre, but when I see a novel set during the First World War, I can't resist reading it. I'm glad I picked up this story - it's a well-written ghost tale rooted in the classics. I really liked how the terror of the Great War intertwined with the terror derived from speculative elements. The concept was executed very well, and although the plot is somewhat repetitive, it's emotionally engaging enough to draw you in.
I am a bit disappointed with the ending because, in my opinion, it leaves too many questions unanswered—it essentially suggests that the paranormal events just happened. We don't know why, we don't know why these things happened to this particular character, and we don't know where they came from. I understand that classic ghost novels, which aim to frighten, often don't provide clear answers, but here I expected at least some interpretive hint.
That said, I still recommend this quick and engaging read to fans of speculative literature with World War I themes, as well as to fans of classic ghost stories.

December is, without a doubt, the month for ghost stories and horror. While I adore October, there's something uniquely eerie about the cold and darkness of December that amplifies the thrill of a good scare. This novella was the ideal companion for a snowy December evening.

The story drew heavy inspiration from classic ghost tales of the 18th and 19th centuries, with vivid, haunting descriptions of Charlie's hallucinations. I couldn't stop reading and finished it in one sitting.

The shift in perspective towards the end was a bit abrupt, but otherwise, it was a brilliant novella and an excellent ghost story.

A special thank you to Silver Thistle Press and Netgalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This haunting and emotive read is one that will horrify and intrigue a reader

Telling a story set during WW1, it is a descriptive and telling tale of a man who steals something that he wishes he didn't. His greed gets the better of him and the dead has a plan set out for the thief

It is superbly written and is chilling. It is a ghost story that is unsettling but addictive. I read in one sitting and felt sad and terrified in equal measures.

A clever book which i thought brilliant..

A horror novella of criminal Charlie right after the war, this story will haunt you. This book incorporates historical elements along with horror elements. I would read more from this author.

Wow! A short narrative that packs a haunting punch. I loved the exploration of post WWI historical fiction and magical realism. This is a title that I will need to ponder for a while. It might be a 2025 book club pick because it is so artfully written and thought provoking.

“The haunting scent of poppies” is a quick, spooky read perfect for Christmas time!
The writing makes you want to keep reading and does a great job of creating a creepy atmosphere.
My only complaint is that I thought the story got a bit repetitive towards the middle.

𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬!

3.5 stars

This is a quick, haunting novella, set in the aftermath of WWI. Light-fingered grifter Charlie Briggs hunkers down in a small town, waiting for the heat from his latest job to dissipate in London. But who is he to say no when opportunity presents itself in the form of a rare book?

This deals with guilt, and grief, and the gruesome realities of trench warfare.

Petty criminal and draft dodger, Charlie Briggs, is laying low in a sleepy Hampshire town over Christmas in the months after WWI. When he steals a rare book he inadvertently also takes on the family curse it carries: plagued by nightmares and visions of the previous owner's horrible death by mustard gas, Charlie slowly unravels.

This novella really feels like it could be adapted as a BBC Christmas Ghost story. It's well paced and stylishly told. It also feels very cinematic: I could clearly see the story unfolding in my head and some scenes and set pieces felt reminiscent of a Mark Gatiss adaptation.

The thing that held this story back from being a 5* read for me was that it could be a touch heavy handed: for example, not only is Charlie established as thoroughly immoral, the narrative is at pains to remind us that he's scrawny with a weaselly face and greasy hair to reinforce the message that he's a villain. Over the course of the story, Charlie begins to feel empathy towards veterans and shame at stealing from them, which was a compelling and surprisingly moving bit of character development, but again the author felt the need to remind us that Charlie had been completely callous in earlier scenes, rather than trusting readers to remember. Victoria Williamson is an award winning children's author and this is her first book for adults, so maybe she's still calibrating the finer points of how to write for a different audience.

Overall, I enjoyed this atmospheric Christmas ghost story. Thank you to NetGalley and Silver Thistle Press for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A short little ghost story that's haunting in more ways than one. A fast and satisfying read, even though the pieces move into place pretty quickly you're still left guessing how it's going to end. And you kind of feel like the MC, Charlie, gets what he deserves.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this short story! It mixes historical fiction and the paranormal super well, and it explores the horrors of war as well as the consequences of blind greed and just being an unempathetic, selfish human being.

The writing was very nice and descriptive, which made this feel immersive. I wish there was more background and information about the main character, but it still works super well as a short story. I think I would've read at least 100 more pages about this.

The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson is a short spooky tale that follows the great tradition of Christmas ghost stories. Set in the immediate aftermath of the First World War the story follows petty criminal/con man Charlie Briggs who is feeling a little out of his element in a small Hampshire town instead of his native London but unable to return there until the heat dies down following a botched burglary. Things start to look up for Charlie when he happens upon a rare antique book in a small second hand shop, and when he manages to steal it undetected he thinks that his future is secured but the previous owner of the book, a young soldier who died in the war, has other plans.
I do not see books that feature this time period very often, but when I do I love to pick them up. This is a really gripping little story and while the character of Charlie is thoroughly unlikeable, I found myself unable to put the book down. The sense of menace that builds over the course of the book is really effective and the ending is a wonderful gut punch. The author does not shy away from depictions of what soldiers experienced in the trenches and the horrors they faced, but the way she incorporates it into the storytelling is masterful.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I truly believe December is the month for ghost stories and horror. As much as I love October, there's something about the cold and dark that makes for a good scare. This was the perfect evening read for a snowy December day.

The story was reminiscent of fabled ghost stories from the 18th and early 19th centuries and featured incredible writing in the description of Charlie's hallucinations. I read it in about one sitting and couldn't put it down.

The ending was a bit jarring with the perspective shift to wrap the story up, but otherwise, it was a fantastic novella and a great ghost story.

Thank you to Silver Thistle Press and Netgalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Haunting Scent of Poppies is an enjoyable traditional ghost story, reminiscent of M.R. James. It takes place in Interwar England, where prolific thief (and conscription dodger) Charlie Briggs is hiding out from the law in a small town in Hampshire. When he can't resist swiping a valuable book from a local bookshop owner, he inadvertently brings the horrors of World War I straight to his own metaphorical doorstep.

Seasoned horror readers likely won't find this story particularly scary, at least not in the traditional sense. It has some spooky moments, sure, but the real horror here is found in gruesome flashbacks to the trenches of the Great War. They're truly the stuff of nightmares, both literally and figuratively as it turns out, and I learned far more about mustard gas's effects on the human body than I probably would have preferred.

It perhaps goes without saying that Charlie isn't the most sympathetic character. He cares only for himself and has no consideration for other people and their belongings, something directly leads to the events of this story. While I wouldn't necessarily wish his ghostly haunting on anyone (okay, fine, almost anyone), it's also a little hard to feel bad for him. The phrase “couldn't have happened to a nicer person” comes to mind.

If you like traditional ghost stories, definitely consider giving this spooky tale a read. It's atmospheric and gothic-y and entertaining, and it's certainly worth the short amount of time that it'll take to read it.

My overall rating: 3.95 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Silver Thistle Press for providing me with a copy of this book to review. It's on sale now.