A Series Of (Un)Fortunate Reviews

Lost Among the Living is the fifth novel by Simone St. James.  I reviewed her four preceding novels on this blog: The Haunting of Maddy Clare , An Inquiry into Love and Death , Silence For the Dead , and The Other Side of Midnight .  Click the titles to read those reviews.  St. James' next novel, The Lost Girls , is set to be released next year.  I really enjoy the mix of suspense, supernatural, and mystery in St. James' novels.  Set in post-World War I England, they're a perfect blend of historical novel, mystery, and horror.   Lost Among the Living is creepy and atmospheric, and St. James is expert at spinning a good, old fashioned ghost story. Jo Manders, a grieving widow, accepts a position with her husband's aunt, a difficult mistress, as the woman's paid companion.  However, from the moment Jo arrives at Wych Elm House, it is clear that things are not right either in the house or in the family.  Phantom footsteps follow Jo around the h...

It's time for Part 2 of the second annual Staff Picks series, and this week it's my turn to share my picks from the past year.  All of my selected picks for books and one of my selected movies have been reviewed previously on the blog, so you can click those links to find full reviews of those titles!  Oh, and why don't you leave me a comment about your 'best of' picks from the last year. Books Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry ; at the time of the review post for this book I'd already read this one a couple or three times.  I've since read it again and bought a copy for my cousin's newborn baby because that's how much I love this book.  I don't care that it's a picture book for young children.  I. Love. This. Book. Longbourne by Jo Baker ; this list wouldn't be complete without British period drama and Pride and Prejudice , okay, so deal with it.  I loved this new perspective on the events of Pride and Prejudice told from the poin...

The Other Side of Midnight is the fourth novel by Simone St. James.  Her previous novels, The Haunting of Maddy Clare , Silence For The Dead , and An Inquiry Into Love And Death were all reviewed here on the blog.  You can click the links to read those reviews.  Simone St. James is an excellent writer, and I've enjoyed all of her books.  They are English period supernatural thriller/historical fiction.  Each has been a page turning, suspenseful, atmospheric, creepy, supernatural read.  Her next novel is due in April 2016. 1925.  London.  The death and terror of the war has sparked an obsession with the occult and so-called psychics who claim the ability to contact the dead.  Frauds prey on the survivors left behind who are desperate to speak with their lost loved ones one last time.  In all of England, the sole proven true psychic is Gloria Sutter, a flashy, manipulative, competitive woman, who contacts the dead for a price--she's ...

Silence For The Dead is the third novel by Simone St. James.  It was released in April, and since my reading habits have been hit or miss and otherwise sporadic when it comes to reading books, I've only now gotten around to reading it.  This was the other book I was reading when I started Without Warning .  I've previously read and reviewed St. James's two previous novels, The Haunting of Maddy Clare and An Inquiry Into Love and Deat h, here on the blog.  AND St. James will release her next book, The Other Side of Midnight , next April.  This book was rather terrifying, not unlike her others; however, the supernatural aspect was much more subtle, but no less scary and insidious. Set in 1919 in rural England, Kitty is a young woman on the run from a bad childhood, an abusive father, and only God knows what else.  Thus, she holds herself out as a properly trained, credentialed, and experienced nurse in order to land a position at Portis House, a very is...

An Inquiry Into Love And Death is the second novel by Simone St. James.  I previously read and reviewed and loved her debut The Haunting of Maddy Clare .  Her third novel is set to come out later this spring.  This second novel has everything its predecessor has: period drama, mystery, ghosts, romance, thrills, and suspense.  It's a terrifying, atmospheric, scary, creepy page turner.  AND the ghost hunters, Gellis and Ryder, from Maddy Clare get a shout out in this novel.  I will admit--I'm wondering what happened to Gellis and Ryder and Sarah from the first novel, but I loved the characters in An Inquiry as much as I loved the ones from  Maddy Clare .  The debut novel took place in 1922; this novel takes place in 1924. The English seaside village of Rothewell is possibly the most haunted place in England, this according to its residents.  The main manifestation dealt with in the story is a mysterious, mischievous and possibly hostile...

The Haunting of Maddy Clare is Simone St. James' first novel; it's a ghost story set in 1920's England.  It was a page turner and hard to put down, and it was suspenseful and scary, and there was a ghost, a mystery, and a romance, and I loved it, and no library in Lebanon County has An Inquiry Into Love And Death , St. James' follow up to her debut!  So now I'll have to see if I get it from outside the county.  Her third novel will drop in April 2014.   The Haunting of Maddy Clare is a historical/period drama combined with a ghost story mystery (which basically means, it's right up my alley because ENGLISH PERIOD DRAMA and GHOST STORY) populated by characters each in their own way equally damaged and scarred by tragedy. 1922.  Rural England.  London city girl, Sarah Piper, comes to the English countryside in the employ of the young, handsome and charming Alistaire Gellis.  Gellis, a veteran of World War I, has parlayed a lifelong fascination with...