Back of the book :
Fear blisters through this town like a fever…
When Teddy Colne arrives in the small town of Rye, he believes he will be able to settle down and leave his past behind him. Little does he know that fear blisters through the streets like a fever. The locals tell him to stay away from an establishment known only as Berry & Vincent, that those who rub too closely to its proprietor risk a bad end.
Despite their warnings, Teddy is desperate to understand why Rye has come to fear this one man, and to see what really hides behind the doors of his shop.
Ada moved to Rye with her young son to escape a damaged childhood and years of never fitting in, but she’s lonely, and ostracised by the community. Ada is ripe for affection and friendship, and everyone knows it.
As old secrets bleed out into this town, so too will a mystery about a family who vanished fifty years earlier, and a community living on a knife edge.
Teddy looks for answers, thinking he is safe, but some truths are better left undisturbed, and his past will find him here, just as it has always found him before. And before long, it will find Ada too.
What I think :
This is the story of Teddy and Ada …
When Teddy arrives in the Small town of Rye he’s looking for a brand new start. He soon gets a job in the Antique/Curio shop run by Berry & Vincent. Teddy soon discovers that the owner Mr Vincent, who is silent, is not well liked in the town (Well, he is a really awful person who loves to upset people. No sign of Berry though …)
Ada is a single mum, she has a little boy called Albie who’s four. They’ve lived in Rye for a while but she’s not really made any friends, in fact she feels quite alone. Its quite inevitable that these two lost and broken souls would become friends …
This book is Dark and Weird and Very Strange !!
It starts off like any normal book, you think its probably going to be a thriller, then suddenly it turns into something else entirely !!!
I’m really not quite sure how to tell you anything about this really expertly written novel without giving anything away.
It has many dark themes woven into its story and in some places you’re not really sure what you are reading, a gothic novel or a horror story. The one thing that I can tell you is that its very CREEPY !! I have read many horror stories over the years BUT, this one had the potential to unnerve me and give me nightmares.
I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the authors next one.
I give it 9/10 (5 Stars)
Published by Orenda Books on 19 Jan 2023.
The Biggest Thank you to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for the review copy of the book in return for an honest review.
Candys BookCase 