It’s a light hearted paranormal / historical mystery..
Well, this one took me by surprise. First off the title intrigued me, and then, I discovered, in the introduction, that Pluckley in Kent really exists and is considered to be one of the most haunted villages in England. That's when the whole idea of a couple of stories based around paranormal activities headed by a group of quirky 'ghost hunters' started to appeal.
There are two stories in this volume : The Jewellery Box which is set in the village of Pluckley focuses on some dark events which have been stirred up by the discovery of an old jewellery box in the grounds of the 15th century Marcheford House. This is an atmospheric story nicely interspersed with historical detail and some ghostly paranormal activity.
The Second Story: The Book of Souls was altogether darker in content and its setting in the north of England gave the story, if anything, a more mysterious air than the first, however, as the stories follow chronologically in time, one set in February, and the other in March 1919, there's still a nice blend of continuity between them both.
I think what works the most is the clever blend between the historical background and the lure of the paranormal mysteries. There's a nice authentic feel to the story which backs up the amount of research which has obviously been done and I think the author has done a good job at creating atmosphere so that the mysteries at the heart of The Pluckley Psychic Historical Society certainly come to life in a light hearted way.
Whilst this is the third book in The Ghost from the Molly-House series it is perfectly possible to read it as a stand-alone. It’s a light hearted paranormal / historical mystery with bags of personality and two interesting story lines.
History, Fantasy, Intrigue and Humour
Just finished reading this latest book by Grahame Peace. I just love Jasper the ghost, everyone should have a friend like this
It’s obvious that a lot of historical research is done and this makes the books so interesting as well as all the intrigue which is incorporated into these novels. Really enjoyed this book as one story was set in my local town, therefore, as well as enjoying the book, I learned a lot about the history of Castle Hill and surrounding areas
As well as all this, Grahame still puts elements of humour in his books !
Looking forward to the next one
An entertaining very different read.
We are in 1919. The members of the Pluckley Psychic society have various issues to discuss. Pluckley is known for it ghostly sightings and paranormal happenings and even rare sightings of ectoplasm. One of the members of the society is Jasper who himself died 400 years ago and thinks he is there until his passing is sorted out.None of the others realise that he is a ghost and in this form he has several advantages.”Our work at the Psychic History society is to increased our knowledge of the paranormal world, spread the word of our services, provide answers, and ease the minds of the living” A letter arrives addressed to a group of the members. Nothing too unusual in that except this letter has been written but someone who dies many years before and is asking for the societies assistance to find out more about what happened around her death. As you can guess this is a lighthearted read. This is the third in the series but happily stands alone (I hadn’t read the others). There are two stories in this book, each around half of the book. An entertaining very different read.
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Great read!
The book is written from the point of view of Jasper Claxton, a 400 year old time travelling ghost, who is sent through time to help individual's on cases of the paranormal. The Pluckley Psychic Historical Society was founded in Pluckley, Kent (which is meant to be the most haunted town in England, although this story is a work of fiction) by Winston who is a (informal) psychic scholar, historian and academic, Florence; a white witch and a medium called Jocasta. They welcome Jasper into their fold, unaware that he is in fact a ghost and together they uncover spiritual fraud, as well as helping trapped souls who are unable to crossover due to unfinished business.
I want to start by saying that I have never loved a group of characters, especially Jasper! Jasper broke my heart from the beginning when his past life was dialogued, including how in fact he became to be dead and a ghost. The characters worked together really well, each one having their own distinct personalities, such as Jocasta's constant hunger and Florence's absolutely kind persona.
The storyline is split into two parts which compliment one another as they have different underlying themes; I think this gives the book different dimensions because it's not the same baseline throughout. Both stories are ghostly paranormal but The Book of Souls story is definitely a few tones darker. The Book of Souls is set at Castle Hill, this in itself looks ghostly!
I read this book in one day, I couldn't put it down and absolutely loved it, Grahame has such a talent for writing as well as including the little details that make the storyline feel real to the reader. For example, historical research into Pluckley and the occult / symbols. Myself as a reader appreciates it when a writer tries to bring some authenticity to their work.
Seriously, who doesn't love a light - hearted ghost story with elements of devil worship and witches. The storyline includes humour and isn't lose sleep scary, although I did start it pretty late and couldn't put it down, but that's a good type of sleep losing! The storyline is gripping, although it is easy to follow it is not at all predictable. Going back to the character development, Grahame has created them with personal details which complimented other characters within the group. They all seemed like a really great set of colleagues and friends.
My heart ached for Jasper, his feeling of loneliness and loss shone through his dialogue, he remembers with fondness his time with Mistress Clap at he Molly House, in which we learn that he misses her tremendously after being separated from her when he was alive. The Molly House was the only place that he felt a sense of belonging in his whole life. As well as his loneliness in his ghost life; that he can not share with his friends that he is a ghost, because he doesn't think they will accept him how he is! It doesn't help that he gets sent throughout time and it generally feels that he just can't find peace anywhere *sob*.
I would describe the book as being a paranormal private detective type read, with some blushingly good innuendos to keep you smiling throughout. The concept and writing is wonderful that will make you smile, give you goose-bumps and just in awe of a bloody fantastic read!
