The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson - #bookreview #blogtour

 

It was the books that Charlie smelled first - the books that drew him in.

Charlie Briggs had a nose for business, and he wasn't about to let a little thing like the "closed for lunch" sign hanging on the door of the bookshop get between him and a chance to make some unearned cash...

***

A spine-chilling winter ghost story set in the months after the Great War. Perfect for lovers of MR James and Susan Hill

The War is over, but for petty criminal Charlie his darkest days are only just beginning.

Charlie Briggs is never off-duty, even when a botched job means he's forced to lay low in a sleepy Hampshire town for the holiday season. Always searching for his next unwitting victim, or a shiny trinket he can pilfer, he can't believe his luck when he happens upon a rare book so valuable it will set him up for life. All he needs to do is sit tight until Boxing Day. But there's a desperate story that bleeds beyond the pages; something far more dangerous than London's mobsters is lurking in the shadows.

Could the book be cursed? Why is he haunted by the horrors of war? Can he put things right before he's suffocated by his own greed?

***

I usually steer well clear of any book that has the genre of horror attached to it. However, when I was offered a copy of this for a blog tour and saw it was authored by the talented Victoria Williamson, who I have read and enjoyed previously, I could not resist.

I am so glad that I decided to read it as it was beautifully written and I did not find it remotely scary. Rather it has an eeriness to it which is engrossing. 

It focuses on a character called Charlie Briggs, who is a petty criminal who has fraudulently evaded serving in the First World War.  He is a thoroughly unlikeable character but that did not deter me from being completely engrossed in this novella from the first page to the last. Charlie is haunted in two ways; first by the ghost of a man who died in the war and whose book Charlie has stolen; and secondly by the war itself.

At just under a hundred pages, this made for a quick read. However, the horrors of the war did not make for light and entertaining reading, and the book dealt with some very difficult themes as even though we are just over a century on from the war, the horrors and the experiences of the men in the trenches is still shocking to read.

However, Ms. Williamson, handles her subject in a way which is not gratuitous but she writes in a way which gets her point across admirably. It is astonishing that she has been able to convey the atmosphere and subject so well in such a short piece of writing. I highly recommend this book and it is perfectly sized to slip in a pocket... or the Christmas stocking of an older teenager or adult if you would prefer.

If you would like to read my reviews of the books I have previously read by Victoria Williamson please click on the title links below.

The Whistlers in the Dark

The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams

Norah's Ark

ISBN: 978 1738436408

Publisher:  Silver Thistle Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  100 (paperback)

About the Author:

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com

(book and media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)