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The Ghost House by Andie Newton

Oct30

Protecting The Innocent

The Ghost House by Andie Newton is a powerful historical supernatural suspense that has its’ roots in facts, interwoven with fiction.

The book is set in occupied France in 1944. Much of the action surrounds the forbidden forest that has grown up around the site of the Battle of Verdun in 1916. There is a mythical feel to it as the stories abound to do with bodies buried, live mines and cannisters of poison gas. What everyone can agree on is, it is not safe.

The Nazis were pre-occupied with the occult. Within the tale, sinister forces are used in order to try to break the innocent.

The atmosphere is dark and foreboding, mirroring the action which has sinister twists and turns.

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Her Husband’s Return by Suzanne Goldring

Oct20

If Walls Could Speak

Her Husband’s Return by Suzanne Goldring is a powerful dual timeline novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in London during World War II and in present day. Chapters alternate between ‘then’ and ‘now.’ The time periods are linked by a large family home that is being renovated in present day.

If walls could speak, the house would reveal the secrets – but until then, they remain hidden.

Life during World War II was fragile. First Londoners faced the Blitz, and then there were the silent but deadly V1 and V2 rockets. Lives could be snuffed out in an instant. The landscape of London changed as many buildings were demolished.

Large family homes were called upon to house the homeless. The house within the tale echoes with warmth, love and laughter. Friendships are formed that will remain.

Opportunities for women opened up with war. The leading lady, Frankie, becomes an ambulance driver. War, surprisingly, brings freedom for her, and for many. Frankie is no longer shackled to the home and a verbally abusive husband. However, so deep-rooted is the abuse, that in her head, she still hears the words spoken over her by her, now MIA, husband. She is forever ruled by him until the day she finds the courage to live for someone else.

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Only I Can Save Them by Imogen Matthews

Oct10

Unravelling The Truth

Only I Can Save Them by Imogen Matthews is a powerful dual timeline novel that has its’ roots in facts as we follow photographer Rudolf Breslauer from Leipzig in 1936 and onwards. The second period is in present day and seen through the eyes of Rudolf Breslauer’s great granddaughter.

The novel spans the Second World War years as we follow Rudolf Breslauer and his family from their home in Amsterdam (where they located to avoid the persecution) to the camp of Westerbork, which was a holding camp for Dutch Jews before continuing on to Auschwitz, Birkenau or Theresienstadt.

In present day, a great granddaughter finds a photo of her grandmother aged thirteen in a book. She wants to seek the truth about her grandmother’s family and their wartime experiences.

For all of her life, the grandmother has kept quiet but as she approaches the end of her life, is it now time for the truth to come out?

Rudolf Breslauer did what he could in order to protect his family. He was chosen as the official photographer of Westerbork – but there were only so many photos that the commandant wanted before it would be a one-way ticket to Auschwitz.

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The Nanny Outside The Gates by Shari J Ryan

Sep28

There Was Once A Girl…

The Nanny Outside The Gates by Shari J Ryan is a powerful, heart-breaking historical novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in 1943 in Poland, mainly in the house of an officer serving in Auschwitz. Shari J Ryan has perfectly captured the horrors of the time. The stark contrasts between those who have everything and still steal from those who have nothing. The picture painted of family life juxtaposed with the death camp.

There is the innocence of the children and the cruelty of their father. The children are not so clueless as to what is happening.

Within the home there are Jewish inmates from Auschwitz working, along with a Nanny who was plucked from the streets. The young girls are not supposed to talk with the Jewish people but they can spot true goodness.

The novel opens with the ending. Then, the reader is transported back three months before working towards the end. We know part of what is coming – but how will it all end?

We see the action alternating between Halina, the Nanny, and Gavriel, a Jewish man working in the house. Both have good hearts and feel for the three young girls. “I’ll have to protect the light in the children who’ve been raised by darkness.” Halina is a beacon of light shining in the dark. “Any child raised by a Nazi has already been taught to hate. Taught that they’re a superior race.” Halina’s innate goodness is seen by the girls. “Something in her eyes says she still believes in their innocence… That they’re worth saving.”

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