The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse was a lovely diversion into mystery a story with all the atmosphere one expects from a ghost story. I'd been saving this one to read around the festive period. Ghosts stories always seem popular around this time with evening coming so early, cold biting winds and heavy frosts. Okay it's quite mild outside to today but imagination works wonders.
The story is set in 1928. Freddie Watson is still trying to come to terms with the death of his brother in the first world war. After spending time in a sanitarium his doctor advises a holiday to France to visit castles and take in the clean air. Driving through the Pyrenees his car skids on ice during a snowstorm and he has to abandon it and find shelter. He finds an isolated village and there begins a strange story. At a festival he meets Fabrissa, a young woman who urges him to talk about his brother and he feels himself unwinding for the first time. Fabrissa has her own story to tell which begins when soldiers enter the building and a fight ensures. Fabrissa leads Freddie to safety through a secret tunnel. Later Fabrissa tells the first part of her story, but as dawn breaks Freddie becomes dizzy and wakes up back in the boarding house and no one believes what he says. The girl is gone. Was it dream? Was she a ghost? Freddie goes in search of her and spots the blue of her cloak in the distance when he and some men from the village go to help him with the car. When the men head off to get further help Freddie heads up the mountain where he saw the flash of blue. In a cave he finds clues to the rest of the story and what happened to Fabrissa.
I found this a fascinating book and I was pleased to see extras - author's notes, reading group notes and a mini story which was originally written to go with the original hardback edition. Having read Labyrinth by the same author it was no surprise to learn that the subject of the Cathars came up again. Mosse explains that when researching Labyrinth she came across other information which she couldn't use in the book because the time period was different. Instead she held on to it in case it would be useful for another time. That's what I like to hear! No research is ever wasted because there could always be another story in it.
I did enjoy this book and while Freddie thought Febrissa was talking about the first world war when she speaks of soldiers and persecution I realised where it was going but it certainly never spoiled it for me. The atmosphere was suitably gloomy and it had that creepy quality about it (especially the boarding house). Definitely a good book to read over your mince pies and mulled wine, the curtains drawn and a nice real fire burning in the grate!
The story is set in 1928. Freddie Watson is still trying to come to terms with the death of his brother in the first world war. After spending time in a sanitarium his doctor advises a holiday to France to visit castles and take in the clean air. Driving through the Pyrenees his car skids on ice during a snowstorm and he has to abandon it and find shelter. He finds an isolated village and there begins a strange story. At a festival he meets Fabrissa, a young woman who urges him to talk about his brother and he feels himself unwinding for the first time. Fabrissa has her own story to tell which begins when soldiers enter the building and a fight ensures. Fabrissa leads Freddie to safety through a secret tunnel. Later Fabrissa tells the first part of her story, but as dawn breaks Freddie becomes dizzy and wakes up back in the boarding house and no one believes what he says. The girl is gone. Was it dream? Was she a ghost? Freddie goes in search of her and spots the blue of her cloak in the distance when he and some men from the village go to help him with the car. When the men head off to get further help Freddie heads up the mountain where he saw the flash of blue. In a cave he finds clues to the rest of the story and what happened to Fabrissa.
I found this a fascinating book and I was pleased to see extras - author's notes, reading group notes and a mini story which was originally written to go with the original hardback edition. Having read Labyrinth by the same author it was no surprise to learn that the subject of the Cathars came up again. Mosse explains that when researching Labyrinth she came across other information which she couldn't use in the book because the time period was different. Instead she held on to it in case it would be useful for another time. That's what I like to hear! No research is ever wasted because there could always be another story in it.
I did enjoy this book and while Freddie thought Febrissa was talking about the first world war when she speaks of soldiers and persecution I realised where it was going but it certainly never spoiled it for me. The atmosphere was suitably gloomy and it had that creepy quality about it (especially the boarding house). Definitely a good book to read over your mince pies and mulled wine, the curtains drawn and a nice real fire burning in the grate!
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