Silence for the Dead

Happy Almost May! Today’s review is of another novel by Simone St. James, Silence for the Dead.

The year is 1919. Kitty Weekes has spent the last four years laying low after running away from her abusive father in London. In need of a new job, she fabricates nursing credentials to get a job at Portis House, an isolated estate-turned-hospital for shell-shocked veterans from the First World War. Despite her lack of experience, Kitty adapts quickly in treating the patients, among them Jack Yates, a celebrity soldier profiled in the media as a war hero. As time goes on, Kitty begins to realize there’s more to Portis House, especially during night shift, when the dark silence is interrupted by eerie noises in the wall, and figures she sees out of the corner of her eye. With Jack’s help, she’s determined to solve the mystery of what’s really going on.

Like St. James’s The Haunting of Maddy Clare, this novel also takes place in England in the early 20th century, features a woman protagonist and contains paranormal themes. But I will say that I enjoyed this book a lot more. The story’s narration flowed more smoothly, and the plot felt more original, focusing on a haunted hospital instead of just a haunted house. I was intrigued by the juxtaposition of mental health patients and supernatural elements. As mental health and care were deeply stigmatized and misunderstood at the time, the experiences the men have with the hauntings could’ve been considered side effects of their trauma. We also get a glimpse of the influenza pandemic during that time, an unexpected parallel of life just a few years ago, although healthcare has improved monumentally since then.

I recommend this novel to people who enjoy paranormal stories that include a slice of history.

The Haunting of Maddy Clare

Today’s review is of Simone St. James’s debut novel, another novel I got for Christmas. Unlike her two previous novels I’ve reviewed on here, The Haunting of Maddy Clare is set in 1920s England, an entirely different time period and country.

Sarah Piper is a young woman living in London who works for a temporary agency. She has no family and few friends, and her existence has dwindled to the assignments she receives. This time, she’s sent to meet Alistair Gellis, a “ghost hunter” in need of a temporary assistant to investigate a haunting. She travels with him to the village of Waringstroke in Northern England to visit the Clare residence. Maddy Clare was a servant who lived with the Clares’ for seven years and died in their barn at the age of 19. Mrs. Clare is tired of the unrest caused by Maddy’s supposed ghost and hopes Gellis’s investigation can help cast Maddy away. Eventually joined by Gellis’s usual assistant Matthew Ryder, Sarah soon discovers Maddy’s ghost is very real and there’s actual mystery behind his haunting.

Since the story takes place in 1920s England, the dialogue was unique, as people spoke differently back then and some British terms differ from American terms. I was able to understand most of it due to being a long-time reader and fan of British media, and I was really impressed at Simone St. James’s ability to accurately capture the vibe and style of the era. I do think the style difference was one reason why this novel took me a little longer to read, but I liked the change of pace.

I would say that the character development and setting helps move the story along. We learn about the tragic backstories of both Sarah and Matthew and how limited resources were back then, further illustrated by Sarah’s first-person narrative. Alistair uses a camera and sound recorder during their excursion, rare for that time period. Otherwise, the storyline and mystery of Maddy was a little slow and predictable.

This wasn’t my favorite Simone St. James’s novel, but I recommend it if you’re interested in a ghost story set a hundred years ago.

The Sun Down Motel

Hello and Happy Almost Thanksgiving! The third novel I read this autumn is The Sun Down Motel, a thriller by Simone St. James. Having enjoyed The Book of Cold Cases, I delved into another novel of hers.

In 1982, twenty-year-old Vivian Delaney arrives in the small upstate New York town of Fell. She begins to save money to move to New York City by working the night shift at the Sun Down Motel. She soon discovers a series of unsolved murders of young women and begins to suspect one of the motel guests is the perpetrator, deciding to investigate him herself. Then, one day three months after her arrival, Viv disappears one November night, leaving behind her car, purse and other belongings.

Thirty-five years later in 2017, Carly Kirk drops out of college and travels to Fell to find out what happened to Viv – her mother’s older sister. Taking the same job as her aunt did almost four decades earlier, Carly soon realizes that there’s more than just guests at this motel – the ghosts of past guests could be haunting the grounds.

The two different timelines offer a contrast of how live was then versus now. In 1982, the best way to track someone was to either follow them or have their phone numbers. There weren’t as many security cameras or other devices “watching” us like there is now. Viv uses a notebook to document her movements and the library archives to learn more, while Carly uses her smartphone, hard copies of articles, and the Internet to research leads. Adding further depth, Viv’s account is told in third person, different from Carly’s first-person narration.

A message present throughout Viv’s account is female empowerment. Viv faces some scrutiny from guests for being a female night clerk, while side characters Marnie and Alma work as a private investigator and police officer, respectively – occupations that weren’t as common for females back then. I felt like this was another way to show how far the world has come since 1982, not just in terms of technology.

I recommend this novel to people who enjoy a mix of true crime, hauntings, horror and a little bit of feminism.

The Book of Cold Cases

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James is a novel that I managed to finish in one day, something that I haven’t done in a really long time. The subject of today’s review, this book is an interesting one because it actually combines two genres that I’m interested in – true crime and ghost stories.

Shea Collins is 29 years old and lives in Claire Lake, Oregon. Her day job is working in a doctor’s office, and at night she delves into her obsession – running her true crime website called the Book of Cold Cases where she documents unsolved cases. For Claire Lake, the town’s most famous case happened in 1977, when two different men were each found shot to death next to their cars. Beth Greer, the then 23-year-old daughter of the town’s most wealthy family, was considered the top suspect due to a witness statement and some forensic evidence. Although acquitted, Beth’s reputation was ruined and she retreated to her mansion after the trial. Four decades later, Shea randomly meets Beth and is unexpectedly granted an interview at the Greer mansion. Shea is excited to be allowed inside the house and to get to speak to Beth, but begins to realize that there’s more to place than Beth has let on.

The timeline flashes back and forth not only between 1977 and 2017, but also to the earlier years of Beth’s life. I really liked reading this because it gives insight into Beth’s character – why she is the way she is. That concept – why and how people become the way they are – is something that has long intrigued me and continues to fascinate me.

The supernatural part of the story added another layer to the mystery. Beth’s house has been haunted for years, but you don’t know by who for a majority of the story. The haunting clearly affects Beth’s well-being and personality, which in my opinion is a departure from the typical tropes of why a character is troubled – those usually being alcohol, work issues, family troubles and so on. The paranormal activity causes Shea, a skeptic, to question whether she is losing her sanity, her mental health already being fragile due to a traumatic childhood experience.

I recommend this novel because of its unique blend of the mystery and haunted genres.