A decent little story where you almost feel sympathy for the thief as he deals with the consequences of hating stolen a haunted book.

“Hadn’t he had his own trenches to crawl through, in the basements and backstairs of London? Hadn’t he got his fair share of War wounds to show for his troubles? This was his War trophy, and he’d be damned if some hallucination caused by the Spain Arms thieves was going to rob him of his reward.”

He’s a man desperate to survive, even if we don’t agree with his methods and even if he causes a crazy amount of harm to those he comes across. He almost deserves it; even in his dreams, a place where he could be free of his pains and poverty he chose to save the book and not a man.

I would read more by this author!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

This was more of a mini-novella or short story - very quick read. It started out immediately with creepy undertones. The story was a good one, predictable in some spots, but enjoyable nevertheless. We're meant in the beginning to see the protagonist for what he is - a career criminal. But the story takes a dark turn and I actually found myself feeling sorry for him and wishing him a happy ending. There are a few spots that gave me a bit of a chill.

This is a beautifully haunting story. A perfect accompaniment to the dark nights, this has just the right amount of chill factor. Set after the Great War the story tells the tale of petty criminal Charlie Briggs who believes that he has made the luckiest of finds - a rare and valuable book, but is the book the find of his dreams or the stuff of his nightmares?
Huge thank you to the publishers for a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a copy of The Haunting Scent of Poppies.

This was a great spooky short story which intertwined traditional ghost stories with the horrors of war and the experiences that many faced in such a clever way. Really worth reading for fans of creepy stories.

Rating 3.5/5

I’m usually not one for a horror book, especially with a historical setting, there are a few exceptions, and after reading another of her books earlier in the year, I decided this author is one of them.

The Haunting Scent of Poppies is a short book that packs a punch, honestly, I’ll be thinking about this book for a while, it is an eerie and chilling story. I didn’t think that having a ghost story set at Christmas would be all that effective but actually, it is the perfect setting for such a story, the cold winter atmosphere and people generally being more good-natured works so well to set against what is happening to Charlie.

Charlie is an interesting character. He is a bit of a scoundrel, but I still felt bad for him when things started to go wrong for him, even though I also knew I shouldn’t. I liked that everything that happens is a result of his poor choices and that he is being forced to deal with the consequences in quite a terrifying way.

I also liked the way the memories of the War were weaved into Charlie’s reality. As it slowly gets worse and worse, it changes his mindset a little, though not enough to change his outcome.

Whilst it was a little gruesome for me at points, although perhaps not to a seasoned horror reader, I enjoyed the atmosphere that the author created in this story and I was captivated from start to finish.

This was a really good novella! The author was able to add a lot of atmosphere and impact in such a short novel. I also love the nod to the impact of the war and the horror the soldiers had to deal with as well as all the people who profited on their lives.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this was like reading A Christmas Carol in an alternate universe. I shan't explain myself.

I had enjoyed the previous books from Victoria Williamson and enjoyed the concept of this book. It had that horror element that I was looking for and was invested in what was going on. The characters were everything that I was wanting and thought it worked as a Gothic novel. It uses the Christmas element that I was looking for and was enjoying the concept.

I loved this novella! It's very atmospheric and it really brings you into the time between the two World Wars in England. For a novella this short I thought it did the trick really well and wrapped everything up to a satisfying level. My only wish is that, honestly, we'd seen a bit more of an arc with the main character. He doesn't really grow throughout the course of the novella, which makes sense because it's 40 pages, but.

This is an extremely good book for someone other than me.

Very vivid and well-written. A little more in the "gore" end of the horror spectrum than the "creepy" end, which is where I usually stay. I can absolutely see where the M.R. James comparisons come from, but for me it wasn't M.R. James-like *enough*.

A good story, right level of spookness and good storytelling. liked it
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A very quick read. More spooky than horror, but a nice way to pass time over a cup of tea on an evening. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the quick character development of Charlie.

Charlie Briggs, con man, thief, and occasional murderer when the situation arises, has left London to gain a little respite from those who would harm him, and has arrived in the quiet town of Petersfield. Always on the lookout for something of value he can steal and launder through his underworld contacts, he is drawn to a rare book shop…..”The smell of books came wafting from every corner of the shop. The sweet musk of old volumes lovingly bound in soft leather”....By chance he identifies a first edition of “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu which had belonged to a young man called Arthur Richards, presented to him by his father on his 18th birthday. Arthur was yet another sacrificial lamb in the senseless slaughter of innocents that was WW1. True to his vocation Charlie steals the book, knowing that this is the key to his fortune, and his future, but unfortunately for him this simple act of theft opens his mind to all the horrors, death, and indiscriminate use of mustard gas that was WW1…..”Yet somehow Charlie couldn’t shake the chill that closed around his bones and bit deep. His fear took shape, manifesting as a yellow fog that rolled in from the narrow alleyways and enveloped the gaslights. He’d seen that fog before, and he knew what it meant. He forced his aching feet on faster fighting the urge to look over his shoulder”....

The background of the 1st world war is perfect material to showcase horror.Those who fought everyday, and indeed died, endured and witnessed the most diabolic acts forever imprinted on their minds, never to recover. Charlie Briggs by his selfless act of theft and total lack of respect will soon be drawn into the bloody conflict there to see and experience the short life of Arthur, and live to regret his action, and his greed which will be repaid in full. This is a book that is suitable to both teenagers and adults, as the author brilliantly encompasses an edge of the seat horror story with the terror of young men trapped in mud filled trenches, mown down by machine gun fire, their bodies forever maimed by the barbaric use of chemical warfare. Highly recommended.

4.5 ⭐ rounded up

I loved the storytelling flair & imagination of 'The Haunting Scent of Poppies'. It has a great central idea, elegantly executed. It feels best not to give too much plot away, for risk of spoilers, as it's a short book.

Although it has elements of horror, and a low-life criminal protagonist. it felt like a relatively cosy read. It evokes the sense of being round the fireside being told a ghost story. It was enjoyably atmospheric, but I never forgot it was fiction. This isn't really a quibble, more an observation.

It's a quick read - NetGalley says 100 pages, but GoodReads says 59 for the kindle version, and I found I raced through it. I enjoyed the story at the length it was, which felt just right, but felt the book description could have been clearer.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This is a grim little novella set in England right after the Great War. The protagonist, a petty criminal named Charlie Briggs, is hiding out in a small town when he comes across a valuable book that he can’t help stealing. In doing so, Charlie inadvertently brings home the horrors of war. He’s plagued by nightmarish visions and the scent of mustard gas. But is this a hallucination or a haunting?

Vivid and atmospheric, this book would be the perfect companion for a dark winter evening. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

The Haunting Scent of Poppies is a spine-tingling ghost story that perfectly captures the early 20th-century atmosphere, evoking the style of M.R. James.

A year after the Great War's end, unrepentant burglar and swindler Charlie Briggs finds himself lying low in the quiet town of Petersfield, Hampshire, just before Christmas. With London too dangerous after his latest escapades, Charlie bides his time—but his opportunistic nature refuses to rest. When he spots a rare French edition of The Art of War by Sun Tzu in the hands of a local bookseller, he seizes what he believes to be the score of a lifetime.

However, Charlie's plans soon unravel as he's plagued by ghastly visions of the war he escaped through a forged medical exemption. Once a conflict he saw only as an opportunity to exploit vulnerable veterans, it now looms over him in haunting detail. Yet these spectral memories are not the only thing pursuing him—something far more real and menacing, ragged and relentless, stalks his every move through the streets of Petersfield.

I thought this was a cute spooky novella in time for Christmas. I love the ideas behind it such as curses and ghosts. It was definitely different, and I did enjoy it. It was cute and cozy and perfect for this time of year. I wish it would have been longer and more depth to the book.

Thank you Net Galley ARC

It is after the Great War, and Charlie, a like long thief and petty criminal must leave London before nabbed by the police. This novella starts a little heavy-handed and plodding, but it rallies quickly and becomes a scary revenge tale of ill intentions and Dickens-like comeuppance.

Charlie sees the score of a lifetime in a small-town bookstore. But this first edition of The Art of War has a history and a haunting and the careless, cruel thief learns that a lifetime of cowardice can bring his nightmares to life.

A Winter Christmas story, with a weak beginning but a strong and satisfying ending.

A classic spooky ghost story with some vibes from A Christmas Carol, this was a fun novella to read. The author's prose is beautiful with great imagery. I'm not a fan of wartime stories but this one was a good read.

This is a pretty okay book. It was not as enticing as they synopsis makes it sound, so unfortunately the book overall was not the best in my opinion

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!