Bell Tower, The

Nell West and her husband have been doing so well, they’ve decided to expand their antiques store in Oxford. During the renovation work, Nell uncovers all sorts of interesting bits from the past, most of it of no consequence. But a note written on an old piece of plaster written in 1850 has a sinister connotation and refers to a woman called Thaisa. Intrigued, Nell and her husband begin to investigate and their search takes them to a village in Dorset where an old bell tower stands. A bell tower whose bell has not rung since the time of Henry VIII, or so it is said. Because the locals claim they can still sometimes hear the bell ringing. The bell and it’s crumbling tower, along with a piece of music called Thaisa’s Song tell the Wests that they are on the right track to solve a 400 year old mystery. Rayne is a master at building suspense through beautifully written, elegant prose. To read one of her books is to be immersed in history and suspense

As her Oxford antique shop is being remodeled, Nell finds a sinister message on the wall dating back centuries--a message which leads her to uncover a secret buried centuries ago.. .A great choice for Anglophiles and ghost story aficionados.

Really enjoyable - great Halloween read

I've heard of Sarah Rayne before but never read any of her books. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to give one of them a try. What I found was a quite enjoyable mix of contemporary and historical British fiction, with a touch of the supernatural and suspense and a vast amount of "recovered" manuscripts from the 16th and 19th centuries, used to forward the plot. I enjoyed this dip into the past, the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, which figures into the history of the titular Bell Tower which is almost a character itself. The contemporary characters, Nell and Michael, live in Oxford and become swept up in the events of the past due to two events, purchasing a new property in Oxford and attending in a Revels anniversary in a small town, Rede Abbas.

If you enjoy such a mix of genres, with this mix of the current and historic and some artfully (as it seemed to me) recreated "historic documents," then this may well be a book for you. It is definitely a very enjoyable break from some of the more heavy reading I have been involved with lately.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Bell Tower is an amazing novel. I was entranced from the very start, and could easily understand why Nell West and Michael Flint became engrossed in the history of Thaisa's song and the tragedies that plagued Thaisa's descendants over the intervening centuries.

Thaisa's song is a lament, a dark dirge whose origins lie forgotten. Whenever the song is played or sung, death and despair follow. The tragic history is revealed through journals discovered by the characters and accounts of the monks of Rede Abbas.

Part of what makes The Bell Tower so fascinating is that the truth is discovered in bits and pieces. Thaisa, Andrew and Theodora live through their accounts. When coupled with the supernatural elements, it makes for an unforgettable tale. Even Maeve Eynon is a sympathetic, despite her madness. Wherein lies the power of Thaisa's song? Is it truly responsible for the deaths that follow in its wake? Read The Bell Tower to discover the truth.

5/5

Although The Bell Tower is classified as horror, it is not a horror novel per se. It is more a novel of gothic suspense, magnificent and haunting. The Bell Tower is available for preorder and will be released February 1, 2016.

I received a copy of The Bell Tower from Severn House and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Become ensorcelled by Thaisa's song

http://muttcafe.com/2016/01/the-bell-tower/

1/18/16

I may have accidentally finished the entire book in pretty much one sitting.

Now, admittedly, that's not terribly uncommon for me, but still, this was a lot of fun to read once I got into it.

I enjoyed the alternating viewpoints and the jumping back and forth in time. I was not expecting quite so much of this, and at one point when the viewpoint was on a character who was reading a diary of someone who was reading a diary, I did have to step back and go "woah," but it worked just fine and I didn't have any trouble keeping track of what was going on, though occasionally figuring out who knew what was trickier.

That's part of the fun of the book, though, personally. We, as readers, are much more aware of the history of things than the characters individually are, simply because we get to be in the heads (and reading over the shoulders) of all the characters. Each character has a piece of a very old puzzle, and putting them together was a lot of fun.

The characters themselves are interesting. I certainly didn't agree with all of their choices (we are not necessarily talking about good people all the time, here, and there is some weird stuff going on), but I was enthralled enough to overlook that. They were acting generally rationally given the information they had, and sometimes that's hard to pull off.

There were some twists I did not see coming, and I made a few wrong guesses along the way, which I always appreciate. Mysteries should not be totally obvious.

And this is a mystery, for all that "haunted house" seems to summon "horror". This is more Barbara Michaels-style than Stephen King, and I love that.

This appears to be the start of a series, which excites me, especially since there was a bit less "haunted house" in this one than I was hoping. I'll definitely be picking up the next ones, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

This book was provided to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nell is expanding her thriving antique shop. During renovations, she finds clues to a frightening past. She also discovers a link to a mysterious monastery on the coast that has fallen into the ocean. All that remains is the menacing ancient bell tower. It had been disabled years ago, but, when she goes to investigate it, she hears mysterious music and discovers more creepy truths.

This is a good, old-fashioned scary story. The history that our characters discover about both the antique store and the bell tower is both interesting and chilling. Although I did not become attached to the characters of this book, they, nonetheless, carry the story well. The perfect mixture of historical fiction, complete with the horror of Cromwell raiding monasteries and trying to ‘purify’ the church; modern day realism; the supernatural; and the intense suspense proves to be a winning combination. This book would make a great movie!

Things That Go Bump In The Night

Subjectively I can only give this two stars. This isn't a genre I dislike, it's a genre I loathe. Ghosts and supernatural stories spook me on a number of levels. I am uncomfortable reading them.

However, my dear readers, as a reviewer, this is an excellent opportunity for me to summon every gram of objectivity I possess!

This is the work of an experienced, confident writer, an author comfortable in her own skin. The narrative flows easily. The characters are defined and plot friendly. You warm to Nell right from the start. The historical accounts and journals are fascinating, more fact than fiction I think but they read as if they are from genuine documents. Very clever. The plot is tight and well-constructed. A palpable atmosphere is created throughout. If this genre is your bag, I think you will enjoy this story. And if you do you will be pleased to know that the protagonists feature in five other ghost stories by this writer. Ms Rayne, also writes supernatural thrillers under the name Frances Gordon.

So, objectively, I'll give this four stars. It might have made five but for some of the dialogue. Some of the exchanges between mother and daughter didn't quite work, they sounded contrived as did exchanges with some of the other characters.

I note that Sarah Rayne has also written some psychological thrillers. Given the competence with which this book is written I may just seek them out.

Whizz

I really enjoyed this book. It was nicely paced, lots of detail and quite a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming. This is the first book that I have read by Sarah Rayne but it certainly won't be the last, I normally read a lot of crime fiction and psychological thrillers but fancied a change and was so glad I picked up this one - I'm after her back catalogue now!

Sarah Rayne sucked me into the story and I found myself saying just one more chapter until I reached the end. Great read!

I love Sarah Rayne's books. I've been into this series ever since I stumbled upon "A Lady of Property". I hope to see a continuation of this series.