Overview

The drive leads past the gate house and through the trees towards the big house, visible through the winter-bared branches. Its windows stare down at Harkin and the sea beyond . . . January 1921. Though the Great War is over, in Ireland a new, civil war is raging. The once-grand Kilcolgan House, a crumbling bastion shrouded in sea-mist, lies half empty and filled with ghosts - both real and imagined - the Prendevilles, the noble family within, co-existing only as the balance of their secrets is kept. Then, when an IRA ambush goes terribly wrong, Maud Prendeville, eldest daughter of Lord Kilcolgan, is killed, leaving the family reeling. Yet the IRA column insist they left her alive, that someone else must have been responsible for her terrible fate. Captain Tom Harkin, an IRA intelligence officer and Maud's former fiance, is sent to investigate, becoming an unwelcome guest in this strange, gloomy household. Working undercover, Harkin must delve into the house's secrets - and discover where, in this fractured, embattled town, each family member's allegiances truly lie. But Harkin too is haunted by the ghosts of the past and by his terrible experiences on the battlefields. Can he find out the truth about Maud's death before the past - and his strange, unnerving surroundings - overwhelm him? A haunting, atmospheric mystery set against the raw Irish landscape in a country divided, The Winter Guest is the perfect chilling read.

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9781838771508

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Reviews

A haunting, gripping novel . . . hugely evocative, with some absolutely beautiful writing which captures the profound unease of the times and the bleak nature of the landscape. I really loved this book. * Elodie Harper, The Wolf Den * A terrifically atmospheric, gripping novel. * Amanda Craig, author of The Golden Rule * The Winter Guest works superbly on several levels. As a mystery it unfolds in well-constructed, satisfyingly dramatised scenes, with sharp dialogue and an especially nice line in flirtatious banter. Ryan deftly sketches the contours of a society where friends and mortal enemies live at close quarters, and explores those shifting, volatile allegiances with subtlety and nuance. This is a most welcome winter guest indeed, to be greeted by the fire with drink in hand. * Irish Times * Excellent murder mystery/ghost story set during the Irish war of independence and as usual with W.C. Ryan, beautifully written. * Liz Nugent * Superb . . . an old war and new sectarianism, family division and decay, a love story, murder, layered in with such finesse and skill. I could not put it down. * Elizabeth Buchan * A beautifully taut and evocative thriller. * Sarah Hilary * Haunting and exquisitely written. Part intricate mystery and part ghost story. This book will stay with me for a long time. * Anna Mazzola * Atmospheric and genuinely eerie, this is an ideal winter read. * Sinead Crowley * Beautifully written, haunting and unmissable. * Cass Green * A master of the dark arts penning spine-tingling ghost stories. Ryan conjures up the perfect winter's tale... Perfectly pitched for the dark nights, The Winter Guest is a multi-layered, twisting turning masterpiece that moves deftly through a claustrophobic miasma of bitter recriminations, divided loyalties, ghostly shadows, deadly deeds, dangerous double-crossing, and thrills that chill to the bone. Entertaining, unsettling and utterly captivating, this is Ryan at his intelligent, storytelling best. Don't miss it! -- Pam Norfolk * Lancashire Evening Post * Intriguing, haunting, romantic and beautifully written, I cared as much about the fate of the characters as about the gripping mystery. * Laura Marshall *

A terrifically atmospheric, gripping novel. * Amanda Craig, author of The Golden Rule * Superb . . . an old war and new sectarianism, family division and decay, a love story, murder, layered in with such finesse and skill. I could not put it down. * Elizabeth Buchan * A beautifully taut and evocative thriller. * Sarah Hilary * A haunting, gripping novel . . . hugely evocative, with some absolutely beautiful writing which captures the profound unease of the times and the bleak nature of the landscape. I really loved this book. * Elodie Harper, The Wolf Den * Haunting and exquisitely written. Part intricate mystery and part ghost story. This book will stay with me for a long time. * Anna Mazzola * Atmospheric and genuinely eerie, this is an ideal winter read. * Sinead Crowley * Beautifully written, haunting and unmissable. * Cass Green *

A terrifically atmospheric, gripping novel. * Amanda Craig, author of The Golden Rule *

Author Information

W. C. Ryan is also known as William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier and the Korolev series of historical crime novels. His books have been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the CWA's Steel, Historical and New Blood Daggers, the Irish Fiction Award and the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year, as well as being published in 18 countries. William lives in London and teaches creative writing at City University.

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