If you choose to fight the Crone, you lose an ally in the coming battle. However, Anna lives, and the Bloody baron and the wife ride off into the sunset, never to be seen again. Melpomene. One of the many tragic muses etched into Greek mythology, one who feeds on misery, tragedy, misgivings, a being so heinous that anyone careless enough to draw inspiration from such a creature shall only end up driving themselves mad.

Her first night in the cottage, Kiera starts seeing ghosts using a new "muscle" she has discovered. (Note about the ridiculous overuse of this muscle at end of review) The local townspeople offer to help Kiera figure out who she is or take her to the police. She wants nothing to do with either option, insisting she is probably a criminal. If you were being chased through the woods by men with guns, who definitely are not the police, would your first response be "I must be a criminal!"? Hmm. Oh, I struggled with my rating on this one. Literally, my head was like: 3? 4? 3? 4? Maybe 4? No, 3. Really creepy gothic horror finds its perfect setting in a Victorian theatre, full of superstition, ambition and dramatic exits!

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With a gold seal winner badge on the alluring front cover of The Whispering by Veronica Lando, this 2021 Banjo Prize recipient immediately caught my eye. A quintessential Aussie crime noir, The Whispering is a tale of the past, secrets, homecoming, tragedy and conjecture. It was a thrilling slice of local crime fiction. Callum’s family left town soon after his accident. I’d assumed he left under a cloud but we learn otherwise. There was nothing suspicious about his departure, just sadness. It coincided however with the disappearance of a teenage girl Amelia. The namesake (and would-have-been-aunt) of a toddler who disappeared from the same area almost two decades later.

This is a fantastic debut novel for the author and it's easy to see why it won the 2021 Banjo Prize for Fiction. The storyline is very absorbing, with two timelines complementing each other nicely to create a tension filled read. Both time periods are narrated by lead character Callum who feels connected to the rainforest and wants to solve the mystery of the missing man in the present. Callum is a flawed man who has long-lasting consequences from an incident in the rainforest years ago, which he can't quite remember the circumstances of. The local town is a classic small-town where residents know more than they admit to and turn blind eyes to things they shouldn't. Any praise you see or hear about The Whispering is warranted, congratulations to Veronica Lando on a noteworthy debut. Keira finds herself hunted, and lost in the woods. She stumbles upon a cemetery where a kindly clergyman gives her refuge. Adage allows her to stay in the old groundskeeper's cottage while they figure things out. The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell is definitely a contender for book of the year. The plight of a young woman trying to make ends meet to care for her family. Their brother ran off with another man’s fiancée and stole from Jenny’s employer threatening to bring her record into disrepute. The story is told in Victorian London and let me tell you – I was right there. I imagined the cobbled streets, the smog, the costumes, the inequality. Laura Purcell has a way of transporting her readers into the heart of the tale with her strong narrative skills. A tremor shook Lilith's frame. Her eyes flew open, fixed and staring at the gallery. The audience looked over their shoulders. Did she see something we couldn't?”Anyone else who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team, so our Fraud team can investigate. There’s many topical themes in the book, all added with a deft touch, including domestic violence, racism, sexual harassment, date rape and PTSD. I worry about the next book. As I said above, I do want to read it. But I’m really afraid that it’s going to end with more loose ends, no solutions, and then I’m going to be kind of mad I read it. I’m both a masochist and an optimist. I’ll try the next one, but I’ll be expecting and hoping for much more! Once inside the theatre, Jenny discovers that this is going to be more than just a simple job of dressing and reporting activities to Mrs Dyer. Whilst Lilith is not the kindest of people Jenny soon finds herself ‘bewitched’ by her and wonders if she has fallen in too deep. As more and more tragedy befalls the theatre Jenny begins to question who the enemy really is and is the curse of Melpomene true? These guidelines and standards aim to keep the content on Booking.com relevant and family-friendly without limiting expression of strong opinions. They are also applicable regardless of the sentiment of the comment.

ARC provided by Ben at Bloomsbury Books. Thank you for the copy! All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. Discover the beauty of the Highlands at a hotel with fantastic views of Loch Lochy and the Great Glen. Ideal for peaceful romantic weekend breaks in Inverness-shire's scenic countryside or fun activity holidays in the Highlands. Located in the "outdoor capital of the UK", rest assured that the local area offers a superb variety of outdoor activities and more brilliant views, providing a wide range of entertainment options when staying in this small but perfectly balanced hotel. Okay look, Darcy Coates tried to do something somewhat different than normal. I can see that. I recognize it. She’s done it a few times. But in this case, I didn’t really like it. I do think she writes tried and true haunted house stories best.Okay so Emma had a child to Frank and left it in the mill's secret room so she could find Frank. Frank kills himself right over said room bug doesn't hear anything from the baby? You know what's driving me insane about this is that it's just Keira saying "it must have happened this way". So the baby died overnight in the summer and inside the secret room? Ummm okay! I hate Keira's speculation.

It sure left a whole lot unanswered though. I know it's to build anticipation for the next book, and it's not a cliff-hanger exactly. But I really want some of the questions answered. Like who she was before she lost her memory and who it was that was chasing her and why. Isn't she supposed to be keeping a low profile? Why does she just go to town to get cat food for a cat that isn't hers? Lando’s lead is an excellent character and I gravitated towards this figure from the early moments of the novel, right through to the dramatic close. A man with an inherent drive to get to the truth, I greatly admired Callum’s tough resolve. I also found Callum’s past history in regards to his family and acquaintances interesting to uncover. The folk of Granite Creek are a fantastic conglomeration and I saw them as a very solid representation of a community feeling the impact of such long standing tragedy. Lando interrogates this aspect of her novel at all points, making the community tension aspect a true highlight of this novel.The “whispering gallery” at Grand Central Station can be found in the terminal’s dining area on the lower floor outside the Oyster Bar & Restaurant . This is my first book by Purcell, but it’s safe to say it wont be my last. I’ve never quite felt as transported when reading historical gothic novels as I did with The Whispering Muse. Her atmospheric writing style wholly brings the theatre and the characters who inhabit it to life. Her use of the different parts of the book, each part focusing on a different play, was exceptionally done. Each part, and with it, each play seems to perfectly capture the atmosphere and feelings not only of the story but of the characters themselves, and the use of foreshadowing was just *chefs kiss.* I also enjoyed the mythological element. It was spooky without being outright fantasy, but had enough of the element to keep me on my toes, wondering whether the muse, Melpomene, was actually causing Liliths bizarre behaviours, or whether it was her obsession with needing to become a star so bright no one could ever forget her. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees. What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in nature. This was a fun, gothic read set in a Victorian theatre. I loved all the atmosphere and references to classic tragedies during this novel and the scene setting was vivid and colourful. I've had an absolute ball reading this with others via The Tandem Collective. Thank you, Tandem, for organising & publisher for the copy of the book.