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The Winter Guest W. C. Ryan

The Winter Guest By W. C. Ryan

The Winter Guest by W. C. Ryan

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Summary

Half abandoned and filled with ghosts - both real and imagined - the noble family within co-exist only as the balance of their secrets is kept. For there are mysteries at the heart of this family. And Tom's arrival will set into motion a series of events that may become deadly .

The Winter Guest Summary

The Winter Guest: The perfect gripping, atmospheric mystery to escape into by W. C. Ryan

A gripping mystery with a classic feel, for fans of Agatha Christie 'Haunting and exquisitely written. Part intricate mystery and part ghost story. This book will stay with me for a long time' Anna Mazzola 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. Praise for THE WINTER GUEST and W.C. Ryan 'A snowflake of a novel: intricate, exquisite, and unlike any other. If Sebastian Faulks and Laura Purcell were to join forces, they might produce a novel like this... yet I can't imagine anyone but WC Ryan shaping it with such imagination, or charging it with such intelligence, or gracing it with such heart' A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window 'Haunting, gripping . . . hugely evocative' Elodie Harper 'Works superbly on several levels. This is a most welcome winter guest indeed, to be greeted by the fire with drink in hand' Irish Times 'Ryan evokes this moody, gothic atmosphere with convincing skill. Harkin is a sensitive, complex character and his quest to solve the mystery is deftly plotted. A treat' The Times 'A perfectly crafted mystery. Vivid, compelling and deeply moving, it is a triumph both as a crime novel and a work of historical fiction' Jane Casey 'A beautifully taut and evocative thriller' Sarah Hilary 'Superb . . . I could not put it down' Elizabeth Buchan 'Atmospheric and genuinely eerie, this is an ideal winter read' Sinead Crowley 'A terrifically atmospheric, gripping novel' Amanda Craig, The Golden Rule 'Haunting, beautifully crafted, and full of heart. Perfect reading for dark days' A.K. Benedict, author of The Christmas Murder Game 'Beautifully written, haunting and unmissable' Cass Green 'Excellent murder mystery/ghost story set during the Irish war of independence and as usual with W.C. Ryan, beautifully written' Liz Nugent 'Intriguing, haunting, romantic and beautifully written, I cared as much about the fate of the characters as about the gripping mystery' Laura Marshall

The Winter Guest Reviews

Ryan evokes this moody, gothic atmosphere with convincing skill. Harkin is a sensitive, complex character and his quest to solve the mystery is deftly plotted. A treat. * The Times *
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 *
Ryan writes with precision and elegance... This is the best historical crime novel set in Ireland I have read. * Literary Review *
In 2018, WC Ryan published A House Of Ghosts, a superb period mystery with spooky overtones, and now he returns with an equally engrossing read. A clever whodunnit with a bracing whiff of the supernatural. * Daily Express *
A snowflake of a novel: intricate, exquisite, and unlike any other. Here, as in his every book, Ryan once again recalls Graham Greene - the command of plot, the precision of language - but The Winter Guest also finds him summoning the dark-rose spectres of haunted-house classics like The Woman in Black. If Sebastian Faulks and Laura Purcell were to join forces, they might produce a novel like this... yet I can't imagine anyone but WC Ryan shaping it with such imagination, or charging it with such intelligence, or gracing it with such heart. * AJ Finn, international bestselling author of The Woman in the Window *
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 *
A serendipitously timed, impeccably researched and utterly intriguing historical mystery that lays bare the societal fractures caused in Ireland's fight for freedom. * Irish Independent *
Excellent murder mystery/ghost story set during the Irish war of independence and as usual with W.C. Ryan, beautifully written. * Liz Nugent *
A beautifully taut and evocative thriller. * Sarah Hilary *
Ryan adroitly marshals a dense plot in a thriller that bears comparison with both le Carre and Buchan. William Ryan - writing here as WC Ryan - has a le Carre-like facility with genre. Like le Carre, Ryan's novels converge at the point where crime fiction, the historical novel and the spy thriller intersect. His Russian crime series, featuring Captain Alexei Korolev of the Moscow Militia, established his reputation as a compelling storyteller. Ryan's story commands your undivided attention . . . his marshalling of his extremely dense plot is deft and assured . . . and the tension builds to a crescendo that keeps the reader guessing until the final pages. His prose is richly evocative of the historical period. Seriously impressive . . . a ripping yarn. * Sunday Times (Ireland) *
Apart from the immaculately paced plot, there's an aura in this novel that's quite bewitching, with the dead coming and going like the west wind, wordless but somehow profound. Harkin's loneliness is so palpable it's like a solid thing, bringing John Banville's Quirke and PD James's Dalgliesh to mind. He is a man mired in darkness but vaguely attempting to reach for some elusive shaft of light. Here's hoping we encounter him again. * Sunday Irish Independent *
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 *
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 *
Intriguing, haunting, romantic and beautifully written, I cared as much about the fate of the characters as about the gripping mystery. * Laura Marshall *
The horrors of the First World War spill into an Irish countryside aflame with revolution in this superb tale of treachery, murder and divided loyalties. Excellent. * Michael Ridpath, author of The Diplomat's wife. *
A stunning book, beautifully written. I'm haunted by it. * Ann Cleeves *
A beautifully written, atmospheric novel about Ireland in 1921, betrayal and spies, an ambush and a brutal murder. Agatha Christie meets Elizabeth Bowen with an edge of Graham Greene. I loved it * Jane Casey *

About W. C. Ryan

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.

Additional information

GOR012368454
9781838771508
1838771506
The Winter Guest: The perfect gripping, atmospheric mystery to escape into by W. C. Ryan
W. C. Ryan
Used - Like New
Hardback
Zaffre
20220106
352
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
The book has been read, but looks new. The book cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket is included if applicable. No missing or damaged pages, no tears, possible very minimal creasing, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins

Customer Reviews - The Winter Guest