Today I have a review of this wonderful short story to share with you along with an extract. First of all let's take a look at the book...
DEATH OF A CUCKOO
BY WENDY PERCIVAL
Genre:
Cosy Mystery
Series:
An Esme
Quentin Short Read
Release
Date: 6 March 2017
Publisher:
sBooks
A letter. A
photograph. A devastating truth.
When Gina
Vincent receives a letter of condolence from a stranger following her mother’s
death, a photograph slipped inside reveals a disturbing truth – everything
she’s ever known is based on a lie. Shocked and disorientated, she engages
genealogy detective Esme Quentin to help search for answers.
The trail
leads to an isolated and abandoned property on the edge of Exmoor, once the
home of a strict Victorian institution called The House of Mercy and its
enigmatic founder, whose influence seems to linger still in the fabric of the
derelict building.
As they dig
deeper, Esme realises that the house itself hides a dark and chilling secret,
one which must be exposed to unravel the mystery behind Gina’s past.
But someone is intent on keeping the
secret hidden. Whatever it takes.
LINKS
Buy link:
Goodreads link:
EXTRACT
I
ran down the steps and squeezed my way down the slim passage. In the recess was
a narrow door but it didn’t match the faded, peeling paint of the remainder of
the house’s decoration. It was brighter, as though it had been protected from
the elements. As I stepped closer, I realised that’s exactly what had happened.
Under my feet were pieces of broken planking. Until very recently, this doorway
had been covered by a decorative panel and disguised. So who had uncovered it?
It couldn’t have been there at the viewing.
S
My Review
As soon as I read the description for this book I knew I would enjoy it. With the perfect combination of a mystery and delving into the past I couldn't put this book down. I loved the introduction of Gina and how she made her discovery then as she meets with Esme the story really gets going. You get a real feel for Gina's character as you see her world turn upside down. To know that people you love have hidden the truth from you must be a terribly hard thing to discover.
This story is a short read but there is so much packed into this book and it never once felt rushed. The plot held my interest throughout as Gina and Esme put everything together to uncover the truth. Anyone who loves history will be guaranteed to enjoy this story especially if you are a fan of genealogy. I love the way that Wendy Percival has written this story with brilliant descriptions of how Esme goes about uncovering facts and details.
It really was the perfect way to spend a couple of hours all the while keeping me entertained and I loved the mystery! This story has definitely got my attention and it will be a pleasure to read more books by Wendy Percival.
Death of a Cuckoo has a wonderful combination of engaging characters and an intriguing story!
Thank you to Brook Cottage Books and Wendy Percival for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.
ABOUT WENDY PERCIVAL
Wendy
Percival was born in the West Midlands and brought up in the Worcestershire
countryside. After training as a primary school teacher she moved to North
Devon in 1980 to take up her first teaching post and remained in teaching for
20 years.
An impulse
buy of Writing Magazine inspired her to start writing seriously. She won
Writing Magazine’s Summer Ghost Story competition in 2002 and had a short story
published in The People’s Friend before focusing on full length fiction.
The time
honoured ‘box of old documents in the attic’ stirred her interest in genealogy
and became the inspiration for the Esme Quentin mystery novels Blood-Tied
and The Indelible Stain. She is currently working on the third in the
series, where the clandestine past of the Second World War provides the secret
world into which Esme must delve to uncover the truth.
When she’s
not writing fiction, Wendy conducts her own family history research, sharing
her finds on her blog, www.familyhistorysecrets.blogspot.com.
Wendy lives
in a Devon thatched cottage beside a 13th century church with her husband and a
particularly talkative cat.
You can find more on her website www.wendypercival.co.uk.
Author Links
Facebook:
http://bit.ly/2mJj8TC
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/wendy_percival
Goodreads
Author Page: http://bit.ly/2lhecIA
Website:
http://www.wendypercival.co.uk
Publisher:
http://sbooks.co.uk
Thanks for your enthusiastic review, Rae.. I'm so pleased you enjoyed reading "Death of a Cuckoo" and meeting Gina and Esme!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, I am looking forward to reading more of your books x
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