Iron Canuck Reviews & More: Review Tour: The Folly at Raighvan Park by Judith Crow with an excerpt, a giveaway, and my review, 99 cents

The Folly at Raighvan Park

by Judith Crow

GENRE: Gothic Horror

BLURB:

Desperate to escape memories of a devastating railway accident, Lord Stretton accepts an invitation to Raighvan Park, the home of his childhood friend, Sir David Joyce.

But Stretton discovers that Raighvan Park is not the safe haven he had been seeking. The ghosts which have haunted him since the accident seem to have followed him, and the situation grows darker when human remains are discovered at Sir David’s proposed folly.

Are the ghosts of the accident still stalking him? Or is there something more sinister at work at Raighvan Park?

EXCERPT:

“You were expecting Father Jeremiah’s treasure?” he ventured, and Sir David nodded. “But this is equally as exciting!” Rosewood bent down and picked up the skull from one of the skeletons so he could look at it. “These are the very people who lived at Raighvan before you. Face to face, current and previous owners. Only-” He stopped suddenly and shuffled the skull in his hand so he could observe it more closely. “Oh, that is interesting.”

“Do share, Rosewood,” Sir David said, although the frown on his face suggested he could not find any common ground with the antiquarian at this point in time. “Tell us what is so interesting.”

“See the lesions within the skull here?” Rosewood asked, holding up the grisly object to invite the gentlemen to peer at it.

“Doubtless caused by one of the shovels,” Sir David said. “I can’t say I instructed the men to be particularly careful.”

A ripple of laughter followed his words, which Rosewood joined in with before shaking his head. “No, Sir David. I am convinced these lesions were present in life. This poor fellow – or woman maybe – had leprosy. I’ve no doubt of it.”

“Leprosy?” Sir David’s eyes flashed as he took a dramatic step backwards. “I say, Rosewood, perhaps you oughtn’t be waving that thing around?”

“There’s no harm now,” Henry Rosewood replied, shrugging his shoulders before he returned the skull to the headless skeleton. “Did you know the chapel had been a lazar house?”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Judith was born in Orkney, grew up in Lincolnshire and now lives in the far north of Scotland. Her work draws inspiration from folklore, experience and the natural world.

The Backwater, Judith’s debut book, was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2019, and her novel, Honour’s Rest, was a finalist in the Eyelands Book Award as well as being selected as a "top book for teens" for Winter 2021 in The Scotsman.

When she isn’t writing, Judith is a teacher at a primary school in Caithness. She sometimes finds that writing gets usurped by crafting, music, and being a generally doting spaniel owner.

The book will be on sale for $0.99.

U.S. Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Folly-Raighvan-Park-chilling-novella/dp/1913182428/

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GIVEAWAY:

Judith Crow will be awarding a £10 Crowvus Voucher to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4706/

My Review - 4 of 5 stars -

This was an interesting dark tale. I did not quite expect the ending to St. John Stretton's journey to be what it was. There was plenty of ghosts, bones, death, and more to keep me guessing what would happen next. At times, I felt sorry for him and others I would just shake my head. The picture of two ways to handle tragedy proved quite a study in human nature.