Contents:
But it is to her that Elena turns when, pregnant with her first child, she is tormented by nightmares in which she dashes the baby's head against a wall. A deal is struck between the two that is supposed to bring Elena relief but which in fact lands her in continuing danger, terror, and despair.
Through her ordeal, Elena is under the protection of Raffe, an Italian castrato now in the service of Lady Anne. Raffe was himself a sacrifice, as he lost his sex when his parents enlisted him in the local monastic choir, a futile loss as poor Raffe turned out to have no voice worth mentioning.
He enlists the help of another marginal character, Mother Margot, madam of the best whorehouse in Norwich, who takes Elena in but who expects something from her in return. They are monsters both, determined to impose their will as they please and unaware that they too are in the grip of a destiny they do not comprehend. Raffe and Margot, a dwarf, are physically distinctive; Gwytha is feared for the power she may possess to curse and charm and thus lives outside the village; Elena is a fugitive, a suspected baby-killer.
Lady Anne has been dispossessed of her lands at the death of her husband and her son. Yet as sympathetic as we may be to these for what they have suffered, they demonstrate the sad truth that suffering does not necessarily ennoble. It may warp the psyche and destroy the generosity of spirit necessary to be genuinely good.
Also if found the others in the brothel will risk death also. This is an in-depth novel, nearly pages long, but with such a well thought through story and impressive taut pace, it is a smooth and engrossing read.
It seems that in the other two books the story line would twist and turn to keep you guessing. I love the way Maitland works elements of the supernatural into the plot without fanfare, so seamlessly you can easily believe magical beings and powerful witches really existed as part of everyday life back in medieval times the story is part-narrated by a mandrake, and one of many subplots involves a pair of cunning women with an ancient grudge. More details would have produced more empathy for her. I have my standards. And into the Norfolk village of Gastmere comes a new Lord of the Manor — the cruel and bloodthirsty Osborn, not long returned from crusading. Jud has just landed his biggest case yet.
It has lots of twists and turns and is a book that also works as a wonderful escape. Undoubtedly it will also prove to be a very popular read. London's crimes have changed over the centuries, both in method and execution.
Underworld London traces these developmen Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Wainwright Shortlist Book Bundle! Zakias is as crooked as they come, and has a politician and some of the police force on his side.
His project, however, has released violent, vicious ghosts, and unless he can be stopped, all of London is in danger. Maggots erupting from the skeletal gaping maws of long-dead murders' ghosts.
The Gallows Curse has ratings and reviews. karen said: this is probably the best book i have ever read that is narrated entirely by a mandrake. The Gallows Curse has ratings and 35 reviews. Jack said: I decided to read ' The Gallows Curse' because I have already read another book in the series.
This is what many of my readers ask for. Luckily, all the gore is ghost induced. I have my standards. As long as it's not gore perpetrated by humans And this is where Colfer crossed the line in The Reluctant Assassin , I'm better with it. I did like the MI5 division, and the historical tie in was awesome. Only available in paperback. I didn't particularly care for Jud; the character development across the board was lacking. That said, none of my students ever come and ask for books with excellent character development, although they frequently ask for gory books!
Mar 29, Sierra rated it did not like it. I will freely admit I am not a big horror fan, but I do read some offerings in the genera. The premise of this book drew me in, a group of ghost fighting teenagers sounded cool. I started getting worried within the first ten minutes of picking up the book. The first scene is of a ghost attacking a subway train full of people. Seriously, the scene had so much blood and bugs, it was ridiculous not scary.
Hoping the author was just trying to draw people in with the shocking depictions in the first few pages, I read on. I was hoping in vain as it soon became apparent that the author had no intention of putting a lid on his overly dramatic writing style. What really made me give up on the book was the main character.
All he seemed to do was whine about his job or admire himself. He actually replays a clip of himself getting out of a helicopter and ridding off on a motorcycle, pretending it is a music video. Did anyone order a narcissist?! May 14, Serendipity Reviews rated it really liked it. After reading this book, I was convinced that I would never travel on the London Underground again!
This book has to be the most goriest, scariest book I have read this year. I would have freaked out completely if London had ever suffered the scenarios described in this book. The characters are really intense. Especially Jud, who has every reason to be and takes his role as a paranormal investigator extremely seriously. You wa After reading this book, I was convinced that I would never travel on the London Underground again!
You want him to lighten up just a tad, but you can see why he can't as he is living a lie and the guilt is eating away at him. Zakis, the billionaire property owner was ruthless and his actions were rather sickening - I really didn't like the way he treated people, fortunately he got his comeuppance. The chapters are short and sharp, adding to the intenseness of the story.
You find yourself quickly gasping at each situation as you race from one to another. The evil in the book just builds and builds with so much tension until you feel it erupting. As the book progresses all the hauntings and gruesome attacks begin to make sense as Jud and Bex work out why these events are happening. It is like a child's dot to dot, when all the events are placed together, you understand why they are happening. These are some seriously angry ghosts. If you love gore and gruesome thrillers,then this book is definitely for you.
A brilliant debut from hopefully a series that will continue. Think Pirates of the Caribbean meets Hellraiser! Sep 09, Susan Mann rated it liked it.
Talk about creepy, this book oozes creepiness, but in a good way. It will have you gripped from start to finish and you won't want to go into the London underground alone again. So when a string of brutal attacks start with reports of ghosts and a highwayman, CRYPT are on the case. Jud one of the main characters leads the investigations and takes his job very seriously.
He is an excellent character if Talk about creepy, this book oozes creepiness, but in a good way. He is an excellent character if not a little intense at times. He let his temper get the better of him, but all in all a good guy. I wasn't as keen on Zakis, I felt his character was a little lacking and I didn't like the way he was towards people.
They do have some very cool gadgets. Working undercover CRYPT must get rid of the ghosts which are running amok in the city, feasting on the living. They are searching for clues, but finding it difficult to keep it under the radar. This book is a real page turner, you will not want to put it down. A fun but scary read. Parts of the book are barbaric, gory and down right creepy, some death scenes are very gruesome, but if you like that sort of thing, this book is for you.
I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series. I would highly recommend this book, if you love gore and being scared, then this book is for you. It is gripping and exciting. There is horror, gore, ghosts and lots of things that go bump in the night. I would definitely read the next in the series.
Source — Many thanks to Headline, a copy was received at an event for review, a second copy was received and has been given away in one of our giveaways: Dec 11, Sarah rated it liked it. My heart was constantly racing and the anticipation I felt for what would happen next made this book a page-turner. I found it kind of creepy, the idea of weird ghost things that are men who were hung in their past lives that transform from invisible particles of air to unstoppable man-killing beasts There could have been more squirm-inducing gritty stuff, but it did alright.
Ohmygod - Zakis is a manipulative, greedy tool! Definitely did NOT like him. Lastly, Lester's secret is intriguing and My heart was constantly racing and the anticipation I felt for what would happen next made this book a page-turner. Lastly, Lester's secret is intriguing and I felt betrayed for him when his secret was almost exposed Just coz when you find out the truth, and it's like, only two people believe him Then he feels trapped and he can't do anything without being watched by the cops and stuff By the way, how annoying is that reporter??
I was so glad when Lester punched him. Anyway, hopefully the next book will be just as good. Feb 06, Deviki rated it it was amazing Shelves: Ok I randomly picked this book during a book sale. I made the right choice! This book was a page turner, I love the story, the characters, the story pace I like the character development, love the structure of the story and how the author kept the supernatural 'incident' upbeat.
I will look for the author in the future!! What I mean what, Jud, Bex and other agents were trying their best but it was Du Val who actually managed to stop everything! But still it was not bad, atleast Zakis got it LOL Sep 27, Aurora rated it it was ok. It picked up near the end but I wasn't really feeling the characters.
Everyone acted like adults. I guess the author just needed a 'Y' to fill in his acronym. The general statements really dulled down the life of the minor characters. It It picked up near the end but I wasn't really feeling the characters. It just felt like padding. For a team of supposedly well-trained youth with a lot of money and resources they were pretty useless. Dec 07, Beth rated it really liked it. I was very surprised at how much I liked this book! We were sent the 4th in the series by The Guardian to read so I bought the first few to give them a try and thought it was a great ghost story for readers of aged about 11 up.
The plot was fast-paced and very much kept you reading to find out what happens, bringing the story to a satisfyi I was very surprised at how much I liked this book! The plot was fast-paced and very much kept you reading to find out what happens, bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!! Jan 18, Shayden rated it it was amazing.
Nov 18, Mel rated it it was amazing.
The prologue was just right, not too long or too short, giving just the right amount away to hook the reader. The fictional science actually made sense which made the book easier to relate to. Definitely a stereotypical boys book, but a brilliant one! I will definitely be reading the rest in the series. Does anyone know if the author Andrew Hammond is the brother of top gears Richard Hammond?
They look very much alike! Feb 13, Beth Montgomery rated it liked it Shelves: Lots of gore and gruesome violence, ghouls and ghosties etc. I was a bit overcome by the level of violence but the pace of the book and the plot were what kept me going. I had to say I didn't take to the lead character much, but I liked his sidekick Bex.