Thursday 13 October 2011

The Poisoned House Review


Author: Michael Ford
Publication Date: August 1, 2011
Published By: Albert Whitman and Company
Format: Hardcover, 328 pages

*This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Summary
Life can be cruel for a servant girl in 1850's London. Fifteen-year-old Abi is a Scullery maid in Greave Hall, an elegant but troubled household. The widowed master f the house is slowly slipping into madness, and the tyrannical housekeeper, Mrs. Cotton, puishes Abi without Mercy. But there is something else going on in Greave Hall too. An otherworldly presence is making itself know and a deadly secret will reveal itself--a secret that will shatter everything Abi knows.

My Thoughts
I'm not huge on Historical Fiction but I will read it if it has a paranormal element to keep me interested, I find them stuffy with a lot of unneeded detail that you get lost in. The poisoned House was surprisingly easy to read with a steady plot and great characters.
This was a great classic ghost story I easily got lost in and the mystery kept me guessing right to the very end. The author gives you important breadcrumbs throughout the story to keep you involved but not so much you figure it all out, lose interest and end up thinking the  protagonist is a total airhead for not grasping the situation sooner.
Abi is instantly likable, she is strong willed and believes in herself despite having zero social standing and having only the other workers in the house to lean on for support. 
If you like a good ghost/mystery The Poisoned House is a quick easy read and completely entertaining. I give it 4 out of 5.

2 comments:

I appreciate everyone's comments, I read them all. So keep 'em comin ;)