Ghosts

It’s a trait of ours to be attracted by fear as well as repulsed by it, so I was fascinated to read The Venetian. Having never tackled this genre before I decided to take the plunge. I must say, I was very glad I did.

61rrbvsmrdl The novel picks up in 2015 with a married couple Rob and Louise who venture to Venice for a romantic weekend. It is clear by the sultry nights and bizarre sights this weekend is going to be anything but normal. I visited Venice in 1972 and recall the hauntingly beautiful sunsets behind this city of canals. Taking us on a whirlwind tour of the winding streets with their Byzantine and Gothic architecture, Struthers devises a unique tour not only for her characters, but for her readers as well.

The focus at this point is mainly upon Louise, a sensitive young woman with a passion for the unknown, and after a fractious few hours with her husband, she sees something that will change the course of her entire weekend – a veiled lady that appears to be trapped between two worlds. As Louise tries to make sense of what she has seen, her passion to visit the island of Poveglia becomes stronger.

Woven into this tale is an English lady living in 1938, a Charlotte Evans bound for Venice with her new husband, Italian doctor, Enrico Sanuto. At this point forward, the pace accelerates as we see Charlotte in love but at the same time entrenched in the mysteries cultivated by two doctors bent on a path of discovery. As Charlotte begins her employment on Poveglia she plunges deeper and deeper into a vivid frightscape where she realizes nothing on the island is quite what it seems.

It becomes clear that these two resilient protagonists, although living in different time periods, are somehow linked. What I liked about this book was the tragedy behind the mystery and the sheer horror of an emerging truth. But most of all, the evil energies we suddenly begin to empathize with. Struthers captures the darkness beyond our perception with every turn of the page.

A treasure trove of detail, filled with suspense and curiosity and a deftly crafted read you won’t be able to put down. I was extremely grateful to TBC for giving me an ARC for an honest review.

The Venetian is published by Storyland Press/Authors Reach (August 4, 2016)

Full Five Star Amazon Review here

Book Description

An Amazon International Bestseller!

For fans of Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island, Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black and du Maurier’s Don’t Look Now

‘Welcome to the asylum…’

2015
Their troubled past behind them, married couple, Rob and Louise, visit Venice for the first time together, looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Not just a romantic destination, it’s also the ‘most haunted city in the world’ and soon, Louise finds herself the focus of an entity she can’t quite get to grips with – a ‘veiled lady’ who stalks her.

1938
After marrying young Venetian doctor, Enrico Sanuto, Charlotte moves from England to Venice, full of hope for the future. Home though is not in the city; it’s on Poveglia, in the Venetian lagoon, where she is set to work in an asylum, tending to those that society shuns. As the true horror of her surroundings reveals itself, hope turns to dust.

From the labyrinthine alleys of Venice to the twisting, turning corridors of Poveglia, their fates intertwine. Vengeance only waits for so long…

Endorsements:

Praise for Shani Struthers, author of the bestselling Psychic Surveys series and Jessamine:

“If you’ve ever watched Ghost Whisperer and enjoyed it, then you’ll love the Psychic Surveys series.” Paranormal Romance Guild

“I was gripped from the word go. Shani is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.” Orchard Book Club

“A ghost story that should stand the test of time.” Jesse Christiansen (author)

“This is one of the best ghost stories I have ever read (and I read a lot!)” Happy Customer

“Ms Struthers tells a gripping edge of your seat story of darkness and possession.” Andy Angel

“From the wickedly tantalizing opening, Highdown Hall never let’s up.” John Bowen

“A refreshing new take on an often overdone genre.” WildWelshWoman

“Eve is a poignant story with a knockout impact.” Mallory Heart Reviews

“This book had me enthralled, bewitched even with some of the wonderful descriptive passage. I was completely at its mercy throughout.” Ashrae – Top 500 Reviewer

“Shani Struthers goes from strength to strength as a writer.” Lady Roachford

Meet the Author

shani Born and bred in Brighton, I’m the author of several paranormal books, some set in and around my hometown, others further afield, in the world’s most haunted locations to be exact! After graduating from Sussex University with a degree in Sociology and English and American Literature, I became a freelance copywriter. Twenty years later, the day job involves crafting novels too. I don’t have much time for hobbies at the moment but when I can I enjoy reading, walking in all weathers and lazing with my family. I love chatting to my readers so do get in touch – I’ve a very active Facebook Author page and an occasional newsletter you can subscribe to (see the box below) for information on new books, competitions and special offers.

For a list of all Shani’s books on Amazon: Author Central on Amazon

More Books by Shani Struthers

Psychic Surveys Prequel: Eve – A Christmas Ghost Story
Psychic Surveys Book One: The Haunting of Highdown Hall
Psychic Surveys Book Two: Rise to Me
Psychic Surveys Book Three: 44 Gilmore Street
Blakemort – A Psychic Surveys Christmas Novella – COMING NOVEMBER 2016

For more books by Shani Struthers visit her website here

Why not visit Shani on Twitter and follower her on Facebook.

Born and bred in the sunny seaside town of Brighton, one of the first literary conundrums Shani had to deal with was her own name – Shani can be pronounced in a variety of ways but in this instance it’s Shay-nee not Shar-ney or Shan-ni – although she does indeed know a Shanni – just to confuse matters further!

Hobbies include reading and writing – so no surprises there. After graduating from Sussex University with a degree in English and American Literature, Shani became a freelance copywriter. Twenty years later, the day job includes crafting novels too. Writing both contemporary fiction and paranormal mystery, she is the author of The Runaway Year and The Runaway Ex, both published by Omnific Publishing. Her paranormal work is published by Crooked Cat Publishing and includes Jessamine and the bestselling Psychic Surveys Book One: The Haunting of Highdown Hall and Psychic Surveys Book Two: Rise to Me. All are available on Amazon.

The Return – published June 2015 – is the third in the Runaway series but can also be read as a standalone.

Psychic Surveys Book One: The Haunting of Highdown Hall – Synopsis…

‘Good morning, Psychic Surveys. How can I help?’

The latest in a long line of psychically-gifted females, Ruby Davis can see through the veil that separates this world and the next, helping grounded souls to move towards the light – or ‘home’ as Ruby calls it. Not just a job for Ruby, it’s a crusade and one she wants to bring to the High Street. Psychic Surveys is born.

Based in Lewes, East Sussex, Ruby and her team of freelance psychics have been kept busy of late. Specialising in domestic cases, their solid reputation is spreading – it’s not just the dead that can rest in peace but the living too. All is threatened when Ruby receives a call from the irate new owner of Highdown Hall. Film star Cynthia Hart is still in residence, despite having died in 1958.

Winter deepens and so does the mystery surrounding Cynthia. She insists the devil is blocking her path to the light long after Psychic Surveys have ‘disproved’ it. Investigating her apparently unblemished background, Ruby is pulled further and further into Cynthia’s world and the darkness that now inhabits it.

For the first time in her career, Ruby’s deepest beliefs are challenged.

Does evil truly exist? And if so, is it the most relentless force of all?

Psychic Surveys Book One: The Haunting of Highdown Hall – when Ruby meets Cash…

“Do you come here often?” said Cash, attempting to fill the gap. “Sorry, that’s such a cliché! I just meant I haven’t seen you in here before.” He looked mortified.

“That’s okay,” Ruby rushed to reassure him, “it’s as good a question as any, and yes, I do come here quite often. It’s my local; I work just up the road.”

“Oh right, I’m usually at the other end of town actually, at The Snowdrop, thought I’d pop in here for a change tonight though. I work locally as well. What do you do?”

And here it was, so soon, the question she always dreaded. How should she reply? The answer: ‘I see dead people’ rarely enamoured her to strangers even if they had seen and enjoyed the film Sixth Sense. Rather, it tended to make them look at her with barely concealed horror before making some excuse, any excuse, no matter how trivial, and hightailing it from her, condemning her mid-flight as some sort of fruit loop. Until they encountered a problem of the spiritual kind that is. Then they flew right back.

Refusing to be embarrassed, however, and reminding herself that her profession was just as valid as any other, she replied confidently, “I’m a surveyor, a psychic surveyor.”

“A what?” he asked, clearly baffled.

Holding her head high, she continued, “I run a company called Psychic Surveys, just a short walk from here up the High Street, opposite the castle. I survey houses for paranormal presence and, if such a presence exists, I work either alone or with a team of psychics to send that presence into the light, where it belongs.”

“You’re a ghost hunter?” gasped Cash, his eyes wide, not with horror she was quick to note, but fascination.

“We don’t call them ghosts, we call them spirits,” she pointed out. “And we certainly do not go hunting for them.”

“Wow! I never thought I’d be sitting in a pub on a Monday night talking to a ghost hunter!”

“As I’ve just explained,” Ruby replied, a little peevishly this time, “I am not a ghost hunter, I’m a psychic surveyor. There’s a difference.”

Nodding towards their empty glasses Cash said, “Well, whatever that difference is, I’d love to hear about it. Another drink?”

Psychic Surveys Book Three: 44 Gilmore Street is in progress.

All events in Shani’s books are inspired by true life…

Brighton-based author of paranormal fiction, including UK Amazon Bestseller, Psychic Surveys Book One: The Haunting of Highdown Hall. Psychic Surveys Book Two: Rise to Me, is also available and due out in November 2015 is Eve: A Christmas Ghost Story – the prequel to the Psychic Surveys series. Shani is also the author of Jessamine, an atmospheric psychological romance set in the Highlands of Scotland and described as a ‘Wuthering Heights for the 21st century.’

Catch up with Shani via her website www.shanistruthers.com

The Haunting of Highdown Hall UK http://tinyurl.com/lak4ub2

US http://tinyurl.com/l29wj78

Aus http://tinyurl.com/pc73ggz

Canada http://tinyurl.com/owg9b5w

Why not visit Shani on her Facebook Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/p9yggq9

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shani_struthers

Blog: http://shanisite.wordpress.com

Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/mq25mav