Publisher: 1st September 2020 by Poisoned Pen Press
Pages: 352 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: historical fiction, mystery
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Synopsis:
A stellar line-up of historical mystery novelists weaves the tale of a priceless and cursed gold watch as it passes through time wreaking havoc from one owner to another. The characters are irrevocably linked by fate, each playing a key role in breaking the curse and destroying the watch once and for all.
From 1733 Italy to Edinburgh in 1831 to a series of chilling murders in 1870 London, and a lethal game of revenge decades later, the watch touches lives with misfortune, until it comes into the reach of one young woman who might be able to stop it for good.
My Thoughts
The Deadly Hours contains four novellas by well known historical authors with a story revolving around a cursed watch and its journey through history. I am a big fan of Susanna Kearsley and was therefore eager to read her instalment. I had not read anything by the other authors so was happy to discover that all four of them nicely complimented each other as a whole.
The history of how the watch came to be cursed is explained and what then ensues is its journey from the various owners over almost a two hundred year period. Each story relates the terrible impact of association with this watch and how it affects all who come into direct contact with it. From Italy in 1733 to England in 1944 the storylines are well presented with engaging characters and the flow between each was relatively smooth. I appreciated most the period appropriate plots yet found the first and last story to be the strongest. It is difficult to review a collection of stories from different authors, but overall I found the whole concept intriguing.
If you enjoy short stories but with the added benefit of a constant across them all, then I suggest you delve into the intrigue, mystery and danger that is, ‘The Deadly Hours’.
“He said that life will always be uncertain, and we cannot let the fear of what might happen stop us living as we choose.” She turned her face to his. “Is that not beautiful?”
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
No comments:
Post a Comment