The Haunted Shore, Neil Spring (Book Review 3.5 stars)

Neil Spring is a new author to me, although he has a successful back catalogue of books and a TV production in his wake.

I was attracted to his book, The Haunted Shore, due to the supernatural aspects included and because it is set in Shingle Street, which I have visited. When I took a trip there, although it was September and a nice day, the place was completely empty, and it certainly has an unusual feel to it. You could well imagine the place having a history and some echos of the past lingering there. 

The reader is carried along wanting to unravel the secrets of the past that relate to the main character Lizzie, her father and his carer, Hazel. I have read several books recently that I would describe as more character-led. This one felt more plot led and In my opinion, some of the incidents that occur felt a little contrived to make the plot work. Perhaps, because I enjoy a character-led novel, I felt the beginning was a little rushed as we get to find out about Lizzie and what triggers her return to Shingle Street from London. This almost felt like the opening scene of a TV production where we are quickly shown something to establish a reason for the move and as a prompt for later to come action. 

That said, I enjoyed the tension that builds in her father's house based on Lizzie's relationship with Hazel and the bizarre noises that she hears and the figure she sees on the beach. I also liked Lizzie's friendship with Bill, and his backstory and the path of shells was intriguing. In many ways, Bill is the character I could relate to most in this book. 

The book works its way towards a final crescendo, and the pace really quickens in the last quarter. I found myself rushing to reach a conclusion about what had really happened.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and the strong setting and historical element. I've slipped it down from 4 stars to 3.5 stars due to wanting a little more character development and for the plot actions to be a little more subtle. However, I'm sure it will be a popular book and enjoyed by many others. 

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book. I wish the author well on publication date on the 15th October.