The First Time I Died: a spooky crime mystery with a supernatural twist

The First Time I Died is the first book in the Garnet McGee series by Jo MacGregor. Garnet McGee comes home to her small Vermont hometown for the first time in ten years. On her first day back, she dies in an accident and is brought back to life by the paramedics. Strange things begin to happen, she hears words when no one is around, seeing images that she could not know and odd sensations. At first pushed aside as possible post-traumatic stress disorder, she tries to focus on her recovery. As the experiences increase, she realizes that when she died, she did not come back alone. And now, she is determined to solve a murder that tore her life apart. As she probes into the past, she discovers a number of suspects and someone who doesn’t want her to discover the truth. When everyone seems to have a secret to hide, can Garnet discover the murderer? 

From the opening chapter to the closing page, The First Time I Died is a fast paced story with an interesting and engaging plot. It is spooky and mysterious. I enjoyed Garnet’s character as a woman who is struggling moving forward after the events of one winter and the reason she left her hometown and hoped to never come back. She is skeptical at first when these strange events begin as she describes herself as logical and rational. However, once she embraced what these events are trying to tell her, the story became a roller coaster that I could not put down! I closed the book with a sense of awe and amazement as the story had twists and turns I was not expecting. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series. If you enjoy a suspenseful and haunting story with a supernatural twist, I highly recommend The First Time I Died. 

The First Time I Died is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Stroke of Winter: a modern gothic story with supernatural elements

The Stroke of Winter by Wendy Webb is a spooky story set in the tourist town of Wharton where the supernatural is more common place than not. Amethyst “Tess” Bell is renovating her family’s ancestral home into a bed and breakfast. As she begins to open rooms that were locked and forbidden to be reopened, she discovers a deep family secret and mystery. Inside the once shuttered art studio of her grandfather, Sebastian Bell, she discovers paintings that don’t resemble her grandfather’s previous works. They seem to be the work of a twisted mind which raises questions for Tess, sparking disturbing dreams and a determination to discover the truth. What evil was locked behind those doors? Will she discover the truth in the darkness of the icy dead of winter? 

Wendy Webb has become my go-to for gothic stories. She has the ability to use atmosphere with great effectiveness and tells a story that will hook readers until the very end. With most stories with supernatural elements and legends, there are aspects of the story that aren’t fully explained. The ending was abrupt and left me stretching my head in confusion. However, the ending was the type that kept you thinking and the more I thought about it, the more the unexplained elements added to the unworldliness of the house, the town and the overall story. While The Stroke of Winter is not my favorite by Wendy Webb, overall, I did enjoy it and look forward to reading more books by her. If you enjoy modern gothic stories, I recommend The Stroke of Winter. 

The Stroke of Winter is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Retreat: You can check in but you may never leave

The Retreat by Nicola Marsh is a “You can stay, but you may never leave” gothic thriller. Arcania is a wellness street in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Its guests enjoy a week of digital detox where all forms of technology are not permitted and relaxation is the goal. The gothic mansion is a welcome haven but for some it is a nightmare. When her mother dies suddenly, Lucy discovers a mysterious Viking tattoo on the bottom of her mother’s foot. The tattoo is linked to Arcania and impulsively Lucy books a week. The staff seems welcoming enough but soon the creepy house and some of its inhabitants are urging Lucy to leave. Cora Medville is the current owner, arrived at the house forty years ago. She falls in love with the house, Harlan, the dashing heir, and finds the sense of belonging she desperately craved. She stayed. There’s a terrifying truth to the house, how far will Lucy go to discover the truth? How far will Cora go to protect its secrets? 

I have known Nicola Marsh for her domestic psychological thrillers. Now she can add gothic thrillers to her repertoire. Wow! What a story! The Retreat is like a slow burn fire which builds into an inferno that makes it hard to pull away. A thriller that pulls readers into a story that can’t quite be trusted. At the beginning of the story, Lucy seemed too meek and mousey to take such a leap to visit Arcania with so little information. But is there more to Lucy than meets the eye? Is she playing everyone? Or is Lucy slowly going crazy? Could Arcania really be haunted? What are Cora's motives and secrets? There were plot points that were guessable; however, I think that could have been by design. Giving the readers a little tidbit before revealing the big shocker of the story. There were twists that I didn’t see coming and left me gasping in surprise as I turned the page. If you enjoy Nicola Marsh’s psychological thrillers or enjoy gothic thrillers, I highly recommend The Retreat. 

The Retreat is available in paperback and eBook