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The Witchfinder's Sister: The captivating Richard & Judy Book Club historical thriller 2018

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Been waiting for Beth Underdown's second book after the intense Witchfinder's Sister and this was an equally engrossing read. I was engrossed in this chilling story of loss, mystery, and the search for answers, which is so vividly written. It seems no-one in this story is as they appear. There are many secrets and lies to uncover. It is quite a slow burn with revelations happening along the way which eventually reveal the truth of the events on that fateful night in 1888. With a husband afflicted with serious health issues, Ivy feels the only way she will find peace and face the future is if she gets to the truth of what happened long ago when as Ivy Cardew, the daughter of a struggling doctor, she was helping him with nursing duties. This mystery of what happened at the country manor house of the Tremains is slowly revealed and the terrible repercussions that followed in the wake of the fire, including the inquest. The family that includes Edward Tremain, the heir to Polneath, the father of William, is a man Ivy fell in love with. In a narrative loaded with twists and turns aplenty, with its wide range of characters, little is as it appears, we learn that in this small community, everyone had secrets, both upstairs, with the Tremain family, and downstairs, with the servants. What a gothically infused gem of a novel. A dark, mysterious manor house in Cornwall, some of the creepiest characters you will ever meet, and a distinct flavour of Du Maurier throughout. This is a novel where the tiniest of details means something very significant. Keys, shadows, noises next door….and a veil of truth and lies covering anything that might explain away the fog.

Play Review: The Witchfinder’s Sister - The London Horror Play Review: The Witchfinder’s Sister - The London Horror

Essex, 1645. Alice Hopkins ( Lily Knight) finds herself widowed, pregnant, and forced to return to her childhood home in Manningtree to throw herself on the goodwill of her brother Matthew ( George Kemp). But Manningtree is rife with rumours of witchcraft, and Matthew is poised to launch upon his infamous reign of terror. Alice races to reveal what’s compelling the obsessively cruel Witchfinder General, before more innocent women are found guilty. With her son now dead, Ivy can't help but think its her fault. There was another young boy, several years ago... And his fate was also tragic. She's seeing ghosts in her present, ghosts in her past. Laced with a heavy sense of loss and sadness this book is a slow burn, the story itself quite emotionally harrowing which is exacerbated by the grief felt by Ivy, as well as the, often cloying, atmosphere that the author weaves around the characters. The tension increases as the two threads and timelines start to come to their conclusions, and the sedate pace of what has come before is ramped up a notch or two. The story captures both periods perfectly. Although the outcome of both stories is heartbreaking. You know who dies but will people from the past and present be strong enough for the truth? This is the author’s second novel, and it will rip you open. What a talent this lady is. Highly recommended. However, intriguing socio-religious theories are advanced as to why certain members of the upper classes pursued “witches” – mostly poor, vulnerable women – with such zeal. Alice, too, is superstitious, sensing malign entities and fearing the inexplicable. Once individual malice and grudge-settling have died out, some of the most vivid scenes are those in which the same hostility to perceived outsiders that spawned the witch-hunting craze begins to be directed towards its functionaries.This book took me two months to read despite my excitement after reading the blurb. The writing felt very lazy and inconsistent, even though it is just one character. Another issue with he writing is the exact way chapters set in 1888 and the ones set thirty years later sound. Do people think in the exact same words at 20 and at 50? I don’t think so. By day, Ivy Boscawen mourns the loss of her son Tim in the Great War. But by night she mourns another boy - one whose death decades ago haunts her still.

The Witch Finder’s Sister by Beth Underdown review

For Ivy is sure there is more to what happened all those years ago: the fire at the great house, and the terrible events that came after. A truth she must uncover, if she is ever to be free. The protagonist was an insufferable teenager and she grew up to an insufferable adult which really didn't help that boom at all. The plotline, even though it sounds great, wasn't written particularly clever and the final twist was very obvious. It is quite a deep and dark read. It is intense yet a slow burn at the same time. The story is set not that long ago when women had few rights at work and at home. They were expected to do anything without questioning it or objecting because they could be easily replaced. But, at the same time, women were thought of as fragile and unable to cope with life’s tragedies. Ivy was determined to seek the truth out in the past and present, but could she bear the truth? To my utter astonishment, (and maybe to shut me up!!) Beth kindly sent me a beautiful dedicated proof, so I instantly cast aside my TBR plan for the month, and dived straight in. Told in split timelines, one in 1888-89 and one in 1918-19, we slowly uncover the truths behind what happened in the past and what's happening as a result in the present. Ivy's ready to reveal her secrets, and other players have their own secrets to share with us.

Beth's fiction

I still dream, every night, of Polneath on fire. Smoke unfurling out of an upper window and a hectic orange light cascading across the terrace’. There are excellent performances from the whole cast, in particular George Kemp as the unflinching & single-minded Matthew, Anne Odeke’s independent (but surprisingly naïve) Rebecca, and Lily Knight’s portrayal of Alice – full of hope, passion & determination. All in all, a disquieting show that shines a light on a truly terrifying period in history – a story that feels startlingly relevant today. The Witchfinder’s Sister By day, Ivy Boscawen mourns the loss of her son Tim in the Great War. But by night she mourns another boy – one whose death decades ago haunts her still.

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