Phill Featherstone

Four teenagers who have formed a band are invited to play at a celebrity’s wedding in Tuscany, staying in a luxury villa with all expenses paid. However, when they reach their destination, they find the villa empty and it’s in a remote location with no internet connection or mobile service. Drugs, booze and strange dreams follow as they try to work out what on earth they’re doing there.

I don’t know quite what to say about this story. I thought it was YA at first, but there were some adult themes which dissuaded me from this idea as I progressed through the book. It was interesting to read how they all interacted with each other as tempers frayed and the tension grew. I thought it was going to be about satanic worship or a witches coven initially, but it isn’t, it’s about human behaviour and how we react to certain things. I found it quite a strange but thought provoking tale. The ending wasn’t quite dramatic enough for me, though.… (mais)

An intriguing dual timeframe mystery set in the present day and the 16thC, involving a mysterious and much desired jar, a newly married couple and real life Elizabethan mystic, Dr John Dee.

This is a nicely paced adventure story which kept me engaged from beginning to end. If I had to choose, I think I preferred the historical timeline to the modern. It seemed well researched. Both stories are entertaining and fit well together (although I think the modern one could have been fleshed out a little more). Dr John Dee is realistically depicted and the rest of the characters seem convincing and well rounded. The ending is a little ambiguous so don’t expect things to be neatly tied off. Instead it gives food for thought.

I read this book via the Pigeonhole app, reading one stave a day for ten days, interacting with other readers, which all added to the enjoyment of this engaging mystery.… (mais)