Property of A Lady

Do you want your standard ghost story set in a dilapidated English manor? This one has it all: graveyards, necromancy, people walled up alive, a grandfather clock crammed with documents, and of course rapping and tapping. The ghosts are hunted by Oxford professor Michael Flint and newly widowed antiques dealer Nell West, who are both assisting the hapless Americans who have inherited this very special house. Romance is in the air almost immediately, but it's not laid on too thick for us non-romantics. I want to make fun of this book, but actually it really hit the spot. The narrative is reminiscent of Wilkie Collins - thanks to those documents in the clock and other letters and diaries helpfully left behind by the dead. It's cleverly show more plotted, occasionally quite creepy, and it's set in Shropshire. What more could you want? show less

Changing my original 3 star overall to a 2 star. I really enjoyed the first third or so, found it creepy, with an interesting storyline that pulled me in. Middle third started became pretty contrived, to many coincidences and stubmling upon information at just the right moment. The final third just made me angry. The two main characters are reading an obsessed man's journal about how & why he creates a hand of glory so that he can rape a married woman (to have her just once) in her sleep - in the midst of reading this man's descent into obsession and madness, they have a passionate sex scene & fall into instalove - what the hell?!? Personally, there's absolutely nothing sexy about reading a plan to rape a woman. Later, it turns out show more that the woman he's been obsessed with for years is an adulterer and gets murded by her husband (after our mad man has decided he can't actually act out his rape fantasty). Discovering that she has slept around knocks her off the mad man's pedestal & suddenly he's cured of his passion...and maybe okay with her getting killed as long as he can escape detection. Ugh. Just ugh. By the end of the book, the would be rapist is supposedly a sympathetic character because he "tried" to protect a child. Nope. Don't think so.

Ugh. Just ugh. The more I've thought about this book, the more it rankles, hence the changed star rating. Throw in the inconsistencies and the enjoyment of the first third can't make up for the rest of it. show less

A reviewer on Goodreads wondered if there is a cozy horror genre because that's what he/she thought that this book was. And, the funny thing is that was my actual thought about it too before I saw the review. And, no I don't think there is a cozy horror genre, however, cozy paranormal feel more appropriate. This is not horror, if you are frighted about this book, then well, you should not read real horror books. It's an interesting paranormal book that turns into a romantic paranormal novel, which didn't surprise me a bit when that happened. Luckily, the main characters, Michael Flint and Nell West did not spend too much time lusting after each other, and their "courtship" was not annoying.

However, the story feels a bit lackluster. It's show more alright to read, but it never gets terribly exciting or engrossing. Part of me is sometimes amazed how "suddenly" diaries and secret papers just happen to be found by the right people so fast when no one else has discovered them. Yes, I'm a born cynical. Sometimes it's believable, and sometimes, not so. In Property of a Lady, well I can take it because the place has been uninhabited so long, and the clock, well it's been away from the house as well for a long time. So that at least did not annoy me. Thankfully.

The story about the "ghost" is actually quite tragic, more tragical than horrifying. I was a bit surprised by the turn towards the end of the book, it was a nice twist. It's an OK book, not especially memorable, but if you like a cozy paranormal book is it not so bad.

Would I read more books in the series? Yes I would, it was not a bad book, I was not bored. However, I hope the stories get better, and perhaps even a bit more horrifying? show less

It's a ghost story with a lot of ghosts involved.
Michael Flint, an academic, is asked by some American friends to investigate an old Shropshire house they have unexpectedly inherited he reluctantly investigates Charect House, a house with a sinister reputation. With the help of Nell West he investigates the house and finds layers of story within. There's a ghost and several other people have been bothered by him and the how and why are messy and interesting but somehow it all felt a bit too much. The romance didn't really convince me either and the characters were there to service the plot.

I really enjoyed this ghostly tale about Charect House and its former residents. Michael Flint's American friends have inherited the place and they ask him to go and oversee renovation works for them. After encountering some strange goings-on, he meets local antiques dealer, Nell West and together they try to find out what links the house and young girls going missing.

I thought this was a really good story and probably the most plausible ghost story I have read. I find suspending belief very difficult but I didn't really need to with this book. There's also a good deal of historical story and looking into the past which I liked. Some of the dialogue was a bit naff but not enough to spoil my enjoyment. I'm looking forward to reading the show more second in this series. show less

Property of a Lady is the first in a series of ghost stories written by one of my favourite authors Sarah Rayne, featuring characters Nell West and Michael Flint.

Michael Flint is an academic living in Oxford and is asked by friends based in the USA to look at an old house they've just inherited. When Michael sees Charect House, he becomes interested in its history and stumbles across a mystery that goes back generations.

Michael enlists the help of local antiques dealer Nell West who is buying back the original furniture belonging to the once grand house, and the two begin to dig into the past together. Nell's daughter is having terrible nightmares about a man with no eyes, the same dream that is terrorising the daughter of his American show more friends.

Property of a Lady is a modern day ghost story with characters employing straight forward sleuthing techniques to get to the bottom of the tragedies that occurred inside Charect House several generations ago.

Together they discover letters, diaries and other source material that is expertly drip fed into the story in a believable fashion and at just the right time. The connections and mysteries take Michael and Nell to a prison, and to an asylum both of which give the novel a creepy ghostly feel, but mostly it's about unravelling sad tragedies of the past.

I read Property of a Lady at lighting pace, and from a reader's perspective felt it was perfect in every way.
Visit my original review for a link to download the first chapter for free: http://www.carpelibrum.net/2013/07/review-property-of-lady-sarah-rayne.html show less

A creepy clock, a ghost, a hidden diary, all of these and more in this book. A gothic mystery with lots of twists and turns. An excellent story and a good ending. This is my first by Sarah Rayne but it won't be my last.