This was filed in the horror section at our store, so our Philosophical Horror group read it. It is so not a horror novel. The ghost story is just a means to bring the romance together. ( )

Set in the 1920s, this lovely atmospheric mystery reveals the restlessness and yearning of two men and a woman hunting ghosts in rural England. After gently drawing the reader in, author Simone St. James accelerates the pace as the hunters battle doubts, fears, hostile villagers, the police, one another, and the growing suspicion that something malevolent is hunting them. ( )

Sarah accepts a temp job not knowing she’ll be expected to talk to ghosts. Turns out, she’s quite capable, finding herself helping to solve a town’s dark secrets under dangerous circumstances. A compelling story with nonstop propulsive action, & some steamy parts, it’s a fast good read. I’d happily read more from this author. ( )

This was a terrible romance novel masquerading as a ghost story. I have enjoyed this author's newer books more. I was taken back by this. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James. This is a fascinating story about ghost hunting. Sarah Piper is sent by her employment agency to assist Alistair Gellis in his investigation into the spirit of Maddy Clare, who is haunting the barn where she committed suicide. Maddy hated men in her life and acts up if a man tries to communicate with her now. Sarah doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she finds herself confronting something that is both real and terribly angry in the barn. She also isn’t prepared for the arrival of Alistair's assistant, Matthew Ryder, whom she is immediately attracted to.

Set in the 1920s, both the men are veterans of World War I and have physical and mental scars. As they soon realize, Maddy’s ghost is no hoax and she is a threat to all three of the ghost hunters unless they agree to help her in her desire for vengeance. The Gothic nature of the story, the tense atmosphere and the dark plot line all contribute to making this a chilling read.

While the story is not particularly scary, the author supplies all the ingredients needed for a good ghost story. It seemed quite obvious to me what had happened to Maddy but the author took her time with the story and in developing the romance. This is the second Simone St. James supernatural thriller that I have read and I now count myself a fan of this author. I listened to an audio version of the book as read by Pamela Garelick who did a good job with the material. ( )