{"product_id":"9781838772307-the-winter-guest","title":"The Winter Guest","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe perfect chilling, gripping mystery as the nights draw in\u003cbr\u003eCan he find out the truth about Maud's death before the past - and his strange, unnerving surroundings - overwhelm him?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA haunting, atmospheric mystery set against the raw Irish landscape in a country divided, \u003ci\u003eThe Winter Guest \u003c\/i\u003eis the perfect chilling read.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for THE WINTER GUEST and W.C.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eA gripping mystery with a classic feel, for fans of Agatha Christie\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Haunting and exquisitely written. Part intricate mystery and part ghost story. This book will stay with me for a long time' Anna Mazzola\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A stunning book, beautifully written\u003c\/b\u003e' \u003cb\u003eAnn Cleeves\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe drive leads past the gate house and through the trees towards the big house, visible through the winter-bared branches. Its windows stare down at Harkin and the sea beyond .\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJanuary 1921. Though the Great War is over, in Ireland a new, civil war is raging. The once-grand Kilcolgan House, a crumbling bastion shrouded in sea-mist, lies half empty and filled with ghosts - both real and imagined - the Prendevilles, the noble family within, co-existing only as the balance of their secrets is kept.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen, when an IRA ambush goes terribly wrong, Maud Prendeville, eldest daughter of Lord Kilcolgan, is killed, leaving the family reeling. Yet the IRA column insist they left her alive, that someone else must have been responsible for her terrible fate. Captain Tom Harkin, an IRA intelligence officer and Maud's former fiancé, is sent to investigate, becoming an unwelcome guest in this strange, gloomy household.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWorking undercover, Harkin must delve into the house's secrets - and discover where, in this fractured, embattled town, each family member's allegiances truly lie. But Harkin too is haunted by the ghosts of the past and by his terrible experiences on the battlefields. Can he find out the truth about Maud's death before the past - and his strange, unnerving surroundings - overwhelm him?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA haunting, atmospheric mystery set against the raw Irish landscape in a country divided, \u003ci\u003eThe Winter Guest \u003c\/i\u003eis the perfect chilling read.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for THE WINTER GUEST and W.C. Ryan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A snowflake of a novel: intricate, exquisite, and unlike any other.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e If Sebastian Faulks and Laura Purcell were to join forces, they might produce a novel like this. yet I can't imagine anyone but WC Ryan shaping it with such imagination, or charging it with such intelligence, or gracing it with such heart' \u003c\/b\u003eA.J. Finn, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Woman in the Window\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Haunting, gripping . hugely evocative' \u003c\/b\u003eElodie Harper\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eWorks superbly on several levels. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is a most welcome winter guest indeed, to be greeted by the fire with drink in hand' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Ryan evokes this moody, gothic atmosphere with convincing skill. Harkin is a sensitive, complex character and his quest to solve the mystery is deftly plotted. A treat'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e The Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A perfectly crafted mystery\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cb\u003e Vivid, compelling and deeply moving, it is a triumph both as a crime novel and a work of historical fiction' \u003c\/b\u003eJane Casey\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA beautifully taut and evocative thriller' \u003c\/b\u003eSarah Hilary\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Superb\u003c\/b\u003e . \u003cb\u003eI could not put it down' \u003c\/b\u003eElizabeth Buchan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Atmospheric and genuinely eerie\u003c\/b\u003e, this is an ideal winter read' Sinead Crowley\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A \u003cb\u003eterrifically atmospheric, gripping\u003c\/b\u003e novel' Amanda Craig, \u003ci\u003eThe Golden Rule\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eHaunting, beautifully crafted, and full of heart. Perfect reading for dark days\u003c\/b\u003e' A.K. Benedict, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Christmas Murder Game\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Beautifully written, haunting and unmissable' \u003c\/b\u003eCass Green\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Excellent murder mystery\/ghost story set during the Irish war of independence and as usual with W.C. Ryan, beautifully written' \u003c\/b\u003eLiz Nugent\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Intriguing, haunting, romantic and beautifully written, I cared as much about the fate of the characters as about the gripping mystery'\u003c\/b\u003e Laura Marshall\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger award 2023: 22\/04\/23 (https:\/\/thecwa.co.uk\/awards-and-competitions\/the-daggers\/gold-dagger)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56450721186166,"sku":"9781838772307","price":7.12,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_36299689.jpg?v=1760453868","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781838772307-the-winter-guest","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}