During the summer of 1964 at Heronbrook House something awful happened, the repercussions of which are still radiating through to the present day. I have read many books by Mark Dawson in his John Milton series and have enjoyed all of them to one degree or another, my ratings ranging from 3 to 5. There is intrigue, mystery, secrets, spies and historical figures in this novel, perfect for fans of anything spooky, jump scares and all things other worldly. He’s behind in his rent and he has a previous solved case, where the convicted felon has absconded, playing in the back burner of his mind. When unsettling incidents take place at Heronbrook, Amber begins to suspect that what happened to Evie may not have been an accident at all, and those responsible may be out to finish the job.

I love poltergeist activity and become very excited when I discover objects piled up high or laid out in a pattern. When Clovis, Eve and Tom decide to play with a ouija board in an old abandoned house on Halloween, none of them foresees the horrors they're about to unleash. It was all down to a television show, “Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World” a popular series in the seventies that opened my eyes to the possibility of different worldly realms. What follows is the investigation from Atticus Priest whom is tasked by the wife of the accused to clear her ‘innocent husband’.I used to be back in 2014, 2015, and 2016, but then I grew frustrated by the decreasing quality of his plots especially in his John Milton series. Married with her own grown up children, Jessica has her own stresses, but with her daughter Amber unexpectedly at a loose end, she has an idea. The prosecution case has Ralph Mallender in the dock, the eldest brother and the only member of the family not in the farm house that fateful evening. I understand the high ratings on this one, as many readers love police mystery/thrillers with enigmatic protagonists, but it averaged out as a 3 for me.

As a reader you are certainly kept guessing as to who could be behind the attempted killing of one the main characters Evie? Even down to the uncomfortable scene in a pub where she says 'no' several times to Finch asking her if she'd like another drink only for him to bring her one anyway. The House in the Woods" is the first book in Mark Dawson's new Mackenzie Jones/Atticus Priest series. It seems like an open and shut case but new evidence comes to light and Mack suspects Ralph is in fact the perpetrator.Our Non-Fiction Range includes: Academic, Photography, Audio books, Business, Cook Books, Craft Books, Health and Fitness Books, Mind, Body, Spirit (Tarot). Crazy as it seems, the knocking noises, poltergeist activity, objects flying through the air and hitting me have all occurred on a regular basis. Yvette and myself are the same age so I understood the Rutherford connection and a few other things.

Unfortunately there was a huge Clanger of a clue early on which revealed whodunnit – although not why. He supposedly has this gift of observation, but there was nothing in the book that convinced me of this.

It was a fascinating plot, which initially pulled me in, but things started getting out of hand when nearly everyone had a turn at being the murder suspect. Atticus Priest is a layered and relatable main character, flawed in all the ways we humans are flawed. Littered with stunning descriptions of the Wicklow countryside, Zoë Miller very much brings the locations to life for the reader. The sense of loss throughout the book is really touching, as is the coming together of a torn-apart family. This woman who had such a successful acting career yet she held in so much, keeping her cards close to her chest.

The first was in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London where I and two other investigators witnessed a pair of legs walking slowly up the main staircase. Priest is the kind of character I enjoy as he is at quite a low point in his life but isn't dark and brooding. His earlier John Milton novels as well as his Beatrix Rose novels were outstanding, but the quality decline in the Milton series caused me to stop listening. And when unsettling incidents begin to make Evie's secluded home feel less peaceful and more dangerously isolated, Amber starts to suspect that what happened to Evie wasn't an accident at all - and the person responsible still has Evie in their sights. Each piece of the puzzle comes together very cleverly, and although I suspected most characters throughout, I was completely wrong at the end.Other terrible characters include the only gay character who is a mincing male prostitute, who also does drag and a pouting cuckolded stay at home husband. He is charged with the murder, and on the eve of his trial, his wife hires Atticus to help find something to overturn the prosecution's case. When Clovis, Eve, and Tom decide to play with a ouija board in an old abandoned house on Halloween, none of them foresees the horrors they’re about to unleash. The House in the Woods had a surprising twist towards the end that had me reeling in shock and it highlighted what a cleverly plotted and superbly executed book this was. It’s potential was realised and the series is well set to read on and explore the world of Atticus Prime.