ABOUT THE BOOK
It’s 1945 and Martin Heath, like many men at that time, is struggling to settle, to find his place again after the horrors of war. Then an old comrade sends him a letter and tells him of a position that’s just come up in the remote wilds of Dartmoor – working for an elderly fellow called Mr Godley. “Are you a good driver, Mr Heath?” It’s a simple question and a simple task and the doorway to a dark mystery that may just turn out to be the escape he was hoping for – but at what cost?
published by David Fickling Books
PURCHASE LINKS
MY REVIEW
The cover of this book caught my eye in the library, and I found it to be a little gem of a book! Really subtle, atmospheric and easy to read so praise be for covers luring me in to discover new favourites!
Set in 1945, Martin Heath is back from the war and is a broken man considering all he has seen and been through. In the days before counselling and times of ‘stiff upper lip’ you just had to get on with life. An old comrade tells Martin of a job that might suit him so he heads off to Devon where he’ll work for Mr Godley – a man who lives in a quiet spot and has very little human contact, and initally scares Martin with his appearance and behaviour.
Martin is in awe of Mr Godley’s car – a much loved Phantom that is his pride and joy and the pair of them take drives together which allows them time to chat and get to know more about one another – their pasts are never too far away from their thoughts.
The dark undertones are clear throughout in this book – there’s always something feeling not quite right about certain situations, and the flashbacks Martin suffers also add to the unsettling feeling. I loved how the author left certain things down to your interpretation, and with the ghostly character being introduced the story then takes on a whole new feel and the police investigation becomes the main feature.
A very clever and unsettling story which was beautifully staged and stays with you!
★★★★
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