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katykelly 's review for:
The Stranger Times
by C.K. McDonnell
Newspaper-set fantasy, with memorable characters and a great sense of humour.
Hannah Willis doesn't know if she's got the lucky break she needs or she's walked into a hellhole when she gets in interview to work at Manchester's newspaper of the weird and wonderful.
Trying to reinvent herself after a failed marriage, with very little career history or education, she can't easily turn down a job, even if does mean working for the rudest and most PC-unfriendly boss in the country, on a paper that runs stories about ghosts haunting toilets.
But it isn't longer before an actual otherworldly story begins weaving its way around the staff and paper, and our cast of lively characters must work as a team to deliver more than the paranormal news - their lives are in danger.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Stranger Times staff through Hannah's eyes. From the flamboyant 'darling' threatening dramatic action, to the personal assistant with tight control of the boss's swearing, and the terribly uncouth and shouty boss himself, it's an eclectic staff, brought wonderfully to life by one male narrator (nice job there!).
There are articles from the paper included at the end of chapters, and I ended up scoffing aloud at most of these. I really took to the characters, nobody came across as purely a stereotype, and I enjoyed following the story as an audiobook.
The plot was enjoyable, mostly a look at the running of this strange newspaper, with the otherworldly villain and nefarious scheming threading through it, bringing in police officers as well to the mix.
Light enough, it never becomes overly dark or depressing. It's not going to cause sleepless nights, much more an entertaining read. It would also make a great TV series.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
Hannah Willis doesn't know if she's got the lucky break she needs or she's walked into a hellhole when she gets in interview to work at Manchester's newspaper of the weird and wonderful.
Trying to reinvent herself after a failed marriage, with very little career history or education, she can't easily turn down a job, even if does mean working for the rudest and most PC-unfriendly boss in the country, on a paper that runs stories about ghosts haunting toilets.
But it isn't longer before an actual otherworldly story begins weaving its way around the staff and paper, and our cast of lively characters must work as a team to deliver more than the paranormal news - their lives are in danger.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Stranger Times staff through Hannah's eyes. From the flamboyant 'darling' threatening dramatic action, to the personal assistant with tight control of the boss's swearing, and the terribly uncouth and shouty boss himself, it's an eclectic staff, brought wonderfully to life by one male narrator (nice job there!).
There are articles from the paper included at the end of chapters, and I ended up scoffing aloud at most of these. I really took to the characters, nobody came across as purely a stereotype, and I enjoyed following the story as an audiobook.
The plot was enjoyable, mostly a look at the running of this strange newspaper, with the otherworldly villain and nefarious scheming threading through it, bringing in police officers as well to the mix.
Light enough, it never becomes overly dark or depressing. It's not going to cause sleepless nights, much more an entertaining read. It would also make a great TV series.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.