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themysterymaven 's review for:
Craven Manor
by Darcy Coates
I find Darcy Coates to be such a genuinely great storyteller. I have come to learn that you also cannot make assumptions about her books or pin her into a tight niche. From Hunted to Dead Lake to The Haunting of Leigh Harker and on, I think this is my fifth read of hers, and while all of the tales are touched by threads of hauntings and the unnatural, each is definitely on its own course.
Therefore, I very much liked reading this novel, but it is definitely more family-around-the-campfire ghost story absent, for me, of the pulse-pounding page-turns of Hunted and the terrifying tense suspense of Leigh Harker. The main character is Disney-version Ichabod Crane-like (his last name is even the close Kane with a “K”) in that he’s a sort of timid, down-on-his-luck but genuine/gentle soul sort that you root for despite his gullibility and lack of backbone against his bully of a cousin (who is very Brom-like without the pizzazz).
No spoilers - the story includes a looming dark mansion hiding secrets within it’s decayed borders, and this creates a beautifully Gothic albeit predictable backdrop against which this tale unfolds. There’s your standard black cats and cawing crows, a mysterious tower and a family crypt…the most interesting part being a very specific set of orders that instruct no trespassing on the grounds past midnight. As the MC begins his job as groundskeeper and cautiously explores his new landscape, there are some instances of surprises and chances to guess at what is really at hand, but it’s nothing that will keep you up past your own late night curfew, desperate to gather the truth.
Again, it’s all a rather pleasant ghost story with darkness around the edges, but nothing that couldn’t easily be transformed into a film fit for a PG audience. I think if you remember that Darcy Coates is an author whose stories take on many forms, then you will appreciate her writing in this book for the storyteller that she is. If you only hope for the high thrills and chills of some of her other more gripping works, I think you’ll feel let down by this one.
Therefore, I very much liked reading this novel, but it is definitely more family-around-the-campfire ghost story absent, for me, of the pulse-pounding page-turns of Hunted and the terrifying tense suspense of Leigh Harker. The main character is Disney-version Ichabod Crane-like (his last name is even the close Kane with a “K”) in that he’s a sort of timid, down-on-his-luck but genuine/gentle soul sort that you root for despite his gullibility and lack of backbone against his bully of a cousin (who is very Brom-like without the pizzazz).
No spoilers - the story includes a looming dark mansion hiding secrets within it’s decayed borders, and this creates a beautifully Gothic albeit predictable backdrop against which this tale unfolds. There’s your standard black cats and cawing crows, a mysterious tower and a family crypt…the most interesting part being a very specific set of orders that instruct no trespassing on the grounds past midnight. As the MC begins his job as groundskeeper and cautiously explores his new landscape, there are some instances of surprises and chances to guess at what is really at hand, but it’s nothing that will keep you up past your own late night curfew, desperate to gather the truth.
Again, it’s all a rather pleasant ghost story with darkness around the edges, but nothing that couldn’t easily be transformed into a film fit for a PG audience. I think if you remember that Darcy Coates is an author whose stories take on many forms, then you will appreciate her writing in this book for the storyteller that she is. If you only hope for the high thrills and chills of some of her other more gripping works, I think you’ll feel let down by this one.