I was lucky enough to have an ARC edition of the new release from Hester Fox, the Gothic beauty that is The Widow of Pale Harbour. Thank you NetGalley.com
The Widow of Pale Harbour was a much-anticipated read after having read Hester Fox’s debut novel, The Witch of Willow Hall, last year. It can be a little tricky to follow-up with an equally thrilling new release, but the author has pulled it off, again. Hester Fox is fast becoming a favourite author of modern Gothic fiction.
Giving the reader the perfect mix of impending drama and dark mystery all wrapped up in delicious Gothic prose; with captivating characters and atmospheric settings, the author pulls you straight into the story. I found myself easily drawn to Gabriel Stone; a character who is not all he seems, with a history and mystery of his own, that he’s hauling around much like a steamer trunk. His building relationship with the equally mysterious widow, Sophy Carver, had me screaming on occasions “will you just kiss her, already.” …but remember this is historical fiction, so I had to pull my emotions in and let the love story set its own pace with some decorum and beauty..
Along with the tale of building love, The Widow of Pale Harbour has a trail of murders and mysterious dealing all with the hint of Edgar Allan Poe about them. I loved this literary aspect of the book and found myself looking up Poe stories and poems in my own sleuth-like mystery solving.
I would describe this is a journey rather than a destination. The ending had me slightly wanting more twists, as I felt I had ‘figured it out’ but the journey is most certainly one lavished with an eerie historical atmosphere that every good modern Gothic novel needs, making this well worth the read and a solid 4 stars!
Becky Wright ~ Gothic Writer 