#2. Bibliosmia – A Smelly Book – The Burning Girls by C. J. Tudor (Audible)

 

There’s something about the smell of books that’s really appealing – especially those old fusty leather-bound volumes in second-hand book shops. Whilst I love the smell of old books, and there’s a plethora of them in the bookcase to pick from, I didn’t want to take this challenge too literally. Instead of reading a book that smells, I’ve chosen a book where a certain smell forms part of the story line. 

“500 years ago: eight martyrs burned

30 years ago: two teenagers vanished

Two months ago: a vicar died mysteriously

 

Welcome to Chapel Croft.

 

For Rev Jack Brooks and teenage daughter Flo it's a fresh start. New job, new home. But in a close-knit community old superstitions and a mistrust of outsiders mean treading carefully.

 

Yet right away Jack has more frightening concerns.

 

Why did no one say the last vicar killed himself? Why is Flo plagued by visions of burning girls? And who is sending them threatening messages?

 

Old ghosts with scores to settle can never rest. And Jack is standing in their way . . .”

After a scandal in Nottingham made the Revered Jack Brooks headline news, it was deemed appropriate to move Jack and daughter Flo to a new rural parish in Sussex where they could enjoy the anonymity of life until things quietened down. Flo like any typical fifteen-year-old is not happy at having to move away from the bright lights of the city and all her friends to the rural parish of Chapel Croft, a back water where nothing happens and there is nothing to do.

They arrive at their new home, a run-down old cottage situated next to the chapel, to find there is no wi-fi, a cellar which needs clearing of the old inhabitant’s belongings, and a box containing an exorcism kit and a threatening note. Perhaps that’s not the most desirable  ‘welcome to your new home’ gift, but then the former vicar had tried to burn the chapel down as he thought it was “corrupted,” so maybe it was a nice touch after all!

Now Jack is not your regular vicar. For a start, Jack is short for Jacqueline, and she is fond of a drink or two, doesn’t care that smoking is frowned upon these days, and she’s more likely to be found listening to ‘The Killers’ than Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor. Flo is also not your typical teenager, she is likely to be found wandering the graveyard with her old film camera, taking artistic shots and then locking herself in the only bathroom of the cottage so she can develop the film.

It is during one of these photographic sessions that Flo encounters the ‘burning girls’, horrific apparitions from 500 years ago, the story being loosely based on the Lewes Martyrs, a group of Protestants who were burned at the stake in Lewes, between 1555 and 1557. If this isn’t disturbing enough, the locals craft effigies of the girls from twigs and place them around the graveyard to memorialise them.

 

"The greatest gift the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." 

 

It doesn’t take long for Jack to realise that you shouldn’t get embroiled with the wealthy Harper family; where there’s money there is power and secrets a plenty. Speaking of which, it isn’t just the locals’ harbouring secrets. Jack’s brother has recently been released from prison, and in a secondary story arc, their tales will connect in an unimaginably emotive way.

Ancient history, superstitions, social hierarchies, all entwine in this tale of tiny village life. People are not always what they seem, and this novel is an exploration of nature v nurture, domestic and sexual violence, bullying, reputation, abandonment and controlling behaviour, shrouded under the veil of a supernatural thriller. Jacob is a villain, but he is more complex than that, he had a terrible childhood, then committed atrocious acts, and finally met with a sad ending. The loss of connection between him and his sister is a shame but understandable, but despite all his flaws, I think he would make an interesting lead character in a different novel.

I enjoyed how Tudor created a complex multi-layered story which was full of diverse characters and situations. It was a pacy novel, but it never felt rushed, and I benefitted from the jumps between past and present stories which had me guessing throughout the novel as to how matters would end.  This novel shows Tudor’s continuing growth as a writer and is well worth a read.

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Ghost Story, Psychological Fiction

Release Date: 21^st January 2021 – Audible Audio

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Listening Time: 10h 0m

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