Southern Australia, 1983. While Middle-aged stalwart Miriam rolls into town in her broken down car, Frankie – a deer hunter – is up in the forested hinterland with her gun.
Meanwhile, fisherwoman Old Pearl sits on her front deck with her dog, a glass of whiskey in her hand, and Emily, the English backpacker, scrubs out the pie-encrusted kitchen at the roadhouse.
But all is not well.
Gran Parks … well.
Gran Parks is stirring.
Four troubled women. One restless spirit.
Who will survive?
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Travelogue of the great Australian outback.
Coming of ‘old’ age story of four resilient women.
A macabre murder mystery.
A story of divine retribution.
Oh, and not to forget, just a dash of a ghost as well.
The Legacy of Old Gran Parks by Isobel Blackthorn has a story-line to whet anyone’s appetite (that’s a pun, read the book and you’ll get it).
Ooops, I forgot to mention comedy, dollops of black comedy.
Isobel’s writing took me on such an amazing journey of the Australian outback that I swear I could literally hear the ocean in my ear. Hmm… maybe that was granny parks ghost…shiver.
Crossroads play a big role in this book, be it the road, the lives of the 4 central characters or even the ghost.
“crossroads are meeting places, drawing in forces from all four directions, for better, for worse.”
The book is set in the town of Cann River and follows the story of two semi-locals Frankie and Pearl and two out-of-towners Emily and Miriam. Each of them appears to be a misfit and in the beginning not likable. As the story progresses we come to bond with the characters as they also come to bond with each other.
A hunter, a retired civil worker, a cookie baking granny and a backpacker don’t make your average friendly pair but through the many twists in the book (and the roads) a strong familial bond is created between them and they become a sisterhood of sorts. A sisterhood of survivors.
As each women’s past and present unfolds, we come to empathize with them and stand in agreement with their actions.
While you are absorbed into their stories, a little nudge comes in from our friendly ghost (okay maybe not friendly) to shake you up so bad that even the light from the lighthouse doesn’t work to settle you.
Gory, treacherous, funny at times yet uplifting at all stages, this book is filled up to the brim with life lessons.
“No consequences. There had to be consequences.”
So glad I got this RC, it was an adventurous and illuminating read. Hope you liked my fair and honest review.
Happy Reading:)
Brilliantly chilling!
Blackthorn pens a superb story in The Legacy Of Old Gran Parks. I have read anything from this author before, and I really enjoyed it. The characters were enticing and very realistic. It’s a grandly dark story that is one of the most unique, thrilling scare-driven stories I’ve read in a while. Blackthorn definitely brings the reader in from the beginning, and even if you gasp outloud, your eyes can leave the story. This author definitely brings in the sinister lingering of the restless spirit, and also balances it with light humor, just enough to cut into the darkness. This book deserves a second read! (and maybe more). A very well-written story, and I enjoyed it. It is always a joy to read this author’s stories. This author is not just a writer but a great storyteller. The thrills and intrigue is written clearly and the characterizations are engrossing. Love this story. It’s a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. This author’s characters develop and interacts well with the other characters. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author. The Legacy Of Old Gran Parks is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews.
This one is pegged as a dark comedy thriller. Comedic in that the women are badasses who don’t take too kindly to men that cause problems. Set in a small town this has strong vibes of those B-Rated movies we love to hate. You know the ones…where people get stuck in a small podunk town and of course all sorts of horrific events happen. Some make it out alive…some not so lucky
I, for one, love movies like that and this was a fun read for me. Scary that death and gore are fun for me right? Definitely check this one out and add to those lists. This would fit Spooktober. Even though it’s not scary, per se, it does have some chilling moments.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and Black Thorn Book Tours for inviting me along on this ride. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.