The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

 I absolutely loved this debut novel.  It's intriguing and different.  The setting post-WWI was spot on, and the ghost story just chilling enough to make me search the dark corners of my room at night while I was reading it.  I'm not a fan of scary movies or horror novels, but this had just the right amount of suspense and scare-factor for me.  Not enough to give me nightmares or keep me up, but enough to send a chill down my spine.  I look forward to St. James future offerings.  She is an author to watch.

Sarah Piper’s lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis – rich, handsome, scarred by World War I, and obsessed with ghosts – has been summoned to investigate the spirit of nineteen-year-old Maddy Clare, who is haunting the barn where she committed suicide. Since Maddy hated men in life, it is Sarah’s task to confront her in death.

Soon Sarah is caught up in a desperate struggle. For Maddy’s ghost is real, she’s angry, and she has powers that defy all reason. Can Sarah and Alistair’s assistant, the rough, unsettling Matthew Ryder, discover who Maddy was, where she came from, and what is driving her desire for vengeance – before she destroys them all?