Friday, April 29, 2011

Review: The Bride That Time Forgot by Paul Magrs

Meet the good, the bad and the bitten!
The white witches of Whitby vs The bride of Frankenstein
It was the Whitby word that motivated me to bring this book home because I've visited that Yorkshire town with it's new part perched high on the clifftops and its quaint old part nestled below in the harbour. It seemed to be the perfect setting for a cosy mystery which is what I first thought this book was. It does have the requisite elderly sleuths - Brenda who runs the B & B and Effie, her friend next door with the junk antiques shop and these septugenarian ladies do solve crimes but not in the ordinary way.

For Whitby is a place that has a portal through which creatures of darkness can pass and Brenda and Effie are white witches whose reponsibility it is to keep these vampires and night walkers from causing murder and mayhem. As this story begins the relationship between Brenda and Effie has become strained because of Effie's gentleman friend who isn't having a positive influence on her.  Meanwhile, at Whitby's new mystery bookstore, new Goth-girl in town Penny is drawn into the strange works and worlds of Edwardian lady novelist Beatrice Mapp. The surprising discoveries she makes will impact on all the ladies of Whitby, especially Effie.

Although I haven't read any of the previous books it is actually the fifth in a series which I can only call cosy fantasy. In the first part of the book I found the constant references to events from earlier books a bit irritating and unnecessary but overall it was a good choice for a relaxing Sunday afternoon.
Totally daft escapism, fun characters and plenty of humour kept the pages turning.

Publisher: Headline,2011
352p


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