Digital Reads Reviews

Many thanks to Tracy Fenton and Compulsive Readers for my spot on this Blog Tour.

What a book!! Chilling and creepy!

A crime occurred in 1904. A young girl Betsan Tilny was found murdered in the woods. Thomas Bexley, a forensic photographer, who consulted with the police was called to take photographs. While developing them, he found a shadow hovering over the girl. Was that the shadow on the lens or the beginning of something creepy and evil entering this village?

My first book by Sam Hurcom, I expected a murder mystery, but what I got was a story which caused a shiver to start from the core of my being. I love horror and when this book showed signs of creeping into that genre, I could barely contain my excitement.

The author’s writing blew my imagination away at the scenes that were set to scare me. Evil was never so gory as described in this prose. I loved how the tale of evil creature of Carlin Farw quickly overtook the minds of the people and the main character. Thomas Bexley was metamorphosed well from a man who didn’t believe in supernatural to someone who, under the feverish hallucinations, changed his outlook, brought his strength to the forefront, and used all his courage to expose the murderer. Clues and twists made it more exciting.

Many scenes creeped me out as the author set forth an atmopshere so dank and dreary with superstitions flying. The book was the perfect example of sinister, dark gothic folk tale which had my heart dancing out in its strange rhythm. I didn’t warm up to main character, but I sure warmed up to the atmosphere of this book where reality and beliefs clashed to produce this storm of a book.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and publisher, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.

All my reviews can be read hereSam Hurcom was born in Dinas Powys, South Wales in 1991. He studied Philosophy at Cardiff University, attaining both an undergraduate and master’s degree. He has since had several short stories published, and has written and illustrated a number of children’s books. Sam currently lives in the village he was raised in, close to the woodlands that have always inspired his writing.
A SHADOW ON THE LENS is Sam’s debut novel.1904. Thomas Bexley, one of the first forensic photographers, is called to the sleepy and remote Welsh village of Dinas Powys, several miles down the coast from the thriving port of Cardiff. A young girl by the name of Betsan Tilny has been found murdered in the woodland – her body bound and horribly burnt. But the crime scene appears to have been staged, and worse still: the locals are reluctant to help.

As the strange case unfolds, Thomas senses a growing presence watching him, and try as he may, the villagers seem intent on keeping their secret. Then one night, in the grip of a fever, he develops the photographic plates from the crime scene in a makeshift darkroom in the cellar of his lodgings. There, he finds a face dimly visible in the photographs; a face hovering around the body of the dead girl – the face of Betsan TilnyPublication Date: 5th September 2019

Publisher: Orion Books