The Burning by Robert Derry - [Review]

Print Length: 420 pages
Publication Date: 3rd June 2023
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

To the Mountford family, it was their very own chocolate-box cottage, set deep in the folds of the English countryside. Their sumptuous second home, a nest egg for retirement, a secluded bolthole for times of trouble. In March 2020, as London fell silent under the threat of Covid19, Tony Mountford made the snap decision to see out lockdown in the close confines of their charming country retreat, unconcerned that one mischievous ghost would be waiting for them. But something had changed as fear gripped the nation, and the very bones of their much-loved timber-framed holiday home now creaked to the footfall of more sinister steps. A new tenant has taken up residence within its thick stone walls, drawn from a time when the innocent had paid the price for ignorance as a Royal edict fanned the flames of fear across the shires of England.

Take care as you travel with them, for a chill wind is turning northward, and the embers are still burning.

My Review

A global pandemic, a demonic entity and a haunted house, what more could you ask for?

A picturesque cottage in a beautiful village where the Mountford family had plans to live out their retirement. This all turned horribly wrong when they decided to leave London to escape the rising intensity of the global pandemic Covid-19 to hide away in their lovely cottage until the whole world returned to normal, except for the Mountford's nothing would ever be normal again.

Toby and Charlotte Mountford had never shied away from the fact that their cottage was haunted, but if anything this had always added to the charm of the cottage, the friendly ghost had never caused them or their tenants harm when they had rented their cottage out during the holiday months, however, Tony and Charlotte noticed almost immediately that something had changed. It all began with mysterious cold spots in the house, physical attacks and their children seeing a creepy man in their room. When they find an Ouija board in the children's toybox it all gets too much, Tony demands that his wife and children leave the cottage in fear for their safety, however, it is Tony who is now at the very heart of danger. 

Tony starts digging into the local history of the cottage and finds evidence of witches, witch trials and witch hunters, Tony knows that something very dark has taken place in this cottage which they were hoping to call their retirement home, but was it too late for Tony to resolve whatever evil is lurking in the corners.

The second half of the book is based on Gavin and Simon, both of whom bring their dark humour to the forefront of the story and I thoroughly enjoyed their sarcastic comments on the events transpiring in the cottage. Gavin and Simon are determined to make this cottage their own, they decided to renovate the whole cottage, mixing the old with new, however, in the process of their renovations, they discovered a cell at the very heart of their new home. Gavin and Simon become targets for paranormal activity with frequent banging and humming, seeing figures out of the corners of their eyes and coming face to face with entities, some of whom are trying to help, whilst the other is trying to cause grave harm.

Gavin and Simon spend their time researching the property and it's history where they find some damning evidence of a man who hunted and persecuted those who were deemed witches. Simon and Gavin felt responsible for setting these poor women free from their torturous cell and in doing so, they placed themselves at the centre of harm. Gavin and Simon call on a friend who has always been sensitive to paranormal activity and together, they face death in the hope of bringing the man who caused many women harm in that cottage to justice, but they cannot do it alone. They turn to the very women who were hunted and murdered for just being vulnerable women to help them to rid their home of this evil entity. 

I loved the factual history of Witchcraft and the persecution of "witches" that Robert Derry relied on, the knowledge that he shares throughout the story is incredible, Robert does a fantastic job of magically weaving historical fiction with non-fiction. 

Robert's writing is very poetic and sets the scene brilliantly, you could picture the cottage and its land perfectly, and the characters whilst flawed all proved to be realistic and only added to the very real feel of the story. 

Robert is a master of creating a historical piece of work that strikes to the very core, I found myself so deeply entrenched in the story that I couldn't foresee the future twists that were littered throughout the book. It was an easy story to follow, considering the depths of historical facts that were included throughout, the main downfall for me was that some of the research was very repetitive, and at parts, I did find myself skimming through some passages.. 

At a solid four stars, this is an essential horror story for those who love a good haunted house story that will give you the chills and have you leaving one eye open while trying to sleep. 

As always, thank you to the author for providing me with a copy in return for an honest and independent review. 

Get your copy here!

Purchase from Amazon here

About The Author

Rob Derry is a HR Consultant living in Somerset, England. His debut Novel, The Waterman, is set in and around the Old London Bridge which spanned The Thames for almost 800 years. His second novel, The Burning, is set in the south of England during the Covid19 pandemic and follows the fortunes of the Mountford family as they decide to see out the lockdown in their haunted holiday home. His third novel released in July 2023 is The Brothers which tells the story of the early years of the movement to abolish the slave trade, and traces the journey of the slave ship The Brothers from its home port of Bristol on a troubled voyage.