The Dorset coast holds its secrets tight—and the dead won’t stay quiet.
Vex Not Her Ghost
The Purebeck Mysteries Book 1
by Gill Calvin Thomas
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
A quirky detective tackles a haunting family mystery.
Caitlin was four years old when her mother died in mysterious circumstances. Thirty years later she comes into possession of her family home in Dorset. As she slowly recovers memories of her past, she becomes convinced that her mother’s ghost is warning her of impending disaster.
Aided by Charlie Bond, a private investigator, an enthralling story of deceit and deception unfolds as Caitlin and her friends expose the ultimate truth.
Book Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aOP42n
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/vex-not-her-ghost-by-gill-calvin-thomas
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211755390-vex-not-her-ghost
Sister Olive Wouldn't Hurt a Fly
The Purebeck Mysteries Book 2
Fleeing to Dorset traps a mother and son between a cult and a killer waiting in the shadows…
If this whole saga was a fight between good and evil, then who had won? As far as Miriam could work out, neither good nor evil had triumphed yet. Now she was having to confront the grim consequences of Will’s behaviour, and she was mortally afraid. Maybe he and his darkness would win after all.
The tragic suicide of a young student starts a shocking chain of events for William Marshall, his wife Miriam and their son, Ollie. As Will descends into madness, a ghostly presence appears in their old house to protect Ollie. However, when two strangers threaten Miriam and an attempt is made to snatch Ollie, mother and son are forced to flee.
Amidst ever-present danger, they shake off pursuers to seek sanctuary in Rock House in Dorset, where they meet Caitlin and her friends. Twenty years have passed since Charlie Bond helped Caitlin solve the mystery of her mother’s death. Now, it is the turn of Charlie’s sidekick, Sam Haskell, to investigate a mysterious cult and unmask a killer.
Book Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gDNsw9
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/sister-olive-wouldn-t-hurt-a-fly-by-gill-calvin-thomas
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243611059-sister-olive-wouldn-t-hurt-a-fly
About the Author
Gill Calvin Thomas is a retired academic who lives with her husband in Swanage , UK. She finds inspiration in the landscape around her – the Isle of Purbeck has a spectacular coastline and beautiful beaches, and it is whilst walking here, that Gill develops characters and plots the twists and turns you will find in her books.
Gill’s life experiences have informed her writing. For example, her mother’s death when she was a small child, influenced her first book, Vex Not Her Ghost, where the heroine has to delve into the past to uncover the real circumstances of her mother’s death, the cover up and the ongoing corruption. Her experiences as a social work academic governs the plot of her second book, Sister Olive Wouldn’t Hurt a Fly. In this book the fatal combination of a researcher's mental collapse and a sociopathic opportunist give rise to a cliffhanging finale.
Reviewers have said that Gill writes the sort of books in which you find yourself racing to the end, whilst not wanting to finish. Her characters are compelling, well-drawn and sensitively portrayed. In her books bad people get what they deserve, but it is never quite what it seems.
She is currently writing her third book.
Website * Facebook * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads
Author Links
Website: https://gillthomas.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Gill-Calvin-Thomas-61558345573600/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gill_calvin_thomas/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gill-Calvin-Thomas/author/B0D4B4XD85
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49418096.Gill_Calvin_Thomas
I received a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
If you enjoy mysteries with a paranormal twist, Vex Not Her Ghost is definitely worth adding to your reading list. From the very beginning, the story creates an eerie atmosphere that kept me wondering what was real, what was memory, and what secrets had been buried for far too long.
Caitlin's return to her childhood home after inheriting it sets the stage for a mystery. As long-forgotten memories begin to surface, the possibility that her mother's ghost is trying to warn her adds an extra layer of suspense without overwhelming the central mystery. I especially enjoyed how the supernatural elements enhanced the story instead of overshadowing it.
The characters felt relatable, especially Caitlin as she worked through both the mystery and the emotions tied to returning home. Watching the past slowly unravel alongside the investigation made the story feel about more than simply solving a crime.
If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a darker edge, family secrets, memorable settings, and just enough paranormal suspense to leave you wondering, I think you'll really enjoy this one. I'm looking forward to seeing where the Purebeck Mysteries series goes next and spending more time with these characters.
Giveaway
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Mabel plans to bring the joys of volunteering to the masses…if she doesn’t fall victim to an ancient curse first.
Susan Kimmel Wrightbegan her life of mystery in childhood, with reading. That led her to writing kids’ mysteries and eventually to Medicine Spring with Mabel. A longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Susan’s also a prolific writer of personal experience stories, many for Chicken Soup for the Soul. She shares an 1875 farmhouse in southwestern PA with her husband, several dogs and cats, and an allegedly excessive stockpile of coffee and tea mugs.
