The Unquiet Spirit by Penny Hampson
A new beginning. A house with a past. A man with secrets.
It was a dream come true…that turned into a nightmare.
Kate Wilson thinks moving back to Cornwall might be the answer to her prayers. But it isn’t long before she begins to have doubts. Is the house she inherited from her godmother haunted? Or is she going out of her mind? With a stalker, threats, and attempted break-ins, Kate’s troubles multiply.
Then there’s her enigmatic neighbour, the brooding Tom Carbis; a man with secrets he doesn’t wish to share. Can she trust him when he says he wants to help?
In her quest to unravel the mysteries surrounding her, will Kate uncover more than she bargains for?
Set in beautiful Cornwall, The Unquiet Spirit is a gripping suspense with paranormal and romantic elements. Fans of Barbara Erskine will enjoy this tale.
Excerpt of The Unquiet Spirit
Kate has just arrived in Falmouth and is staying the night in her parents’ empty apartment in the centre of town until she can get the keys to her new home in the morning.
It was too late to visit the solicitors’ office, so Kate decided to have a quick shower and then go for a walk instead. Thanks to the stiff breeze now rattling the blinds, the sickly aroma of lavender was rapidly dissipating – replaced by ozone-filled air and a faint smell of cooking fat from the café below.
Kate towelled her short and still-damp chestnut hair then slung on a clean pair of jeans and a hooded top. It would be chilly out by the water. She set off up Market Street towards Custom House Quay, glad to be stretching her legs at last. The crowds had dispersed, the shops were closing, and the restaurants were preparing for their evening trade. It was the quiet lull between the noise of the day and the buzz of the evening crowds. At the end of the quay, Kate paused to admire the yachts bobbing in the marina; she’d never been sailing, but had always wanted to give it a go. The sleek lines and varnished woodwork of some craft contrasted sharply with the workmanlike and battered dinghies and rowing boats also moored up. Nets and wicker lobster pots lay in piles, ready for the next morning’s fishing trips, and seagulls squawked and swooped in the rapidly cooling evening air. She ignored their cacophony and concentrated on the rhythmic slapping of the water against the walls of the quay. She inhaled, filling her lungs with the smell of the sea. She’d really missed not being by the coast. Oxford, lovely as it was, smelt of diesel most of the time… That, and books and beer, not to mention bad memories. Not that there was anything wrong with books and beer, she thought, grinning.
She gave herself a mental shake and sobered. No point in dwelling on what was a finished episode in her life.
I really need to get my act together. Be more assertive and not take people at face value.
She’d made that mistake with Robin, and look where it had got her! He’d turned her into the other woman without her knowing it. Thank goodness she hadn’t moved in with him, despite his pleadings about being lonely. Lonely, my foot! He’d just wanted a fall-back for when his wife discovered what a lying cheat he really was.
Kate grinned again and realised that she’d moved on to being able to see the funny side. The world hadn’t ended and she would get on with her life; perhaps a little more cautiously, but she would move forward. There were plenty more fish in the sea. And she needed to do a bit of digging about Win – see if she had been having a breakdown of sorts. Maybe Win’s friend Ruth could shed some light.
Author Bio
Some time ago Penny Hampson decided to follow her passion for history by studying with the Open University. She graduated with honours and went on to complete a post-graduate degree.
Penny then landed her dream role, working in an environment where she was surrounded by rare books and historical manuscripts. Flash forward nineteen years, and the opportunity came along to indulge her other main passion – writing. Penny joined the New Writers’ Scheme of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and three years later published her debut novel, A Gentleman’s Promise, a historical mystery/romance. Other books in the same genre soon followed.
But never happy in a rut, Penny also writes contemporary suspense with paranormal and romantic elements. Her first book in this genre is The Unquiet Spirit, published by Darkstroke.
Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).
For more on Penny’s writing, visit her blog.
Twitter: @penny_hampson
Looking for more great reads, check out my books here.
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