What do you think?
Rate this book
It Began with a Ghost Story: A British Murder Mystery
An original and exciting thriller based on a true North York Moors legend that will keep you up at night turning the pages
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?
Grace Winter didn't until her world was turned upside down when her mother died and she inherited a house on the North York Moors that her family had kept a secret from her. When Grace takes a break from her job as a busy London doctor and visits the house for the first time with close friends Evie and Samantha, the women find themselves caught up in a murder.
But this is no ordinary murder. A young man has been killed at Lowna Ford, a place locals believe is haunted by Kitty Garthwaite's ghost and where this ghost is said to have killed men before. As Evie becomes obsessed with the legend of Kitty and starts to lose her grip on reality, the police suspect her of the murder.
Weighed down by grief, Evie's breakdown and ghostly sightings in and around the house, Grace starts to doubt her own sanity. Is the ghost of Kitty Garthwaite real? Does her ghost sit naked on the riverbank at Lowna and lure young men to their deaths as the legend says?As secrets unravel further, Grace and her two friends find themselves in extreme danger. Is Kitty's ghost coming for them? Or is the killer all too real?
Suspense is peppered with murder and romance in this fast-paced crime mystery, set amidst the spectacular North York Moors landscape.
Grace Winter didn't until her world was turned upside down when her mother died and she inherited a house on the North York Moors that her family had kept a secret from her. When Grace takes a break from her job as a busy London doctor and visits the house for the first time with close friends Evie and Samantha, the women find themselves caught up in a murder.
But this is no ordinary murder. A young man has been killed at Lowna Ford, a place locals believe is haunted by Kitty Garthwaite's ghost and where this ghost is said to have killed men before. As Evie becomes obsessed with the legend of Kitty and starts to lose her grip on reality, the police suspect her of the murder.
Weighed down by grief, Evie's breakdown and ghostly sightings in and around the house, Grace starts to doubt her own sanity. Is the ghost of Kitty Garthwaite real? Does her ghost sit naked on the riverbank at Lowna and lure young men to their deaths as the legend says?As secrets unravel further, Grace and her two friends find themselves in extreme danger. Is Kitty's ghost coming for them? Or is the killer all too real?
Suspense is peppered with murder and romance in this fast-paced crime mystery, set amidst the spectacular North York Moors landscape.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 15, 2023
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 1, 2025
I love a good supernatural tale!
September 1, 2023
4.5*
What a way to kick off a sinister book! An eventful first few chapters in the present, ending with a rather unnerving first night at Violet Cottage!
Grace is in a strange place emotionally, she’s lost her mother and her long term partner has upped and left without a word. Two different forms of grief and loss consuming this overworked doctor. Escaping to the cottage her mum owned that Grace never knew about with her two closest friends should have been the break Grace needed but it brought its own problems.
The dynamic between the three friends is an interesting one, one that changes over the course of the book. Given they’ve been so close for so long, the friction between them is surprising however very real!
Harrod has captured the darker side of the North Yorkshire Moors by intertwining a real life ghostly tale with a tense unsettling modern day scenario. The Moors provide the perfect backdrop for this ghostly thriller. The remote location adds to the sinister feel to the story, giving a level of claustrophobia.
It Began With A Ghost Story is a story packed with suspense. The tension built up around me until it surrounded me like the mist ok the moors. And what a climax to whack me around the face!!! I’m thrilled that there may be more to mysteries featuring Grace, I loved this one!
What a way to kick off a sinister book! An eventful first few chapters in the present, ending with a rather unnerving first night at Violet Cottage!
Grace is in a strange place emotionally, she’s lost her mother and her long term partner has upped and left without a word. Two different forms of grief and loss consuming this overworked doctor. Escaping to the cottage her mum owned that Grace never knew about with her two closest friends should have been the break Grace needed but it brought its own problems.
The dynamic between the three friends is an interesting one, one that changes over the course of the book. Given they’ve been so close for so long, the friction between them is surprising however very real!
Harrod has captured the darker side of the North Yorkshire Moors by intertwining a real life ghostly tale with a tense unsettling modern day scenario. The Moors provide the perfect backdrop for this ghostly thriller. The remote location adds to the sinister feel to the story, giving a level of claustrophobia.
It Began With A Ghost Story is a story packed with suspense. The tension built up around me until it surrounded me like the mist ok the moors. And what a climax to whack me around the face!!! I’m thrilled that there may be more to mysteries featuring Grace, I loved this one!
August 15, 2023
‘It Began with a Ghost Story’
A novel by Jean Harrod
Set in the present day and based on a true legend, in the North Yorkshire moors we find the Ghost of Kitty Garthwaite. A young maid, who falls for the Willie, the son of a wealthy farmer. When young Kitty finds herself pregnant, Willie abandons her. The ghost of Kitty sits naked at Hutton-le-Hole allegedly killing young men as her revenge.
But this is by no means the mystery. When her mother dies, Grace finds out she has been left a house in Yorkshire that she knew nothing about. Going to the house for the first time she takes her two best friends only to discover, she does not know them as well as she thought. There are secrets everywhere. Then there is the murder!
The mixture of folklore and present day revelations builds as Grace try’s to come to terms with everything she thought of as true is not.
For those who have read Jean Harrod’s ‘Diplomate’ series will know, she is queen of a great page turning thriller. ‘It Began with a Ghost Story’ does not disappoint. It will have you guessing until the end. Beware, once you start this novel you will not be able to put it down
A novel by Jean Harrod
Set in the present day and based on a true legend, in the North Yorkshire moors we find the Ghost of Kitty Garthwaite. A young maid, who falls for the Willie, the son of a wealthy farmer. When young Kitty finds herself pregnant, Willie abandons her. The ghost of Kitty sits naked at Hutton-le-Hole allegedly killing young men as her revenge.
But this is by no means the mystery. When her mother dies, Grace finds out she has been left a house in Yorkshire that she knew nothing about. Going to the house for the first time she takes her two best friends only to discover, she does not know them as well as she thought. There are secrets everywhere. Then there is the murder!
The mixture of folklore and present day revelations builds as Grace try’s to come to terms with everything she thought of as true is not.
For those who have read Jean Harrod’s ‘Diplomate’ series will know, she is queen of a great page turning thriller. ‘It Began with a Ghost Story’ does not disappoint. It will have you guessing until the end. Beware, once you start this novel you will not be able to put it down
September 14, 2023
Such a well written tale. It's not often these days I pick up a book and am loathe to put it down but this one truly gripped me from the start. The story is well constructed and flows, very evocatively, from past to present, interweaving two stories which may or may not be connected. We are left guessing and wondering throughout, and the tension never really lets up.
The characters are well drawn and believable, all with their flaws and secrets which drive the narrative. Also the descriptions of the North Yorks moors provide a backdrop which almost becomes a character in itself.
A very satisfying read and one which I highly recommend.
I've also read books in Jean Harrod's Deadly Diplomacy series. Very different to this ghost story but also recommended.
The characters are well drawn and believable, all with their flaws and secrets which drive the narrative. Also the descriptions of the North Yorks moors provide a backdrop which almost becomes a character in itself.
A very satisfying read and one which I highly recommend.
I've also read books in Jean Harrod's Deadly Diplomacy series. Very different to this ghost story but also recommended.
November 13, 2023
I gobbled this book up. It's been a long time since I stayed up past midnight because I had to finish story.
I loved the setting of this tale (Hutton-le-Hole, North York Moors), the mysteries each of the three central female characters brought to the mysterious house on the moors, then the larger mystery of the murdered young man. Each of the characters feel like they're losing their minds as lies and ghosts warp what they thought was reality. Harrod does a great job in creating tension between characters and making the reader doubt the boundaries of reality.
I loved the setting of this tale (Hutton-le-Hole, North York Moors), the mysteries each of the three central female characters brought to the mysterious house on the moors, then the larger mystery of the murdered young man. Each of the characters feel like they're losing their minds as lies and ghosts warp what they thought was reality. Harrod does a great job in creating tension between characters and making the reader doubt the boundaries of reality.
July 16, 2025
I picked this up as I actually live in Kirkbymoorside and know the surrounding area really well I was intrigued by this book. The author does a very good job of drawing you into the story and it was great to be able to place locations during the narrative. It was an easy read and I felt the characters were relatable. I only caught on to who dunit about 3/4 of the way in so the suspense was well managed. Look forward to reading more from this talented local author.
November 4, 2023
It's an enjoyable read with just the right degree of spookiness. You can read it as a sceptic, assuming that all the other-worldliness can be explained away or you can accept, with a tingle down your spine, that Kitty really did continue to haunt the area.
(complete review on my blog : https://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspo...)
(complete review on my blog : https://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspo...)
April 7, 2024
A great story well told
A well paced and well plotted story that lured me in. A believable ending and just enough loose threads to entice me to want the next in the series. There is a next, isn't there?
A well paced and well plotted story that lured me in. A believable ending and just enough loose threads to entice me to want the next in the series. There is a next, isn't there?
October 28, 2023
A gripping story with plenty of twists highly recommended
January 27, 2025
Brilliant Book!!!
Extremely well written and very atmospheric. I couldn’t put it down! A wonderful mix of characters mixed with a great ghost story.
Extremely well written and very atmospheric. I couldn’t put it down! A wonderful mix of characters mixed with a great ghost story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews