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The Wretched Bones
The Regal Retreat is an exclusive resort situated deep in the countryside of East Anglia where the rich and famous go to unwind. However, far from being a place of rest and relaxation, bad things happen there. Its history has been plagued by tragedy and misfortune. Over the years there have been scores of killing sprees, accidents, suicides, and even the occasional sighting of the resident ghost.
In a desperate attempt to save the business, the resort calls in paranormal investigator Ben Shivers. Since the devastating loss of his daughter and the subsequent breakdown of his marriage, he has been traveling Europe in a vintage VW camper van with his sidekick, a rescue cat called Mr. Trimble. He sees the assignment as the perfect opportunity to break the cycle of self-destruction he has been on, but as he delves into the case, he uncovers a history many would rather forget—sordid family secrets, witchcraft, murder, and an ancient curse, all coming together in a perfect storm deep in the heart of the English countryside.
Welcome to the Regal Retreat.
In a desperate attempt to save the business, the resort calls in paranormal investigator Ben Shivers. Since the devastating loss of his daughter and the subsequent breakdown of his marriage, he has been traveling Europe in a vintage VW camper van with his sidekick, a rescue cat called Mr. Trimble. He sees the assignment as the perfect opportunity to break the cycle of self-destruction he has been on, but as he delves into the case, he uncovers a history many would rather forget—sordid family secrets, witchcraft, murder, and an ancient curse, all coming together in a perfect storm deep in the heart of the English countryside.
Welcome to the Regal Retreat.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2023
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
C.M. Saunders
67 books75 followersChristian Saunders, a constant reader who writes fiction as C.M. Saunders, is a freelance journalist and editor from south Wales. His work has appeared in almost 100 magazines, ezines and anthologies worldwide including Fortean Times, the Literary Hatchet, ParABnormal, Fantastic Horror, Haunted MTL, Feverish Fiction and Crimson Streets, and he has held staff positions at several leading UK magazines ranging from Staff Writer to Associate Editor. His books have been both traditionally and independently published, the latest release being Tethered on Terror Tract Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 8, 2023
The author gave me an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me a while to get through. Not because it was bad or slow but because there was so much information packed into those pages! It was obvious that while this book was entertaining, behind the scenes, Mr. Saunders definitely put a lot of research into his work.
With a timeline explaining the present happenings and another explaining how the past led to this present, the reader truly gets the full story.
In a very possibly haunted posh resort where the rich go to escape their worries and relax, brutal murders and suicides happen far too often. Hundreds of years earlier, a woman was unfairly accused of witchcraft and horrifically persecuted for her perceived crimes. What is their connection? Paranormal researcher Ben Shivers, with his mobile home and kitty companion, was hired to find out.
With light-hearted humor mixed in, this book definitely draws you in with its mystery, paranormal occurrences, history, violence, and heart.
It's definitely a good read for fans of multiple genres from paranormal mysteries to horror and everything in between.
I gave this 4.5 stars rounded up to 5⭐️.
This book took me a while to get through. Not because it was bad or slow but because there was so much information packed into those pages! It was obvious that while this book was entertaining, behind the scenes, Mr. Saunders definitely put a lot of research into his work.
With a timeline explaining the present happenings and another explaining how the past led to this present, the reader truly gets the full story.
In a very possibly haunted posh resort where the rich go to escape their worries and relax, brutal murders and suicides happen far too often. Hundreds of years earlier, a woman was unfairly accused of witchcraft and horrifically persecuted for her perceived crimes. What is their connection? Paranormal researcher Ben Shivers, with his mobile home and kitty companion, was hired to find out.
With light-hearted humor mixed in, this book definitely draws you in with its mystery, paranormal occurrences, history, violence, and heart.
It's definitely a good read for fans of multiple genres from paranormal mysteries to horror and everything in between.
I gave this 4.5 stars rounded up to 5⭐️.
December 2, 2023
“To Elizabeth, it was almost as if they were lashing out against the things they didn’t understand, as if in some perverse way dispensing punishment for their own ignorance.”
Witches!!! I love stories of witches. The persecution and trials represent one of the many low points in our history but I still find it fascinating and frightening.
This story is a compelling slow burn of two stories colliding. The cause and the effect meeting across 400 years.
In present day we meet Ben Shivers, a sarcastic paranormal investigator who has been hired by the Regal Retreat resort to try and explain the extraordinary number of weird deaths that have taken place on their beautiful campus. In the 1600’s we join the sin-eater, Elizabeth Thrower, in her brutal trial being overseen by the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins.
Each timeline is so interesting that you hate when it leaves you at a cliffhanger, only to get excited when you realize that you get to find out what is happening in the other part of the story.
A combination of historic fiction and supernatural mystery that will have you thinking about your regrets and what horrors your dreams will bring you tonight.
Witches!!! I love stories of witches. The persecution and trials represent one of the many low points in our history but I still find it fascinating and frightening.
This story is a compelling slow burn of two stories colliding. The cause and the effect meeting across 400 years.
In present day we meet Ben Shivers, a sarcastic paranormal investigator who has been hired by the Regal Retreat resort to try and explain the extraordinary number of weird deaths that have taken place on their beautiful campus. In the 1600’s we join the sin-eater, Elizabeth Thrower, in her brutal trial being overseen by the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins.
Each timeline is so interesting that you hate when it leaves you at a cliffhanger, only to get excited when you realize that you get to find out what is happening in the other part of the story.
A combination of historic fiction and supernatural mystery that will have you thinking about your regrets and what horrors your dreams will bring you tonight.
May 7, 2024
This is such a fun book!
September 21, 2024
Full review at Happy Goat Horror:
https://happygoathorror.com/2024/09/0...
This is a great read. Good horror story with a main character that just tickled my funny bone for some reason (and he has a cat companion!). Characters and plot were done equally well.
Ben Shivers - Paranormal Investigator - goes to a fancy health resort to investigate why people just frequently die there all the time. What he unearths is family secrets and a sordid horrific history that spans thousands of years. He might also get into a wee bit of a danger.
It's really fun!
https://happygoathorror.com/2024/09/0...
This is a great read. Good horror story with a main character that just tickled my funny bone for some reason (and he has a cat companion!). Characters and plot were done equally well.
Ben Shivers - Paranormal Investigator - goes to a fancy health resort to investigate why people just frequently die there all the time. What he unearths is family secrets and a sordid horrific history that spans thousands of years. He might also get into a wee bit of a danger.
It's really fun!
July 21, 2024
The story shines in the character of Ben. First in what I assume to be a series of mysteries, this book introduces us to Ben and brings us to care about him not just through empathy, but also through his witty personality and kindness, as demonstrated by his sympathy for a lost kitten, and the way he treats others. Saunders has taken time to get to know his protagonist and that shows...
Read my full review here: https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book...
Read my full review here: https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews