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Banshee
A solitary grave lies outside the walls of an old cemetery. An unseen woman is heard crying outside an old cottage at night. A strange light appears in the woods near that cottage. When Ken Ver Neer arrives to investigate his cousin's death, he finds himself the victim of an ancient curse. A curse that will destroy him unless he can lay to rest the banshee that is intent on dragging to Hell every last survivor of the family that wronged her many years ago. The only problem is that Ken has no known connection to the family or any knowledge of the crime committed. In a race to solve the riddle, every lead comes up blank. Yet the banshee stills wants her vengeance... and the clock is ticking. "Truly scary..." "Chills and spills, don't read this and expect to sleep well!"
218 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2014
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3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 23, 2021
Le Bassi’s new novel is an interesting tale dealing with a family’s hidden secrets and how payment must come for the misdeeds one does. In this case we have a Banshee seeking retribution for the history of the family and it is up to one member to put the pieces together to end the suffering.
Written in the first person, we get an everyman whose cousin dies in bizarre circumstances and the mystery that unfolds that goes back years. The story is well thought out although sometimes the first-person narrative does get in the way of the story as the main character’s ego gets in the way and makes it a bit difficult to get on board with him. Luckily the mystery keeps the reader involved and pushes them forward. The characters are very colourful and although as the story takes place in upstate New York, one wonders if using the Irish dialect in writing adds or subtracts from the flow of the story. I personally stumbled a bit whilst reading.
The plot is very beautifully written, and the author has done a lot of research and history study to the fore and this makes the reading very enjoyable. His plotting and technique make this an interesting read and keep the reader involved to the exciting conclusion. The first-person narrative gives a clue on the outcome of the main character but the story rests on the twists and turns he goes through to reach its conclusion.
The characters are well written and interesting. They add an interesting mix to keep the story flowing with their oddity and mystery. There is a slight lack of humour that may or may not be miss as it is all done very seriously so a bit of lightening would have added a little finesse to the traits but this is just a personal view.
Overall, this is a good family mystery thriller that keeps the reader totally involved. Although it did take me a few pages to get involved, once it sunk its teeth into me, I was totally invested to see the end. It is obvious that the author was totally committed to his novel and it shows in every line and word used. Interesting, involving and overall, an exciting mystery novel with supernatural overtones. A good read.
Written in the first person, we get an everyman whose cousin dies in bizarre circumstances and the mystery that unfolds that goes back years. The story is well thought out although sometimes the first-person narrative does get in the way of the story as the main character’s ego gets in the way and makes it a bit difficult to get on board with him. Luckily the mystery keeps the reader involved and pushes them forward. The characters are very colourful and although as the story takes place in upstate New York, one wonders if using the Irish dialect in writing adds or subtracts from the flow of the story. I personally stumbled a bit whilst reading.
The plot is very beautifully written, and the author has done a lot of research and history study to the fore and this makes the reading very enjoyable. His plotting and technique make this an interesting read and keep the reader involved to the exciting conclusion. The first-person narrative gives a clue on the outcome of the main character but the story rests on the twists and turns he goes through to reach its conclusion.
The characters are well written and interesting. They add an interesting mix to keep the story flowing with their oddity and mystery. There is a slight lack of humour that may or may not be miss as it is all done very seriously so a bit of lightening would have added a little finesse to the traits but this is just a personal view.
Overall, this is a good family mystery thriller that keeps the reader totally involved. Although it did take me a few pages to get involved, once it sunk its teeth into me, I was totally invested to see the end. It is obvious that the author was totally committed to his novel and it shows in every line and word used. Interesting, involving and overall, an exciting mystery novel with supernatural overtones. A good read.
February 6, 2021
A horror story backed by mystery.
'Banshee' by Bill Le Bassi kicks off with the protagonist who is not ready to accept his cousin's death as a mere 'accident', and eventually drowns in a series of events dealing with his family history. The curse of a desperate banshee is encircling him, and even with little to no hope of getting his life spared, he decides to get to the root of the story and set the soul free.
The number of twists and turns that helped in shaping the story speaks of how much effort the author has put into the work. The style of narration eventually became better as the story proceeded. It cannot be denied that the whole thing was, indeed, pretty interesting.
I personally felt that the smut parts were mostly unnecessary, and worked as a turn off for me. Jake's (and at some parts Cindy's) words were really hard to follow (it's understandable that the author did that to bring a vivid touch to the accent).
Although it got a little exhausting from time to time, it was a good read.
(I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily)
'Banshee' by Bill Le Bassi kicks off with the protagonist who is not ready to accept his cousin's death as a mere 'accident', and eventually drowns in a series of events dealing with his family history. The curse of a desperate banshee is encircling him, and even with little to no hope of getting his life spared, he decides to get to the root of the story and set the soul free.
The number of twists and turns that helped in shaping the story speaks of how much effort the author has put into the work. The style of narration eventually became better as the story proceeded. It cannot be denied that the whole thing was, indeed, pretty interesting.
I personally felt that the smut parts were mostly unnecessary, and worked as a turn off for me. Jake's (and at some parts Cindy's) words were really hard to follow (it's understandable that the author did that to bring a vivid touch to the accent).
Although it got a little exhausting from time to time, it was a good read.
(I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily)
April 6, 2021
This was actually a good thriller ghost story! A fast paced fast read with twists & turns that keep you engrossed. The lady in question though is not a Banshee. I almost didn't grab it because of that, but would have missed out on a good read. Banshees are spirits in families. Ours is supposed to have one but no one last few generations have seen her I know of however we will have a sense from time to time of someone gone. They are not malefic & merely warn of an impending death in the family. This little destructive Dutch girl had some serious issues & a need for major revenge. The hapless last standing heir to what was an evil family is on a timeline for his life. He has a choice to wisely flee from the area or stay on a timeline with death to figure out the curse cause & resolve it.
January 21, 2021
Ken comes back to upstate New York to move into the family cottage after the mysterious death of his cousin hoping for a new, quiet life. All is well until he hears the screaming and crying in the middle of the night, A woman in the woods appears to be in deep despair. Once Ken hears, and then see's this woman, the Banshee, his quiet life goes downhill. Ken must solve the mystery of the Banshee; he life story, the curse upon his family and what she wants or Ken will also fall victim to the deadly curse.
I thought this book was okay. The conversations between Ken and Satie were a bit hard to swallow. There is a good twist thrown in later that explains a lot in an effective and entertaining way. Thank you #netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review #Banshee
I thought this book was okay. The conversations between Ken and Satie were a bit hard to swallow. There is a good twist thrown in later that explains a lot in an effective and entertaining way. Thank you #netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review #Banshee
February 11, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A young woman wronged curses a family as she's murdered and generations later it's down to one of the last surviving members of that family must figure out how to break that curse. Full of twists and turns I was rooting for him to get t ok the bottom of the whole mystery.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews