A skeleton is dug up at the crossing of the ways on Hanging Moor, striking dread into the heart of Old Ma Ramsgill – the elderly matriarch of the village of Thruscross. And with good reason. The eighteenth-century witch, Jennet, has been woken.
A spate of killings by a vicious black dog gives credence to her warnings and the community – in particular her family – realise they are in terrible danger.
Drastic measures are needed to contain her, but with the imminent flooding of the valley to create a new reservoir, do they have the ability to stop her and break her curse?
Karen Perkins is the author of the Yorkshire Ghost Stories, the Pendle Witch Short Stories and the Valkyrie Series of historical nautical fiction. All of her fiction has appeared at the top of bestseller lists on both sides of the Atlantic, including the top 21 in the UK Kindle Store in 2018.
Her first Yorkshire Ghost Story – THE HAUNTING OF THORES-CROSS – won the Silver Medal for European Fiction in the prestigious 2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York, whilst her Valkyrie novel, DEAD RECKONING, was long-listed in the 2011 MSLEXIA novel competition.
Originally a financial advisor, a sailing injury left Karen with a chronic pain condition which she has been battling for over twenty five years (although she did take the European ladies title despite the injury!). Writing has given her a new lease of – and purpose to – life, and she is currently working on A Question of Witchcraft – a sequel to Parliament of Rooks: Haunting Brontë Country.
To find out more about current writing projects as well as special offers and competitions, you are very welcome to join Karen in the her Facebook group. This is an exclusive group where you can get the news first, as well as have access to early previews and chances to get your hands on new books before anyone else. Find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/groups/karenperkinsb...
The suspense in this short story was pretty good. I read it in an hour. I've not read Perkins' other stories and chose this because I like to read ghost stories. A witch's bones are upset when the town is digging to create a new reservoir for the village. Jennet is a scorned angry woman from 1700s and out for revenge. Not exactly an original storyline but Perkins makes it interesting. I found the characters John, Sue and "Ma" underdeveloped and thin. Sometimes their voices were the same: flat and predictable. Lots of people are killed by Jennet--as she is let loose on the town--but I didn't care much about her victims because we didn't get to know them. I didn't care much about Jennet either; her evil was pretty ordinary, as were her appearances. I could not get into the emotion in this story at all; maybe the writing was just too distant for me. In terms of Perkins' literary voice ... it was okay. The ending was a disappointment and left me feeling a little manipulated to go buy another Perkins book Thores-Cross about Jennet. I probably won't, although I think this writer has an interesting skill for contriving mystery plots and I can admire the weave she created.
When I wrote the novel, Thores-Cross, I thoroughly enjoyed writing about Jennet - the young innocent girl who became twisted through isolation and bitterness in the eighteenth century, terrorizing the ancestors of those who had mistreated her.
I have been asked repeatedly to write more about her and, in the end, Jennet herself became so insistent, that I could not refuse. The result is Cursed, a short story chronicling how Old Ma Ramsgill (Mark Ramsgill's great-grandmother in Thores-Cross) dealt with her in 1966 when the construction of Thruscross Dam unearthed her bones, waking her and giving rise to a horrific killing spree.
"Only one may live to carry the curse to the next generation, then they will suffer their losses" -- Jennet Scot
Okay so you already know I fell in love with the first book in the series - and this one was no different - I was just DYING for some more of Jennet's story, she had me entranced from the moment I first started reading. I love Emma's story, but Jennet's story is so horrible and not just angering but also makes the reader feel so helpless, that you cannot help but feel sorry for her, even though she has done some pretty horrible things in vengeance. And of course it is not going to get any better - for her or for the people around her.
In this mid-series short story, we meet Ma Ramsgill and her son John, who is married to a descendant of Mary Farmer, the one person who never forsook Jennet, even as she died a horrible death. When I started reading I wasn't quite sure who the people were, but John and his buddies had found a skull while digging, and it just happened to be the skull of Jennet Scot, found at the place where the Hanging Moore used to be. Where Jennet had died. So John has heard only a bit of the story, he doesn't really believe it and he doesn't know all of it - so Ma sits them both down and tells them the story of what happened between Jennet and the Ramsgills. Now I am wondering where the curse that Jennet laid upon the Ramsgill family is at ... if Ma has lost children before this and John is the only one left ... or if there will be more deaths to come now that Jennet has resurfaced once again. But all of that will be played out - and once again I am like a fish on a hook - just waiting and hungering for more. This is possibly the BEST series I have read in my opinion so far. I can't stop, I am kind of like Jennet and her curse - I just keep going!
By now, if you read you will realize that TWINS are the reoccurring theme in this book - and of course only one can survive (if any) to keep the curse going into the next generation. John and Sue scoff at the words from Ma, they just don't buy into it, but I mean who would? Ghosts, spirits, hauntings, curses, witches - it's all nonsense right?? RIGHT?? Until it's not, until they see firsthand what happens. When they lose their twin babies, they still are not certain about the curse, but Ma tells them they must send their older child Richie far away from Thruscross and the curse. At the wake, we get to see a few more people who live near them - and as it turns out, ALL of the people they know played some part in Jennet's story. However, just like John and Sue - the others don't believe it, most of them just brush it off as folklore. And then it starts all over again. Jennet is back and she is just as strong as ever and even more hateful and vengeful.
I don't want to give the plot away as always, so you have to read it for yourself - and this series is REALLY hard to talk about without giving away anything. But trust me, it's worth it and it will captivate you like nothing you have ever seen. You will be left wanting more just like I was, and you will want to see how the curse plays out. I could honestly see more and more books coming out of this series at this point, and I would read them willingly! I want it to keep going, I want to keep hearing more about Jennet and the Ramsgills and Thores-Cross (Thruscross). ***I received a free book to read***
A nice short story that continues the haunting of Thores-Cross by Jennet Scott. Old Ma Ramsgill is a great character and one that you could relate to if like me, you grew up in the 60's. There was always someone like her in families in them days, strong and brave and a warm heart. Looking forward to book three now. Karen Perkins is an excellent author and puts you right inside the Yorkshire Dales.
We are on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales and I came across this on the bookshelf. I love a good ghost story so was excited to read it.
A skeleton is dug up on Hanging Moor, striking fear into the heart of Old Ma Ramsgill - the elderly matriarch of the village of Thruscross. The eighteenth-century witch, Jennet, has been woken.
All I can say is don’t bother. The story is too short, the writing isn’t that great and the characters too underdeveloped to enjoy.
I always try and give constructive feedback so there is a spoiler alert.
The premise of this story appealed to me because I live in Yorkshire about a one and a half hour drive from Thrucross Reservoir and I have a thing for ghosts, especially local ones.
I did enjoy the story, but there were a few things that pulled me out of it so I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have. It felt a little rushed to me. Time flew by and as a reader I felt I was missing out on things - see further down for an example.
The next point might be because I am in Sheffield and the dialect might be different, or the author tried to make it as simple for people to understand as possible. There were many 'thees' my brain insisted on changing to 'thous', e.g.: "...thee've a better chance..." became "...tha've a better chance..." or more closely "...tha's a better chance..." "That all thee got?" became "That all tha's got?" I've never heard anyone say 'thee've' before, and I worked with a guy for ten years who spoke only in thees and thous. At any rate, it disrupted the flow of the story a little for me and I found it frustrating but minor.
I was also a little confused by the scene where Sue finds the twins dead. One moment we are in the bedroom with Sue talking to John, her husband, and the next she is calling from the twin's room. She does get out of bed and put on a robe and state she had a full night's sleep, but then she is calling from the other room. There is nothing to indicate she has left John's side from one sentence to the next until she calls out to him. On rereading it I think I figured out what the author intended. John puts his head in his hands so he can't see Sue and then Sue is not in the room, obviously leaving when John can't see. But the reader is a fly on the wall, neither in John's head nor Sue's head so we don't know what is happening unless we are told.
The only other issue I had was it felt rather emotionless in places, especially after the deaths of people. The characters just seemed to move on to the next scene. I know Yorkshire people are tough, but it would have felt darker and more frightening if we were let inside their minds more. That may just be personal taste, but I like to be immersed in a scary story, drawn in to the darkness of it. In this instance, I felt the darkness was emotionally superficial even though the plot was telling me otherwise. It might be related to the time jumps I mentioned earlier. For instance, when the twins die, we jump six days to their wake. A lot of mourning and scary thoughts must have gone on during that time, but the reader is thrown from the horror of discovery of the bodies to people squabbling in a church. I know it's a short story and time is limited, but to me this jump took away from character development and the opportunity to build tension and have the reader relate emotionally to the characters. I would have felt more for the characters if I'd been let into their world a little more.
Overall, this is an interesting story that made me think about it after I had finished reading, and that is the ultimate goal of any fiction writer, to have the story stay with the reader. However, it wasn't as dark/frightening or immersive as I thought it would be because of the few things that pulled me from it.
I can't give half stars, but if I could this would a 3.5 for me. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a ghost story that could happen...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Beneath this soul-shuddering narrative of unrelenting suspense, with descriptions of haunting settings that chill to the bone and dialogue that crackles more than a witch's caldron... Karen has conjured up a truly terrifying reality that even the likes of King, Shelley and Stoker would have been proud of. Even on paper, Jennet's presence seems practically tangible and had me briefly afraid of getting up in the night! Hollywood look no further!
Cursed is set in Thores-Cross in 1966. While building a road associated with the new dam a skeleton is unearthed. That skeleton belongs to Jennet Scot. Can she be stopped from returning and taking her revenge. This is a very short story set before the first book in the series and tells of the discovery of Jennet's body and the immediate aftermath. Enjoyable.
Short little story to fill in the gap between The first two Yorkshire haunting books of Jennet. Enjoyed it very much. Basically in a nutshell, Jennet will take every opportunity to come back to where she was wronged hundreds of years ago and kill those of the ancestors of those who wronged her. These books are all written so well I keep wanting to read more!
This is a short story about a family curse from a Yorkshire witch. It's written with a dialect to the dialougue, which, as a British person, was a bit of a stumble, but if you just picture it being said in a Yorkshire accent, you'll be fine.
Now, I didn't LOVE it, but I have nothing bad to say. It was intriguing enough to keep reading, fast-paced, and I was finished before I barely started.
I would like to try some of Karen Perkins'd other writings, especially something slightly longer to see how I feel about her writing style once I can properly get my teeth into it.
A good novella, though because of its length it did feel a little rushed with the storyline. Some of the more shocking aspects of the story I felt were unrealistically glossed over. A good addition to the series though.
Short brilliant and ghostly tale, that fills in the gaps and leave you wanting more some time since I read the first book, and now can’t wait to get on to book 3. Love this trilogy, I’m glad to hear there is a fourth book on the way.
I downloaded this book for free as part of a promotional deal. The book was okay and I can see it appealing to the avid Miss Marple type murder-mystery readership. However I myself found this book a little frustrating and a little slow.
Although the clue was in the title, I think the Yorkshire theme became a little frustrating and was over-accentuated which I imagine for readers unfamiliar with this accent; it would quickly become irritating trying to decipher what the characters were saying. If a book said it was set in London I wouldn’t expect it to have broad cockney throughout.
The plot-line was okay, suitable for this length novella, and the characters are likeable. The setting itself is also quite well portrayed and I know of a few Yorkshire villages that would fit the authors setting.
All in all this is a light-hearted little mystery book.
With Cursed – A Yorkshire Ghost Story, Karen Perkins presents us with a suspenseful short story. The story is cleverly elaborated, leaves you opportunity to include your own imagination. I had a real good time reading Cursed (Yorkshire Ghost Serie, #2). You can read and enjoy cursed even if you did not (yet) read Thores-Cross
Having just read Thores Cross which told the whole story of Jennet the 17th century witch & the Ramsgills this was a treat to revisit once again in this novella.
I wish it was longer. This story was very short, but explained some details of Thores Cross. Great story. I look forward to reading more of Karen Perkins' books.
8/7/1966, Thruscross, North Yorkshire Rog, & Steve, were running the bulldozers. Paul & Simon were doing other work on the Washburn Valley Dam. The Leeds Corporation Waterworks would supply the water to the area. Steve lost control & the digger dozer went over the edge of the cliff. Andy (foreman) said he was out cold.
Simon secured the chain. They all looked in awe Steve on his last swipe had unearthed a skeleton. Thruscross (village). 8/7/1966, John Ramsgill (son, husband/father) rushed through the Stonehouse Inn pub door looking for Old Ma Ramsgill (elderly matriarch). Wilf Moore (distant cousin) & MA told him the bones were of Jennet Scot (18th. Century witch) who lived at Wolf Farm. 8/15/1966, John had to keep a better eye on his family: Sue (wife/mother), Richie (6, John/Sue twin son), & Robert (6, John/Sue twin son).
The morning headline read: Adam Carter (Harrogate) & Sarah Wainwright (Thruscross) died.
My egg donor mom I never met was from Leeds.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written paranormal book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great paranormal movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Author; LionheART Publishing House; Amazon Digital Services LLC; book Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)