The Advent of Stickleback Hollow: A British Historical Cosy Mystery

by C.S. Woolley

Bed bound in hospital, a mystery is out of reach, but when the doctor disappears too. She puts her life on line to find out what is going on. Can Lady Sarah find the doctor in time, or has it finally run out for both of them.

Lady Sarah is beset by grief after the loss of her child. Forced to stay in hospital, her only company are the friends who come to sit at her bedside. But it is impossible for noblewoman to rest when there is a tantalizing mystery to solve. Ever drawn to fishing out the truth, Lady Sarah can’t help but investigate when she finds out that other patients are vanishing.



Alone in her beliefs that something strange is afoot, Lady Sarah is in more danger than ever before, especially since the grief of Mr Hunter has left him crawling inside a bottle. But when Lady Sarah goes missing, it is up to Constable Evans to pull Hunter out of his stupor to help find her before it’s too late.



Will Lady Sarah survive her latest investigation and save the other missing patients, or will she disappear for good?



If you like historical mysteries, unexpected twists and murder conspiracies, you’ll love C.S. Woolley’s captivating series.



Buy The Advent of Stickleback Hollow today and get lost in a world of mystery and murder in the Mysteries of Stickleback Hollow.

184 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2020

About the author

C.S. Woolley (Caroline Sarah Woolley) was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire and raised in the nearby town of Wilmslow. From an early age she discovered she had a flair and passion for writing. This was fuelled by winning local poetry and short story competitions during her years at Mottram St. Andrews Primary School.

During high school, she continued to write and found her time split between acting, writing and her studies. At 14 she began writing novels. University did nothing to change her love of writing. C.S. spent a year reading Law at Manchester Metropolitan University before changing her mind and moving to read English at Hull University. After graduating she moved to Nottingham where she now lives and stays for the cricket at Trent Bridge.

In 2010, C.S published her first novel, Nicolette Mace – The Raven Siren: The Kevin Metis Saga. Since 2010 she has published books in five series – The Chronicles of Celadmore, The Mysteries of Stickleback Hollow, The Children of Ribe, The Children of Snotingas and Nicolette Mace: The Raven Siren.

More recently C.S has taken part in charity projects that include producing content for charity books such as Standing by the Watchtower: Volume 1. C.S has also acted in several plays and films including Weekend (2011).

Hobbies: horse riding, including show jumping and cross country, Formula 1, tennis, free climbing, singing, boxing, dancing, playing guitar, cricket and is also an avid PC and console gamer.

Favourite movies: The Muppet Christmas Carol, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Chisum.

Favourite books: Sharpe’s Prey, Silverthorn and the Three Musketeers.

Favourite bands: Thin Lizzy, the Darkness and McBusted.

For more information please visit:

http://www.mightierthanthesworduk.com

Reviews

[Thoroughly Clean Indies]

This is book 10 of The Mysteries of Stickleback Hollow. Here’s my review of book 9.

Genre: Historical cozy mystery
Tropes: Blood atonement (avenger of “sin” though torture/murder)
Setting: Victorian England (December 1839)
Writing style: Multiple POV, third person, past tense
Tone: Suspenseful
Character- or plot-driven: Plot-driven

Romance: Yes

Sensitive aspects:
• Miscarriage (of out-of-wedlock pregnancy)
• Grief and depression
• Sanitorium

This is another book in the series that is also part thriller and does a good job of being suspenseful without leaving the realm of cozy. My favorite parts of the book include the Baker boys — I love how dedicated all the adults are to them, considering the fact that they aren’t technically connected to them.

Alex suffers from a depression that takes the resentment he still feels toward his father’s secrecy and turns George into a selfish villain in his mind. The manifestation of Alex’s depression makes it hard to read his scenes. I’ll be happy when we get to the other side of the situation.

I’m glad Mrs. Bosworth gives Alex a talking to about taking responsibility for his actions and the risks he took knowing full well what the consequences could be.

“You hide away from everyone and think you’re the only one to ever lose something. Your father didn’t fall this far when his wife and daughter died. Mr Bosworth didn’t fall this far when our boys were taken from us. Abandon Lady Sarah, crawl back inside the bottle.” Everyone deals with grief differently. Plenty of people fall that far, just because some other people are stronger. And since when did such an arguement ever change anything?

There was so much I was looking forward to in our lives together when my father told me of heritage and how he would recognise me as his son, but with his departure, your pregnancy and now the miscarriage, I have realised that should we continue on our path together, it will only lead to your ruin. I cannot marry you and drag your name and reputation into disrepute.

Should have thought of all this before, for heaven’s sake! There are things I like about Alex’s character but this lack of discipline and foresight is frustrating. (Not that he is solely responsible; it’s just that Sarah doesn’t seem to have the same concerns to make her act differently.)

Favorite Quotations:
• One poorly chosen word was all it would take to cause Mount Bosworth to erupt and cover everyone in her path in her rage.
• “The best explorers are the ones that think they are going one way, but are in fact going the wrong way. That’s when they find the best things,” he had always said when people had questioned his inability to navigate.
• “Welcome to purgatory, though we all know that from here we are going to be in hell soon enough.”


(I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am gratefully—voluntarily—leaving a review.)

[Clarkfamilybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good mystery by Woolley though it is beyond me why she published all these books with no editing. They could be so much more without these mistakes.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something is amiss in the hospital and Lady Sarah, although still weak and recovering, knows that things are not right. And Hunter, drowning his sorrows in a bottle, is sure that Lady Sarah will not want to see him, much less need his help. And things only get worse. The plot thickens.

Another good read, being reviewed from the edge of my seat!