The Belladonna Maze by Sinéad Crowley
Genre: Dual timeline, Historical mystery, Gothic
Read: 30th June 2022
Published: 5th May 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
From bestselling crime novelist and renowned Irish TV journalist Sinéad Crowley, gripping dual timelines entwine in this heart-stopping story of old secrets and forbidden passion.
An old house can hold many secrets. Hollowpark in the west of Ireland certainly does. At the heart of the gardens is an intricate maze, named after a deadly poison, Belladonna. If you know the way through, it's magical, a hiding place and playground like no other. If you don't, it's a place of fear and sinister riddles, where a young girl once went missing and was never seen again.
Grace comes to Hollowpark as a nanny for young Skye FitzMahon. Soon the mysterious past of Hollowpark has seduced her. Who is the woman she sometimes glimpses in an upstairs window? Or the apparition who keeps showing up unexpectedly, pleading, 'Find me'. And how can she fight her growing attraction to Skye's father?
MY THOUGHTS:
Hollowpark Hall protects its own...
What a delightful read THE BELLADONNA MAZE is! I wasn't quite sure what to expect diving in but I do so love gothic ghost story that is both mysterious and atmospheric so I couldn't resist...especially with that eye-catching cover. It was hauntingly captivating from the beginning, though not in any scary sense, and I could have easily devoured it in one sitting...and almost did. The rhythmic prose was almost hypnotic and I felt myself drawn into the pages and that of Hollowpark Hall itself.
The story begins in 1825 at Hollowpark Hall in the west of Ireland where it looms outside a little village and holds many secrets...and shadows. At the heart of its gardens is the beautifully intricate but deadly Belladonna maze.
When Deirdre Fitzmahon was a child, her only playmate was the gardener's son Ciaran O'Mahony. But as the years pass, their friendship is then separated by class and position and Deirdre finds herself very lonely. Her only friend is her little terrier, Prince. Her own father, disappointed that she was not born a boy and heir to the Hollowpark Hall estate, her only value was to marry with her husband becoming heir to the estate which she calls home. And so about a decade later she marries Laurence Foster who will become master of Hollowpark upon her father's death. But as all good gothic tales go, tragedy strikes thus placing Deirdre's and Hollowpark's future in peril.
In 2007, Grace is a nanny who separates her time between summers in Greece, working the holiday kids klub in family resorts and enjoying the Mediterranean sun, with the rest of the year working as a nanny in London. By pure chance she meets Patrick Fitzmahon and his wife Isla when saving their little girl Skye from drowning and impresses them with how well she interacts with their daughter. They then offer her a permanent position as nanny at their home at Hollowpark Hall.
From the moment she sets foot on Hollowpark soil, Grace becomes entranced by the Hall's mysterious past. When she glimpses the reflection of a teenage girl in jeans in her mirror and later an apparition of a woman in 19th century black dress, she puts her hallucinations down to dehydration and fatigue. But the more familiar she becomes with the place the more she glimpses the two ghostly figures. Mostly they remain silent, but there are times when they are imploring "Find her", although she isn't quite sure who "her" actually is. Inevitably, Grace is shaken by these happenings and begins to make plans to leave Hollowpark.
But when she discovers the unexplained disappearance of a teenage girl in 1973 who went missing following a Halloween party on the estate, Grace becomes even more intrigued. Is this the girl she has been "seeing" within the empty rooms in the Hall? If so, what is it she is trying to tell her? And the dark haired woman in 19th century dress? Could she be Deirdre Fitzmahon? What ghosts lay in unrest here? And why? And then there is the added complication of her growing attraction to Patrick.
Beginning with a significant incident in the Belladonna maze itself in 1825, the story then separated between the nineteenth century, 1973 and 2007 in alternating chapters. The dual timelines flow together seamlessly although I prefer the unfolding story of the past as it was far more atmospheric. I would have liked to know more about what happened to Deirdre beyond the gate house and appearing as an apparition in the present day, so I did find that a little opened ended. Her story is hinted at through Delia's telling and Jack's research but nothing really tangible. I loved the little dog that befriended Grace from the start and given its knowledge of the maze in leading her through, I guessed correctly as to his origins.
I enjoyed Grace's narrative too though not quite as much as Deirdre's. However it did improve the further she delved into the Hall's mysteries. Her interactions with Skye were delightful though she struck me as a lonely person needing to set down some roots. I was happy with how it ended for her and the author gave Deirdre something of an ending as well which I thought was a lovely touch.
The descriptions of Hollowpark Hall and the maze especially were excellent and intricate by design. I was immersed completely in the narrative that I didn't really want to leave. Ironically, I am not a paranormal/supernatural fan BUT I do enjoy gothic tales with a supernatural element to it in the form of unrested ghosts. Despite its different timeline, I was reminded a little of Louise Douglas' "The Room in the Attic" which also had a similar element to it.
An entertaining read from beginning to end, THE BELLADONNA MAZE is a fascinating tale with a steady pace throughout that is as intriguing as it is atmospheric. A thoroughly enjoyable tale with even a little nod to the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie.
I would like to thank #SinéadCrowley, #NetGalley and #HeadOfZeus for an ARC of #TheBelladonnaMaze in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Sinead went to Dublin City University and University College Dublin and got a bachelor’s degree in media studies and communication. She also got a master’s in women’s studies.
She started her journalism career for the Northside People, where she was also the film reviewer. Sinead later worked at radio stations like Clare FM, Radio Kerry, and Raidio Na Life. In 1997, she joined Raidio Teilifis Eireann as a reporter in Irish language programmes and joined the RTE Newsroom as a journalist in August of 1999.
Her debut thriller "Can Anybody Help Me?" was a bestseller in Ireland, and both it and her second book "Are You Watching Me?" were shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Crime Book of the Year.
"The Belladonna Maze" is the first stand alone novel and was released in the year 2022. Dual timelines entwine in a heart stopper of a story about forbidden passion and old secrets.
Sinead is a fluent Irish speaker and lives in Dublin with her husband and two young sons.
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