This is the time of year when spooky and frightening stories come into their own.  The coming of Halloween seems to remind people of those scary stories and legends that abound in all mythologies.

Indigo Smith is the narrator of this story and lives with her parents and twin brother Rusty (Russell) in the funeral parlour that her parents run.  She is convinced that ghosts do not exist and is far more interested in the nature to be found locally.  When she accidentally discovers a hidden room in the house, she manages to knock over an old urn and releases the ashes of the Cinderman.  This is the most dangerous type of spirit and he is out to wreak revenge on the local population for what happened when he was alive.  Overnight the village becomes coated in ash and the twins discover that the Cinderman has taken control of the inhabitants and turned them into zombie like people..   At the same time that this happens the two children discover that they have the power to see and speak to ghosts, including their grandfather; he explains that they are a new generation of Spooksmiths, who can see ghosts and are able to protect the village from evil spirits.  The question is whether they can overcome the Cinderman, save all their family and friends and enable some of the local ghosts to find peace at last?

What a chillingly good story for even people like myself who are not great fans of the horror or ghost genre.  The author has managed to combine the lurking menace of the Cinderman with the delightfully funny character of Phrank, a wild pheasant that has taken up residence in the garden (and the kitchen, if he can sneak in).  However, this is also a story about family and how relationships can affect future generations.  There seems to be an assumption that twins are always very close, but perhaps that it not always the case or at least the individuals can have differing interests and temperaments.  This is a brilliant read for those who want to dip their toes into the horror genre, but it also show how aficionados of war-gaming learn strategies that might help them in other circumstances.  It is a very compelling story and I am delighted to see that there will be a second outing for Indigo and Rusty in the future.

The author

Alex Atkinson loves scary books filled with oddball characters. She blames her idyllic North Yorkshire childhood spent playing murder-in-the-dark and listening to her dad’s blood-curdling bedtime stories. After studying English and Politics at Newcastle University, she worked as a website content editor. She now lives in a village in Hertfordshire with her husband, kids, dogs and tortoise, but dreams of abandoned buildings, ghosts and zombies. SPOOKSMITHS INVESTIGATE: THE CINDERMAN is her debut novel.

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