Grave Misconception

Grave Misconception

by Felicity Snowden

4 out 5

Synopsis
Twenty one year old Lucien Bannister is a typical youth of the 21st century. He is disillusioned with his life, angry and confused. In the aftermath of his unusual childhood and turbulent teens he eventually seeks the support of his former Goth friends in Whitby, but strangely he now feels like an outsider.
Why is he here? Who can he trust?
And how will he protect his young sister, Ellie from the evil that lurks there?
A century before at the outbreak of the Great War a plucky, young Kate Pickering is determined to solve the mystery attached to a handsome stranger arriving in Whitby. Affected by trauma and subsequent amnesia, Kate helps the stranger to regain his health and restore his memory. Then just when they think he will make a full recovery, both physically and mentally ….he takes an unexpected turn for the worse.
Who is the mystery man? Where does he come from?
And can Kate uncover the truth about his sudden relapse?
Separated by some hundred years Kate and Lucien have a strange connection. Times passes, people change but Murder is always Murder.



Review
Luc drags his sister along to Whitby, but soon regrets his choice to visit the seaside town.
Meanwhile, a hundred years earlier, Kate and her cousin find a mystery man on the beach with no memory, no name, and a dangerous time ahead.

I bought a copy from the author during this year's UK Indie Lit Fest, which was pretty cool. 
This is the second book I've read by Snowden, and I have to say that Grave Misconception is a more professional and polished piece than her debut, When Dead Men Don't Lie.

The narrative is split equally between Luc and Kate, as they go about their lives 100 years apart; both have their mysteries to solve.
I think I preferred Kate's half, mostly because I'm a sucker for historical settings. Especially in places that are familiar to me, like Whitby. Kate's story is set in 1914, and coincides with the sinking of a ship just off the coast, with many soldiers lost, and injured. (I think because I went to watch Dunkirk last week, it was particularly interesting).
Kate and her cousin find a mystery man on the beach and they make it their mission to see him recover, both physically, and his memory. As time goes on, it is only Kate's young eyes that see the strain the soldiers are having on certain people.

Luc has agreed to travel to Whitby for the goth weekend, and soon finds his stay open-ended. There could be work, friends, and even love, if he would only stay.
At the same time, he is obsessed with keeping his younger sister safe, filled with fear that she is about to be the target of some sick fiend.

I think Kate's half was definitely written in a stronger fashion. You get a sense of who she is, what she wants, and where she goes. The narrative pulls you along nicely, with the warmth of family, and a mystery threat on the horizon.
Luc's half was a lot more staccato, and I had trouble following it. It shifted from scene to scene, interaction with one person, to the next day, losing the nice flow of Kate's story. The only thing I really got a sense of, was that Luc was fearful of the safety of his sister, but I'm not sure why.
There are no notes, no threats, no knowledge of a baddie on the loose. It's a goth weekend, which can be a bit daunting for people that aren't used to that lifestyle, but it was Luc's idea to go.
The only thing I got was Luc is massively over-protective. He is obsessed with where his sister is, and with whom; to the point that it takes over his own life.

That being said, Snowden does a great job at creating a tense mood, where you are constantly on edge, wondering when someone is going to attack. I just didn't know who, why or how!

This was a 3.5 out of 5 for me.
I'd definitely be interested in reading more about Kate and co.

Goodreads link
Amazon UK