3 Stars *A paranormal mystery whose rushed beginning takes a while to catch up with the rest of the story* Simone St. James is a recently discovered author for me, but one I have come to enjoy greatly. After reading a couple of her more recent books, I decided to check out her breakout book, The Haunting of Maddy Clare. I enjoyed the book overall but not nearly as much as Silence for the Dead or The Broken Girls. The main problem I had with The Haunting of Maddy Clare is that the story jumps right in. The paranormal aspects start almost immediately, and they go full throttle. I absolutely missed the slow, suspenseful buildup present in her other works. The atmosphere and suspense of whether or not the paranormal elements were real were what hooked me. So between that lack of atmosphere and the fact that the plot jumps right in without allowing any initial character development, the start of the book was only ok. It was not until the later part of the books when I had gotten to know the characters and when the mystery aspect of the plot gained momentum that I became engrossed in the story. From that point, I couldn’t put it down. But admittedly, that point did not come until well after the halfway mark. The bottom line is that this is still a serviceable paranormal mystery even if it isn’t my favorite by St. James. And although The Haunting of Maddy Clare was not as enjoyable as her other books, I am not the least discouraged since it is clear that her writing has greatly improved since then! RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 4 Stars Writing Style: 3 Stars Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars Level of Captivation: 3 Stars Originality: 3 Stars

I absolutely loved this book! St. James does such a good job of combining historical romance, murder mystery, and ghost story. This story's ghost does such a good job of interacting effectively with the "alive" characters that it was almost forgettable that she wasn't one of them.

Not my favorite Simone St. James(too much romance for me), but I liked the spooky vibes.

4,25 stars!! Simone St.. James is becoming a new favorite author of mine.

It was very atmospheric and creepy. I think it just got bogged down in the romantic subplot. It started with almost a Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Who type of vibe, with the protagonist drawn into a new job by someone who not only loves his work but could be considered an expert on it. It just lost it by the end with the forced love story. It was okay but it definitely could have been better.

I liked this book and I'm feeling generous, so 4 stars. That's a real ghost story, nice and spooky; the writing is good, the ending is satisfying. Couldn't ask for more.

A dark and tragic gothic ghost story, perhaps a bit clichè but thoroughly mesmerising from start to finish, with good characters, a good plot-line and good writing style, making it a perfect choice for my short "break" from reading classics.