"... as she walked away she couldn't shake the feeling that lately she had been making too many excuses for too many weird occurrences. It couldn't all be just her imagination".
"Somewhere, somehow, something had been set in motion, and like the avalanche of Christmas she was dreading, there was nothing to stop it or Nell crashing into each other".
A Long Time Burning by J.A. Higgins is an atmospheric mystery, with paranormal elements.
Blurb:
Nell has had a terrible year, so she travels to North Chase to find some true Christmas magic. But the town has its own problems; its solstice festival is tainted by the disappearance of two teenage boys and a witch's curse is blamed.
Then, nine-month-old Ava is threatened. Has a medieval killer been awoken or does something else haunt the woods?
Nell must battle through horrific nightmares and face her own demons to expose the truth before another child is spirited away. There is magic in the air this Christmas, but behind the tinsel and baubles glitters a terrifying secret that one family has hidden for centuries, and only Nell can uncover it.
A Long Time Burning is the second book in the Nell Montague Mystery series. It reads as a standalone (there are some references to the events which happen in the first mystery). I read the first book, Finding Ruby, four years ago, and had to re-read my own review to remind myself of who Nell is, and what's happened to her previously.
Nell is recovering from the abusive relationship with her ex Gary, death of her beloved Grandma, as well as strange and dramatic events that have changed her life. Her vivid nightmares border on hallucinations.
She recently lost her grandmother, and is grieving, being engulfed by a torrent of emotions. Feelings of loss and love are interwoven with sadness, confusion and pain. "Nana was out of pain and Gary out of her life, unable to bully her anymore".
Nell lives on her own, she doesn't feel lonely as such, but she is dreading the approaching Christmas with its preconception of being a jolly family celebration. She doesn't have a family, and her group of friends is limited to Austin and Max.
"The finding of Ruby and Emily had forged a strange relationship betwen herself, Max, and Austin. Three introverts, who, she suspected, found making close friends a long process."
Max has a gift, she is a psychic. She works as a nurse, and her psychic abilities are pushed at the back of her mind. Austin is a private detective. Both try to support Nell, and help her adjust to the new pace of life. Without them she would be lost and alone.
In order to escape the forced jollity of Christmas celebrations, Nell decides to stay in North Chase. However, it's not exactly a peaceful little town. Two teenagers are gone missing in strange circumstances.
There is some evil force at large. Is it related to the legends of Mother Maundrell, the healer and wise woman who was blamed for the deaths of many children during the great plague and who had been hanged for witchcraft? Just who or what is haunting the woods nearby? What's the dark figure moving slielntly about?
Nell is susceptible to emotional distress and isolation of the suppressed menace of the past events.
She is trying to concentrate on her own personal quandary, yet is compelled to reveal the truth before another child is snatched.
The themes of the horrors of the past never going away without a trace continue in this book.
From the start, A Long Time Burning introduces a feeling of slowly-creeping unease, that is totally eerie. A haunting and bewitching tale.
Though set before and around Christmas, it is a perfect read for the pre-Halloween weeks, as it gives the creepy, spooky vibe of the season. This story will make you reluctant to go to bed, and you might want to leave your night light on... just in case.
This post is part of the blog tour for A Long Time Burning.
Many thanks to J.A. Higgins and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!
Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B7CDCQV1
Author Bio –
J A Higgins was born and raised at Porton Down in Wiltshire, and currently works for the NHS in Salisbury. She has always been fascinated by history, crime and the unexplained.
A Long Time Burning is the second book in the Nell Montague
Mystery series which explores how horrors from the past are still very relevant
today. The first book, Finding Ruby, was a
Page Turner Book Award winner in 2021.
Social Media Links –
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AuthorJahiggins
Instagram – higgins_author
If you like the sound of this story, don't forget to enter the giveaway below.
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