I really enjoyed this book, even though in the end the title proved to be a little misleading, as there aren't any ghosts. It does however fit with the general theme of the author's other titles.

The story is set during the great famine of the early fourteenth century when persistent rain spoiled many crops. Throughout the book there was an atmosphere of fear, hunger and desperation of people driven to do things they would not normally attempt. Three women form the main characters Sorrel, Morwen and Johanne who stories become intertwined as supernatural forces play out.

It's a compelling read in which you are willing the protagonists to win, especially against the unsavoury males they have to deal with.

If I have any criticism is that it was over too quickly. ( )

A blind and mute boy suddenly appears at a remote priory on Dartmoor; a knight brother and his sergeant from the order of St John of Jerusalem arrive at the priory, tasked with relieving the prioress of her duties and taking charge. Elsewhere on the moor, an army of workers are tearing open the ground to reach the valuable tin that King Edward needs for his armoury; a young woman makes a long journey, compelled by signs only she can see, and a voice only she can hear, until she reaches Dartmoor and knows she has arrived. With all the players on the stage, a series of events is set in motion that can only end in death and destruction.

Karen Maitland is known for her atmospheric historical novels with a strong undertone of the supernatural; this book also falls into this category. The plots of all her novels are set during the Middle Ages, but that’s where the similarities end, because each offers a rich variety of characters and events, with the past brought vividly to life. Making excellent use of the vernacular and terminology of the time as well as local customs and beliefs, she creates a realistic atmosphere in which the occurrence of supernatural events becomes plausible. Her descriptions of the darkness both on the moor at night and in the cave that houses the holy well give it almost physical properties.

This book explores the clash of two belief systems: Christianity and the belief in the old gods. Although Christianity has been established in England for several centuries, for the people living on Dartmoor the belief in the goddess Brigid, spirits, sprites and mythical beasts lies just under the surface, and when times are hard – as they are at the time the book is set, when people all over northern Europe experienced two years of terrible famine – they return to the beliefs of their ancestors. Even in the faithful the belief in God and witches and sorcery comfortably co-exists, as is shown in the character of Knight Brother Nicholas.

Don’t expect a page-turner or even a historical murder mystery in the vein of C. J. Sansom; the appeal of Karen Maitland’s books lies in the gradual build-up of tension, slowly moving to the inevitable climax and making effective use of a few well-placed horror elements. However, the changes in perspective (three different first-person narrators as well as third-person narration) take a bit of getting used to and will not be everyone's cup of tea, though it didn't mar the enjoyment for me after the first few chapters, as the voices are well defined and a helpful heading tells the reader from which point of view the respective chapter is told.

If you want to experience the next best thing to time travel, go and read one of her books, but be warned: darkness resides here.

(This review was written for Amazon's Vine programme.) ( )