Constable and Toop by Gareth P. Jones

Synopsis

Sam Toop lives in a funeral parlour, blessed (or cursed) with an unusual gift. While his father buries the dead, Sam is haunted by their constant demands for attention. Trouble is afoot on the 'other side' - there is a horrible disease that is mysteriously imprisoning ghosts into empty houses in the world of the living. And Sam is caught in the middle - will he be able to bring himself to help?

Blue Peter Award winner Gareth P. Jones has woven a darkly comic story, a wonderfully funny adventure that roams the grimy streets of Victorian London

I read this book a while ago after receiving a copy from Hot Key Books. To be honest I wanted to read it because of the beautiful cover and I love anything to do with Victorian London. I was also intrigued by Sam, a child who can see ghosts. At first he's quite introverted - used to doing as he's told. But the arrival of his uncle who needs hiding from the police reveals parts of Sam's dad's life that he knew nothing about.  The first few chapters introduce the reader to quite a few characters. First there's murder victim Emily who's encouraged not to follow The Knocking which will move her on to the next world - her spirit is pretty much kidnapped by an unknown assailant. Then there's Lapsewood, a ghost who thrives on order and whose afterlife is staid and controlled until he's threatened with being despatched to The Vault. 

Lapsewood is offered a second chance though - to be a Prowler and track down rogue ghosts (those who've ignored The Knocking - the sound which heralds entry into the next world). But ghosts are going missing and this draws together the stories of Sam, Lapsewood and also Clara who's just moved in to a haunted house. The murders are cleverly mixed up into the story of haunted houses and their resident ghosts. I was transfixed from the first few pages. I fell in love with the ghost world that the author has created - there's loads of brilliant little details too like the receptionist who's reading the complete manuscript of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Even though the subject matter is fantastical there's wonderful material here that all sorts of people can relate to. Firstly there's Lapsewood who's in his early-thirties and stuck in a rut. He's not doing the sort of work he dreamed of and finds it impossible to try for the things that his heart desires. Initially, at the beginning of the book he isn't sure that he wants to change and actively fights against it but as the story develops he starts to take chances and surprises himself. Sam has to deal with loss and secrets. After his mother dies he feels alone and is bullied at school for being different. His family has secrets and he has to come to terms with the realisation that perhaps he doesn't know his father as well as he thought. He also has to accept himself, strange gifts and all which is perhaps the hardest thing.

Constable and Toop is a magical book. It's the kind of read that I would have loved to have been given as a child at Christmas. It's got the right combination of mystery, ghosts and excitement. Scratch that - I would be over the moon if someone bought this for me now! I also think this is a good book for boys with it's male protagonist and a good dose of horror. A special book that I'll definitely read again. 

The Thornthwaite Inheritence by Gareth P Jones

Synopsis:

Ovid and Lorelli Thornthwaite have been trying to kill each other for so long that neither twin can remember which act of attempted murder came first.

But whoever struck first, trying to take each other’s lives is simply what they do. Until one day a lawyer arrives at their house to take stock of its contents, and his accompanying son attracts their attention. Soon a new battle evolves – one in which the twins have to work together to solve the mystery of their parents’ deaths.

Can Lorelli and Ovid overcome their old animosities, and will they ever get to finish that game of chess?

I love how The Thornthwaite Inheritance is further described on Bloomsbury's site:

A gothic novel featuring twins with a deadly rivalry, mysterious deaths, a fortune to be inherited and any amount of dodgy dealings.

This is utterly the correct elevator spiel and it works fantastically to sell the novel.

Lorelli and Ovid are two very different kids. I did not expect to like them, at first - I thought they were going to be a bit distant and cold and a bit mean and mouthy, but the author cleverly bypasses that to give us two obviously intelligent characters who are logical, dedicated (to offing one another) and maybe a little spoilt but actually, very likeable in their slightly Gothic and twisted way.

Having said that, they come from a privilidged background as the Thornthwaites are an old noble family. The people in the area do not like them very much due to the trouble previous generations had caused. Lorelli and Ovid are kept almost under house arrest by their servants in the Manor - they are allowed to roam the grounds and they do so, but they have never gone further than the actual village and then it was only briefly.

The cast of characters are kept small and as the mystery surrounding the twins' parents unfold I was at a loss - who was to blame for what? As far as I could tell every single person in the book, bar the twins, had something to gain, not just at the death of their parents (shortly after they were born) but also at the death of the twins!

The author has taken great care to keep the cards close to his chest - it plays out in a classic whodunnit and also a whydunnit way, complete with everyone gathering in the portrait room to denounce each other. But even then things take a turn for the worse as there is yet more to be revealed. In my opinion, a very solid story which would make Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sigh in relief - someone out there is keeping the flame alive!

I sincerely hope that there is more to come from Gareth P Jones about Ovid and Lorelli - they have been perfectly set-up in this for a series of books featuring them both. It is going to be interesting to see how they come to grips with real life when they get to watch tv (they've never seen tv), computers and computer games, food that actually tastes like something (they have always only ever eaten unspiced dull food) and to wear something that's not just black - as the house had been in mourning for fourteen years, since the death of their parents.

An excellent and fun read with just the right amount of sinister to make you feel a bit like you should check your bicycle chain, in case it was tampered with!

The Thornthwaite Inheritence published by Bloomsbury is out now.