In The Aviculturist a horrific event from Alice’s childhood, secrets, lies and romance all take place in Penwyth House, Cornwall. When Alice’s mother dies, Alice returns to Cornwall and uncovers a web of family secrets that she must unravel in order to find peace with her past and discover the reason for the nightmares she’s had since she was a child.
This book is really enjoyable. It is a quick easy read, and well paced. It has everything you need in a good book, a big old gothic house, and a beautiful remote and rugged location. I enjoyed the writing style and felt that the author really knew and loved her characters, as they felt very real, and I just wanted to love them too, and although there were some parts that did seem a bit implausible, all was forgiven as you just want everything to work out well for everyone.
Atmospheric and compelling, Ann Smythe’s debut immerses the reader in a gripping story of love, murder and revenge.June 1971, Alice Sanders is celebrating her sixth birthday at her family’s Cornish country home in Lostmor. But by the end of the evening, an event so horrific unfolds that it changes the family’s lives forever.
Years later, following the death of her mother, Alice’s sister reluctantly returns to Cornwall for the reading of a mystery will. Once there, with the help of newly found friends she gradually unravels a web of secrets surrounding her family’s past and unlocks the reasons for her nightmares that she has spent a lifetime trying to escape. Meanwhile, as a violent storm grips the sleepy town of Lostmor, a cataclysmic chain of events leads to a perilous outcome no one could have predicted.
