Wicked Little Deeds by Kat Ellis

Image from Amazon.co.uk

I’ve only ever read one other book by Kat Ellis and that was Harrow Lake, which really scared the crap out of me. So why did I sign up for the blog tour with The Write Reads for Kat’s latest novel Wicked Little Deeds? Because I’m an idiot. This novel thankfully didn’t scare me as much as Harrow Lake, (sigh of relief) but Wicked Little Deeds is a really creepy, mystery thriller. Very creepy.

Ever since Ava Thorn survived the car accident that killed both her parents a year ago, she continues to struggle with getting back to normal. But her life is tainted because of her family name. A curse is said to befall the Thorn family. That if they see a vision of Sadie (a woman who died centuries ago at the property of Thorn manner) then they are destined to die. Sadie is now a legend and a kind of creepy town mascot, who had her eye’s gouged out and disappeared.

Ava is drawn to the legend of Sadie and feels quite protective of the story, so when her uncle sells Thorn manner to the man she blames for the death of her parents, Ava is horrified. Things get a little more creepy when Ava starts to ‘see’ things and when bodies start to emerge with their eyes removed, Ava becomes a suspect as all evidence points to her, rather than the ghost of Sadie. After all ghosts aren’t real, right?

The writing is seamless and paced perfectly to reflect what the reader needs to know and when. The story gives you enough of the mystery unravelling, but weaves in enough of the creepiness, which casts doubts about what you think is actually happening. The perspective may only be from Ava’s point, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get an all rounded view of what is happening. As this provides us with the right depth to create that atmosphere of fear emanating from Ava.

I actually enjoyed this novel and will perhaps read more of Kat Ellis’ novels, but I shall always (like this read) read them in the daylight and not before bed. Just in case.