The Tower Ghost

A spooky murder mystery set in an Irish boarding school run by nuns – what’s not to set readers’ hearts racing in Natasha Mac a’Bháird’s new novel? Clare is a scholarship girl at Sycamore Hill and excited, if not a little apprehensive, about starting there. She strikes up an immediate friendship with fashion-mad, confident Rose and the two take gentle, homesick Molly under their wing too. In between organising midnight feasts and exploring the delights of the sweetshops of the nearest town, the trio discover a talent for detective work, prompted by the unsettling appearance of the school’s resident ghost, a young girl and former pupil like themselves. First they determine to find out just who the ghost is, then why she haunts the tower.  Together, they research, follow up clues and put together the real story, revealing deceit, corruption and cover-up in the process. As they take more and more risks, the girls end up drawing the attention of the very person responsible for the terrible crime they are about to expose – could (recent) history be about to repeat itself?

As a murder mystery, this is very satisfying indeed, well-plotted, full of genuine danger for our young detectives, and completely gripping. The appearances of the ghost become more poignant and urgent as the plot unfolds. The girls themselves feel very real, their friendship and the wider cast of characters as credible as the detective story. The 1960s setting gives it an increased sense of place.