From the bestselling author of LABYRINTH and SEPULCHRE - a compelling story of ghosts and remembrance. Illustrated throughout by Brian Gallagher. The Great War took much more than lives. It robbed a generation of friends, lovers and futures. In Freddie Watson's case, it took his beloved brother and, at times, his peace of mind. In the winter of 1928, still seeking resolution, Freddie is travelling through the French Pyrenees. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. He stumbles through woods, emerging in a tiny village. There he meets Fabrissa, a beautiful woman also mourning a lost generation. Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories. By the time dawn breaks, he will have stumbled across a tragic mystery that goes back through the centuries. By turns thrilling, poignant and haunting, this is a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage. THE WINTER GHOSTS is a gorgeous illustrated novel inspired by The Cave, Kate Mosse's short story written for the Quick Reads Initiative for adult emergent readers.

I'm not sure what else I can say about this that isn't in the back cover blurb (above).

I really enjoyed two others of Mosse's books, Labyrinth and Sepulchre but they were tomes compared to this short novel, which almost reads like a long short story - if that makes sense.

I love that it's written in the first person and Mosse does so well with Freddie describing his feelings that it so easy to get caught up in his emotions and his thoughts. I loved the descriptions of the countryside in that part of France. The story itself is haunting, but so soul-satisfying and I put the novel down feeling good about so many things - loss and friendship, family, new beginnings and most of all that those who have left us leave a part of themselves behind for us to find when we need it most.

Passing along to chronicbooker at the Toronto Meet Up on Jan 25.

Picked this up at the Toronto meetup yesterday/