B&B Paperback – 25 Feb. 2017

I'm always pleased to see a new Amy Cross book appearing, but I have to say I found her last one, The Disappearance Of Katie Wren, a big disappointment. It was a slog to read, with some awful characterisation. Sorry, Amy. Here she is, more back on form. A young woman, Bobbie, arrives in a snowy Canterbury, desperate for somewhere to stay. She's clearly fleeing from something. She finds herself at the £45-a-night Castle Crown B&B .... where life is completely bonkers. The landlady appears with her face completely bandaged, there is a dangerous pot plant halfway up the stairs, a corpse in the bathroom, a ghostly sobbing child, and a strange woman on the top floor who flees back upstairs whenever she sees anyone. To add to the mix there is a serial-killer at large on the streets of Canterbury, nicknamed The Snowman, because he only strikes when it snows (which must limit his activities somewhat). I found most of this story quite fun, in a very dark farce sort of way. Sometimes it reminded me of the vintage 1930s horror film The Old Dark House. I think Amy's at her best when she centres the story around a particular building. If I was a film-maker, I'd snap this one up like a shot. It's very atmospheric, but also quite tongue-in-cheek. I wasn't quite sure about the Groundhog Day element to it, because that can all too easily get tedious, but the author ties all the loose ends up quite nicely at the end, and snowy Canterbury made a great setting. Perhaps you should try a Christmas story next, Amy, just a little idea for you there ...

I am a huge fan of Amy's and always enjoy her books. I got this one as a freebie but I would gladly have paid for it.The story centers around a young woman Bobbie who is running away from something and finds herself in a B&B in a snowy village which is being stalked by a serial killer who only strikes when it snows.The B&B is full of strange guests and Bobbie finds herself drawn into the mystery of who the snowman serial killer is. The story started out great and I was really enjoying it but then it had a groundhog element to it which I wasn't sure about at first but it soon fit well into the story line and the author managed to tie all the loose ends neatly together at the end and when I finished the story I found myself thinking how easily the idea could have been a disaster but instead how well thought out it was.I can't wait to see what Amy writes next.

Read B&B very quickly, really enjoyed the premise and would have happily explored the backgrounds of the other B&Bers further, perhaps other stories will be born. Like the main character, I had a real sense of deja vu while reading this book, I can't decide if I've read a short story or seen a Twilight Zone along the same subject, it's going haunt me forever more! Definitely worth a read.

This was brilliant. Hooked by the intro, I bought the book and wasn't disappointed. I let my kindle read it to me in the car and ended up volunteering for more trips so I could keep listening. Laughed out loud a lot cos it's darkly funny. If you're umming and ahhing about buying this book, go for it. Entertaining read.

A bloody creepy-house story that sets up some nicely mysterious questions but answers them in a fairly predictable way. Some odd turns of phrase here and there for a novel featuring British characters (as far as I can tell anyway!) - like city 'blocks' - but the action moves along quickly and doesn't bog you down in unnecessary details. The book has a well-written, pacy (if unsurprising) denouement.

Atmospheric, creepy and easy to read. The Deja vu / Groundhog Day element was tied up just in time, as were all the loose ends of the characters staying at the b & b. Personally, I'd have left and stayed at the station!

This is a short but enjoyable read.A young girl on the run picks up a card for a B&B and finds it not realising the chain of events she will create.Very atmospheric and gets your mind working a great way to spend a few hours.

Another great book by Amy Cross full of twists and turns throughout highly recommended well worth the money and a great read