It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Last to Know by Jo Furniss.
After spending a decade as a broadcast journalist for the BBC, Jo Furniss gave up the glamour of night shifts to become a freelance writer and serial expatriate. Originally from the United Kingdom, she spent seven years in Singapore and also lived in Switzerland and Cameroon.
As a journalist, Jo worked for numerous online outlets and magazines, including Monocle and the Economist. She has edited books for a Nobel laureate and the palace of the Sultan of Brunei. She has a Distinction in MA Professional Writing from Falmouth University.
Jo's debut novel, All the Little Children, was an Amazon Charts bestseller.
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About the book
American journalist Rose Kynaston has just relocated to the childhood home of her husband, Dylan, in the English village of his youth. There’s a lot for Rose to get used to in Hurtwood. Like the family’s crumbling mansion, inhabited by Dylan’s reclusive mother, and the treacherous hill it sits upon, a place of both sinister folklore and present dangers.
Then there are the unwelcoming villagers, who only whisper the name Kynaston—like some dreadful secret, a curse. Everyone knows what happened at Hurtwood House twenty years ago. Everyone except Rose. And now that Dylan is back, so are rumors about his past.
When an archaeological dig unearths human remains on the hill, local police sergeant Ellie Trevelyan vows to solve a cold case that has cast a chill over Hurtwood for decades. As Ellie works to separate rumor from fact, Rose must fight to clear the name of the man she loves. But how can Rose keep her family safe if she is the last to know the truth?
I thought it was quite easy to relate to Rose. It's not easy to acclimatise to a new country, especially when you're only doing it for a loved one. It's not the same as making the choice solely for yourself. Hurtwood House isn't exactly what she expected. Instead of a sweet cottage in a rural area, her hubby comes from a ruin of a mansion-like homestead, which includes a slightly peculiar mother.
Life is made slightly more complicated by the fact Dylan's father died under a cloud of guilt and suspicion, and the villagers aren't in a hurry to forget that fact. Rose doesn't have a clue what's going on and why, which is just the beginning of her problems.
There were a few sub plots that seemed superfluous to the main storyline, however I think it was more a question of exploring Rose in regards to her reactions and instincts. Her fears and her need to maintain some semblance of control.
It's a story that has an element of magical realism, a ghostly presence and is filled with the dread and mysticism that comes with local folklore. It's so much more than a mystery and a crime read. Furniss has a very lyrical voice, which leans towards the literary at times. I hope she explores that aspect of her storytelling and writing talent at some point in the future.
It's a tale very much pulled in multiple directions by the characters. The outsiders, the insiders and the wannabees. Add an eccentric homeowner, a house full of history and charisma, and a mystery to boot - well of course it's going to be a good read.
Buy The Last to Know at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Lake Union Publishing; pub date 11 Aug. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.
Read my review of The Trailing Spouse by Jo Furniss.
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