★英亞馬遜暢銷驚悚#1；鬼魂驚悚#2；歷史謎團#5
★英美廣大小說作家群、《泰晤士報》、《愛爾蘭時報》熱烈迴響

1921年一月。愛爾蘭基爾柯根大宅入住名單：普倫德維爾家族成員數名、未知亡魂數名。

即便第一次世界大戰已落幕，在遙遠的愛爾蘭，一場毀滅性的內戰正危及人心。享富盛名的基爾柯根大宅(Kilcolgan House)同時也是一座海霧壟罩的軍事堡壘，而偌大的房屋裡，普倫德維爾(Prendevilles)家族正與亡魂們共生。

某日，當基爾柯根爵士的大女兒茉德(Maud)死於愛爾蘭共和軍的伏擊，一家人迅速墜入了巨大的悲痛之中。軍方執言他們未將茉德置於死地，她的死，勢必需要他人來承擔。眾說紛紜之下，茉德的前未婚夫暨探員湯姆哈金(Tom Harkin)被送入了這棟陰森、古怪至極的宅邸，開始進行調查。

易裝臥底的哈金潛入宅邸的中心，也潛入了基爾柯根大宅的秘密深處。但令情況膠著的是，哈金同時受困於屋內滯留於過去的亡魂，以及他過去戰場上的記憶——在成功挖掘茉德的死情之前，他必須成功在詭譎的環境中立足，並戰勝「過去」所向他撲來的吞噬力量。

冷靜沉著的筆調、哥德式小說的黑暗冷冽，《冬日旅客》(The Winter Guest)揉合活人與亡魂的命運交織，是一部氛圍感強烈的驚悚力作。

 

W. C. Ryan，英國得獎歷史犯罪小說家，又名William Constant。他曾以《The Constant Soldier》和《Korolev》系列小說入圍許多獎項，包括「Theakston年度小說獎」、英國犯罪小說協會的「歷史匕首獎」，以及「愛爾蘭年度犯罪小說獎」，作品被翻譯成十多種語言出版。Ryan現居倫敦。

 

'A snowflake of a novel: intricate, exquisite, and unlike any other. If Sebastian Faulks and Laura Purcell were to join forces, they might produce a novel like this... yet I can't imagine anyone but WC Ryan shaping it with such imagination, or charging it with such intelligence, or gracing it with such heart' AJ Finn, author of The Girl in the Window

'Haunting, gripping . . . hugely evocative' Elodie Harper

'Works superbly on several levels. This is a most welcome winter guest indeed, to be greeted by the fire with drink in hand.' Irish Times

'Ryan evokes this moody, gothic atmosphere with convincing skill. Harkin is a sensitive, complex character and his quest to solve the mystery is deftly plotted. A treat' The Times

'A perfectly crafted mystery. Vivid, compelling and deeply moving, it is a triumph both as a crime novel and a work of historical fiction' Jane Casey

'A beautifully taut and evocative thriller' Sarah Hilary

'Superb . . . I could not put it down' Elizabeth Buchan

'Atmospheric and genuinely eerie, this is an ideal winter read' Sinead Crowley

'AA terrifically atmospheric, gripping novel' Amanda Craig, The Golden Rule

'Haunting, beautifully crafted, and full of heart. Perfect reading for dark days' A. K. Benedict, author of The Christmas Murder Game

'Beautifully written, haunting and unmissable' Cass Green

'Excellent murder mystery/ghost story set during the Irish war of independence and as usual with W.C. Ryan, beautifully written' Liz Nugent

'Intriguing, haunting, romantic and beautifully written, I cared as much about the fate of the characters as about the gripping mystery' Laura Marshall

'Haunting and exquisitely written. Part intricate mystery and part ghost story. This book will stay with me for a long time' Anna Mazzola

'A stunning book, beautifully written' Ann Cleeves