Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley!)

about book:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Tale comes a dark and mesmerizing ghost story guaranteed to haunt you to your very core.

 As a boy, William Bellman commits one small, cruel act: killing a bird with his slingshot. Little does he know the unforeseen and terrible consequences of the deed, which is soon forgotten amidst the riot of boyhood games. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to be a man blessed by fortune—until tragedy strikes and the stranger in black comes. Then he starts to wonder if all his happiness is about to be eclipsed. Desperate to save the one precious thing he has left, William enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner, to found a decidedly macabre business.

And Bellman & Black is born. 

my thoughts:

What a waste of time!  I should have known to put this book down as soon as I got to the part about rooks.  UGH!  Why did I not listen to ME?  Instead I plowed ahead thinking that the story would get better, or that it would turn into a story.  You see, Bellman & Black did not feel like a story, nor did it read like a story.  Nope, it felt more like a long-winded, verbose expository on the following subjects: mythology of the rook, ways to run a mill, and how to open a funerary store. At times it even felt like a history of William Bellman, instead of the story of William Bellman.  I just could not get lost in the words I was reading - there was no spellbinding! ACK!  Talk about disappointment!

So, no I would not recommend this book, unless you want to read about rooks or funerary retail.  Seriously, there was no ghostly spookiness to get frightened by.  Here I was, all excited to get lost in Setterfield's latest (especially, since it would count towards R.I.P. VIII) and instead I had to force myself to skim-read just to finish the story.  Of course, I'm probably the only one who feels this way about Bellman & Black, so maybe you shouldn't listen to me.  Just be forewarned that if you expect a creepy ghost story, you will be sorely disappointed.

Another book for R.I.P. VIII is done - hurrah!  I feel like I am on fire for R.I.P. VIII this year.  Last year I think I barely read one book and this year I've already read five books - FIVE!!! I can't believe it!  I feel rather pumped and am excited to read more spooky books for R.I.P. VIII.  So, I'm off to read The Returned by Jason Mott.  Happy reading!!