Published: July 2017
Pages: 390
Synopsis: “I saw a woman on the beach. I watched her face a demon.”
Thirty years after her mother's death, Alice Ashcroft is drawn back to the coastal English town of Curridge. Somebody in Curridge has been reviewing Alice's novels online, and in those reviews there have been tantalizing hints at a hidden truth. A truth that seems to be linked to her dead mother.
“Thirty years ago, there was a soul auction.”
Once she reaches Curridge, Alice finds strange things happening all around her. Something attacks her car. A figure watches her on the beach at night. And when she tries to find the person who has been reviewing her books, she makes a horrific discovery.
What really happened to Alice's mother thirty years ago? Who was she talking to, just moments before dropping dead on the beach? What caused a huge rockfall that nearly tore a nearby cliff-face in half? And what sinister presence is lurking in the grounds of the local church?
THE SOUL AUCTION is the story of a woman's search to discover the truth about her mother's death, and of an evil force that once came to visit a sleepy English town.”
Rating: ***
They say "write what you know" and this is what Amy Cross does as this book opens with author Alice reading the largely negative reviews of her latest book. This is something other authors and readers who have eagerly awaited feedback of any kind can relate to and immediately made Alice an authentic, believable character with her own insecurities.
I liked the parallel plots with Alice and Kate in the modern day and their Mother 30 years ago. This kept the plot moving forward towards a revelation, that when it came wasn't surprising. To be honest, I found The Soul Auction quite boring and not overly spooky. I have read other books by Amy Cross and The Soul Auction was quite tame in comparison. There were also some inconsistencies, for example at one point Kate calls Alice Brad's wife, but later he is only her boyfriend; these could have been resolved with a final edit and read through.
Overall, disappointing but a quick read that didn't require too much concentration.
