Cold Hell in Darley Dene

Full Books, Mystery & Thrillers, Young Adult

By Glenn Stuart

Publisher : Black Leaf Books

ABOUT Glenn Stuart

Glenn Stuart
I live and work in the mountains of southern Spain, creating my works of mystery, horror and suspence. Mostly I write for young adults. My latest book, 'Cold Hell in Darley Dene', of which there is an extract here, is now published by Black Leaf Books and is available on Amazon.co.uk. The More...

Description

When  Ben and his pals come across an old forgotten bomb shelter and embark upon their explorations, a bizarre tale of the soldiers who died there in the 1941 Blitz on Merseyside begins to emerge.   As the dreadful events which took place on that fateful day slowly unfold, our protagonist finds himself embroiled in a bewildering series of strange and surprising incidents as old secrets gradually come to light and long-hidden truths slowly reveal themselves.

 

Perplexed by voices in his head, ghostly apparitions, and other sinister paranormal happenings, Ben is determined to get to the bottom of the secrets which Darley Dene so possessively nurtures, but his progress is hampered and his life made ever more difficult by the cruel torments of a jealous rival whose sole aim in life seems to be to hamper, undermine and torture our protagonist. 

 

Impelled by sheer determination and persistence however, he is led into a series of alarming and exciting  adventures fraught with suspense, and  which steer him towards a shatteringly surprising conclusion.

 

Superbly written, adroitly compiled, and steeped in mystery, the Author plays out his tale with a style and panache attributable to only the very best of writers as he takes the reader on this absorbing, sometimes slightly harrowing, but ultimately authentically delightful journey.

My mother really did tell me this story. It was she who had invited the soldiers to stay in our house during that dreadful night. And when they woke up and they went back down to Darley Dene, it really had been bombed. The best stories always have an element of truth. But what else is true about this book, I'll let you decide!

This is an exciting fictional story about a young boy, a mystery, and the supernatural. He has many exciting and dangerous encounters until he finds the answer about his dead father.

 

I found it easy to read and enjoyable.  The story moves along at a good pace and keeps the interest right to the end.

 

I would recommend this book for boys of 15 plus who enjoy drama and excitement.  Younger readers may find the ghostly descriptions unsettling.

 

 

 

Glenys Robinson – U.K.


Cold Hell in Darley Dene kept me wide awake and fully intrigued, combining a chilling tale of war-time ghosts and spirits with flashbacks of the ever-relevant issues of peer pressure, bullying and a young boy's struggle to overcome fear to step up. Ben's "adventures" in Darley Dene not only finally uncovered the many questions he had about his father, but allowed him to deal with the loss too. While said to be a folklore with no real evidence of truth, readers will certainly enjoy getting lost in the tale that was written so accurately and so intensely that they will have no choice but to believe it is the truth."
 
While it was written about young boys and seems to be suitable for young and young adult readers, I still see a potential for adults to find it gripping.

 

Shanon Supatra - Philippines