A Review Of The Ghost Moth By Leslie Garland

SUMMARY: Is it possible that a five hundred year old story of a young monk and his lover could impact on a family in the present day? 

The BookViral Review:

An intriguingly good story that only those with seriously impaired attention spans will find hard to enjoy Garland blends supernatural elements with psychological insight in a haunting story of devilry and temptation.

As with most Christian fiction, The Ghost Moth is a drama of ideas. Not simply layered on top of Garland’s material but intrinsically part of it. Perfectly capturing the atmosphere of his Black Acres Monastery setting it’s easy to imagine a shuttered series of gloomy passages and dank cells where pious, mean-spirited men recite sanctimonious prayers. 

Extensively referenced as it moves between past and present. We know all the players – what the issues are – and with that Garland creates vivid and powerful scenes with a certain sense of urgency. As young Master Callow watches the burning of Rose England, as brother La Roche steps forward to take the remaining lashes for Frank Artless and Eve seduces Adam. The Ghost Moth has all the right moves and all the correct attitudes with just the right mix of frenzy and human nature. All good reasons to pick up a copy and start reading but overwhelmingly the star in Garland’s tale is Adam Callow

As his anguish deepens we feel his sense of guilt, the wavering of his moral compass and his disillusionment with the church. Most importantly we feel his pain and buy into the macabre turn of events that reach across the centuries to impact Joe, Lillibeth and Harry.

A superb addition to Garland’s Red Grouse Tales, The Ghost Moth certainly lives up to its subtitle as “a tragic tale of the Spirit versus the Flesh” A must-read for fans of Christian and horror fiction alike it is unreservedly recommended!