Review: The Ghost Manuscript

The Ghost Manuscript by Kris Frieswick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley, Post Hill Press and Kris Frieswick for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

An ancient manuscript that hold the secrets to King Arthur’s tomb? A ghost of the monk who fought by King Arthur’s side and laid him to rest, leading you to a secret location? A monk who appears because you are sniffing the ancient manuscript and it contains spores that bring on hallucinations? How about a handsome, sexy man to help you on your quest. Get ready for an rousing read that takes you on the adventure to find the tomb of King Arthur. This story reminded me of a mash-up between The DaVinci Code and an Indiana Jones type story. You have clues from an ancient manuscript, the promise of ancient artifacts, the race to get there while being chased by bad guys while you decipher the clues to find the treasure. There’s lots of globe hopping, suspense and drama with a little romance in the mix. It is highly entertaining with characters who come to life off the page.

Carys works for an esteemed auction house and is tasked with cataloguing a client’s library. Many of the items in the library were ones she had sourced out herself. But when the old man himself tells her of this secret manuscript that leads to the tomb of King Arthur, Carys can’t help but get caught up in the solving the mystery. She isn’t the only one on the hunt, someone is trying to kill her. The clues lead her to her home country, Wales, where she enlists the help of a handsome local, Dafyyd. Oh, and get this, she loves to sniff the old manuscript, which gives her a sort of high and she begins to see a dead monk, who speaks to her in old Latin and helps lead her from clue to clue. The journey is exciting, the action drives the story at a fast pace but it is the relationships between the characters that give the story depth and keeps you invested in what happens.

I really enjoyed this read. There were so many different elements that could have been overwhelming or too scattered but somehow Frieswick managed to keep it cohesive and make it all work. The characters were well drawn and had interesting back stories that had me rooting for them. The romance fit very well within the storyline and spiced things up just enough. I loved reading about Wales and found the land very captivating. The whodunit part had a nice twist at the end. My only uncomfortable part was when it went back to the States and dealt with Native Americans. You’ll understand what I mean when you get to that part. Overall a good solid read.

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