The Haunting of Briarwych Church

Briar Wych Church, Book 1

By: Amy Cross

Narrated by: Christopher Weeks

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

The Haunting of Briarwych Church is a horror story about a dead woman's anger and about a terrible quest for revenge.

The year is 1942. Britain is in the grip of the Second World War, bringing blackout conditions to much of the country.

For several years, Briarwych Church has remained locked and unused. Arriving to take up his new position, Father Lionel Loveford's first task is to open the great wooden door and get the church back into use. But something lurks in the shadows.

A terrible tragedy once took place in Briarwych, and now the locals live in fear of a vengeful spirit that has sometimes been spotted looking out from the church's windows. Although he doesn't believe in ghosts, Father Loveford soon discovers that the entire village of Blackwych lives in a perpetual state of guilt and terror.

Does the ghost of Judith Prendergast really haunt the church, and, if so, what does she want from the villagers?

©2018 Amy Cross (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd

Great plot but…

Mostly enjoyed this WWII tale but the main character was such a dunce it detracted from the story line. How many times do you have to see a ghost before you accept the reality? This guy would definitely go into the basement if he heard a noise.

Narrator perfect for character

The good father was quite irritating in his…everything. He reminded me more of a Puritan minister written by Hawthorne than an apparently Catholic priest in the 1940s, and his abject refusal to see the truth was frustrating. The narrator was perfect
for the role, although I’m not sure if I’d want to listen to him in any other capacity. The story was interesting. It wasn’t what I would consider her best, but it had her trademark twists. Good listen overall.

Entertaining

I enjoyed the atmosphere of this story. It wasn't anything super new and different, but the characters were believable and I liked the setting.
The narrator was wonderful.

Great story and performance

The actor’s voice was a great choice is all I’m going to say. Great. The story was also good, perhaps fizzled out a little bit towards the end, but the setting and the premise was excellent.

the village

nothing loved everything about this story it was simply amazing 👏 small village where everyone knows everything and everyone the new Comer the non believer sees for himself even though every one told him

Mansplaining

The narrator was good the story had one of the most unsympathetic protagonists I've read in quite some time. I would not recommend this story at all.

 Very good! 

A nice short ghost story. Love the setting. This book was very enjoyable and move quickly.

The Story Drags For A While

I almost gave up on this book after the first several chapters. It seemed to take forever to start to come together. The details and descriptions are very detailed and you get an idea of all the characters and the atmosphere of the tiny town but you may start to feel like its not a gripping story. It does start to come together about chapter 19 to 22. After this point, it gets interesting and pulls you in. I have high hopes for the second book of this series.

Great listen

I loved the Christian overtones of the priest, and it was enlightening listening to how he handled different situations. Tho the story wasn’t really scary, it was still good.
SPOILER ALERT!!
I expected a different ending with a seriously sinister twist - like Judith’s spirit taking over Lindsey - but it wasn’t to be. The ending was rather sweet. Narration excellent!

Well Done

The essence of the story feels like Summer of Night by Dan Simmons, which is a good thing. Very impressive, appropriate language, and truly ominous and scary. This author is proving to be one of the genre's finest, if not the best alive in our day. I appreciate her old fashioned approach and moral sense.