The Ruin of Delicate Things

By: Beverley Lee

Narrated by: Paul Rogan, Punch Audio

Barrington Hall is a place of secrets - something Dan Morgan has worked hard to forget. But when a heartbreaking loss brings him back to the place where he spent his childhood summers, Barrington Hall will do what it must to make him remember.

Faye Morgan blames her husband for the death of their teenage son. She doesn’t want to leave the place Toby called home. But after she catches a glimpse of a strange boy in the midnight woods and learns of his connection with Barrington Hall, her need to learn more pulls her further and further into a nightmare world filled with past atrocities and the burning flame of revenge.

A tale of grief and horror, The Ruin of Delicate Things explores how loss can leave a hole inside of us. A hole large enough for anything to crawl into.

©2020 Beverley Lee (P)2021 Fireside Horror

Critic reviews

"Gorgeously written and compulsively readable, The Ruin of Delicate Things is as beautiful as it is tragic. Beverley Lee's work has always been memorable for its sumptuous descriptions and well-drawn characters, but this fiendishly macabre fairytale puts her right at the top of my must-read list. Whether or not you keep your doors and windows shut, this one will sink its teeth into you." (Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Kin and Master of the Moors)

Captivating. Intense. Amazing.

Wow. What can I say, other than I didn’t want the story to end. It is beautifully written with intense gothic horror and paranormal/fantasy threads set against the backdrop of modern times set against the backdrop of ancient folklore.

I literally cringed and squirmed with some of the descriptions and held my breath as my heart ached for the characters.

I will definitely be listening and reading to more books from this author.

Wonderful performance by Paul Rogan

Author Beverley Lee does it again. Some books are just stories, and some books are a part of life shared with the reader. In 'The Ruin of Delicate Things', a shared tragedy creates empathy for the main characters. For me, it was like sharing a nightmare. Secretly, you don't want to wake up because you must know how it will end, even if it kills you. I enjoyed every detail of this unsettling journey, and once again, I will be unnerved by bumps in the night! There is an audio book performed by Paul Rogan that is excellent. He brings remarkable life to a wide variety of characters. It is a wonderful way to literally never have to put a book down. -Mr.Bill

Such a great story

Beverley Lee has captivated me story after story and once again she has stolen my breath away with The Ruin of Delicate Things.

The story starts out as a slow burn and continues to pick up pace all the way to the end. What a roller coaster of emotions this ride was. The characters felt like they were right next to me relating their stories right to me and making me feel all that they felt, from loss to fear to anger to strength.

I recommend this to anyone who likes a little bit of superstition and a whole lot of working through loss and those things that hold the loss at the forefront of our brains.

What awaits you in the forest?

Ruin is a beautiful soft watercolor full of light pastels. However this art is transforming before your eyes. There is a splash of dark in the background, growing, multiplying, quickly taking over. The light fades, the paper is torn, crumpled, stepped on. Darkness has infiltrated and you are left with sorrow and awe. The masterpiece is tainted and grotesque and still absolutely gorgeous.
Beverley Lee will sucker punch you repeatedly and you will enjoy it. Complacency will settle in and as she gently gives you a hug, a razor blade slices your back leaving you wondering where that came from.
This book gets dark and suspenseful , mysteries of the gloomy fantastic unravel to explore what human evil does to fragile life. But the Fantastic has an evil side and a magic to prolong your mental torture.
So much I want to say but I can’t without spoilers.
Respect the forest and don’t go near Barrington Hall, that old abandoned house down by the lake. Pay attention to where you are and to the flashes you see out of the corners of your eye. There are spirits (forces) that want to spend an eternity with you.