The Christmas holidays have just begun and Aveline is heading to her uncle's house with her mum and Aunt Lilian. After years of being missing, they are going to sort out his things, including putting his house on the market. With Harold keeping her company, Aveline is determined to get to the bottom of why and how her uncle vanished and why he was researching a an ancient burial ground close to his home as well as other local disappearances. But, by investigating this themselves, could Aveline and Harold be putting themselves in danger?
I've been a big fan of the Aveline Jones book since I read The Haunting of Aveline Jones in the summer of 2020. The deliciously spooky atmosphere that is built has always enticed me (I remember reading book 1 on a gloriously sunny evening and dropping the book in fright as my phone pinged next to me whilst I was reading it!). And The Vanishing of Aveline Jones is no exception. The opening page details the journey on the train and the description sets the tone immediately with 'black clouds billowed like clenched fists' and 'grim mires of water pooled in the fields' - it's not your typical Christmas holiday journey and I loved it! The atmosphere continues to build when they arrive at Uncle Rowan's house, with its musty, unlived-in feel and and then even further with the Scarbury Long Barrow entering the plot. I was definitely spooked on more than one occasion but felt an absolute thrill at the tension the Hickes has built, yet again in this book.
What I also love about this book is that there are some great nods to the previous books but the book can also be read without having first enjoyed books 1 and 2.
Keith Robinson has, once again, done a wonderful job with the illustrations, which further enhance the enjoyment of the book.
The Vanishing of Aveline Jones is brilliantly atmospheric and deliciously spooky and a book to read whilst curled up under a blanket as the nights grow dark. Publishing on the 27th October, it's perfect for Hallowe'en.
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