About Liquid Glass
by Zathyn Priest
176 pages / 66400 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-922-4
Available file types -
html, lit, pdf, prc, epub, Sony Reader pdf,
Lillyport House was one of Britain’s most haunted residences.
Originally home to Viscount Eldon Davenport, one of history’s most
controversial poets, the house was sold by Davenport’s parents after he
was found dead of a gunshot to the head, the pistol that killed him in
his hand. Reclusive painter Cameron McKenzie is the latest owner of
Lillyport, and he doesn’t believe in ghosts, at least until he
accidentally raises Eldon from the dead.
Enter parapsychologist Malcolm and psychic Trudy, each with their own
agendas. Malcolm wishes to sever the link between Cameron and Eldon,
while Trudy is attempting to keep them together. Will she be able to
unravel Lillyport’s secrets or does the answer to Eldon’s survival
depend on Cameron, a painting, and a guilt-ridden 19th century stable
boy?
Review
Mel Spenser, author of
Rover, writes As with anything Zathyn Priest writes, I have a certain
anticipation and eagerness; knowing that what I’m about to read is going
to be different and refreshing. Once again, with Liquid Glass, I was not
disappointed.
Famous, yet reclusive, artist Cameron McKenzie has recently purchased an
historic mansion. Lillyport House is reputed to be one of Britain’s most
haunted residences. Haunted because a young poet, Viscount Eldon
Davenport was found dead of a gunshot to the head 150 years prior.
Cameron’s arrival at the mansion almost immediately sets into a motion a
series of events that begin when he accidentally raises Eldon from the
dead.
Not only did I enjoy this book immensely, it was so engrossing that I read it in one sitting. Priest expertly tells two stories simultaneously, revealing the past little by little and its effect on the present. The initial coming together of Cameron and Eldon is at first shocking, then gratifying. However, their blissful existence soon becomes threatened when the past begins to encroach on the present. As the tension in the story builds, it becomes a struggle against converging influences and a race against time.
Priest has written a
wonderfully magical, intelligent mystery, along with a sensual romance.
Through expert storytelling he accomplishes what he’s set out to do
exceptionally well. He took a complex idea, concepts I’ve never considered,
and woven them together skillfully. I understood everything he was trying to
convey as it was shown to me through the actions of the characters. He made
me believe that the fantastical events in the story could actually happen.
And it’s a gifted writer who can do that.
Sample
Present Day
She stood tall and imposing, an ominous landmark of family tragedy and scandal looming over Hampstead Heath, London. A gothic revival mansion built in the mid-1800s as a status of wealth, now deserted and ogled by sightseers curious to know if Lillyport House truly warranted her title as one of Britain’s most haunted residences. A gregarious square central turret dominated Lillyport’s three-story façade and the mansion sat amid sprawling walled gardens showing the strain of neglect. From inhabited to abandoned, Lillyport never allowed anyone the luxury of residing within her walls for long. Always, she demanded solitude.
The legend of Lillyport House grew in strength each year. Everyone wanted to walk her maze-like halls, but no one wanted to dwell there. Past residents and visitors reported a feeling of encompassing depression within the walls and grounds. Penetrating cold enveloped the atmosphere, biting through human flesh until bones beneath skin and muscle seemed to painfully freeze, a sensation that grew in intensity on the second level and became unbearable inside a bedroom situated at the front of the house. Residents reported the fleeting apparition of a young man dressed in coattails slumped against the bedroom wall.
Viscount Eldon Davenport, one of history’s greatest and most controversial poets, was born on the 17th of June 1836. The first of two poetry collections was published in February 1857 and the second published in May 1857. In the first week of July of the same year, Viscount Davenport’s burgeoning career ended. Only five weeks after moving into Lillyport with his parents, twenty-one year old Eldon was found in his bedroom with a Colt pistol in his right hand and a gunshot wound to his head.
Only weeks after a private funeral for their son on the grounds of Lillyport House, the Earl and Countess of Wicorby sold the property, the ultimate form of desertion after Eldon had been caught with a stable boy in an extremely compromising position. Enough evidence prior to the Viscount’s death suggested the striking young poet fell victim to madness. Several historians recorded two possibilities. Viscount Davenport held the dubious title of being the first recorded poet to succumb to the temptations of Absinthe and many proposed this caused his insanity. Some historians speculated Absinthe was not the reason, but instead Eldon had fallen victim to acute schizophrenia, noting there wasn’t enough evidence to prove an illicit affair. However, there was plenty of evidence proving Eldon had begun hearing voices and seeing hallucinations.
The majestic gothic mansion in Hampstead Heath refused to let go of Viscount Davenport’s misplaced spirit, jailing him in death inside the room in which he’d lost his life.
***
Parapsychologist Malcolm Ritter crushed a cigarette into an overflowing ashtray and immediately lit another. A cloud of smoke followed Ritter wherever he went. Across the table sat Trudy Garret, a woman in her early fifties standing barely five feet tall.
“Cameron McKenzie.” Malcolm drew heavily on the cigarette. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that fucking moron bought the house?” He flicked his cigarette against the ashtray. “Two village idiots existing in the same space.” Along with smoke that always clouded him, people smelled cigarettes and heard cursing long before Malcolm entered a room.
“Cameron won’t let you continue to bleed money out of tourists and ghost hunt his home.” Malcolm’s lack of empathy for spirits irritated Trudy and she spoke abruptly. “Neither Eldon nor Cameron are village idiots.” She edged away from the smoke. “I’m glad he bought Lillyport, Mal. Maybe now you’ll concentrate on something other than poor Eldon.”
“Poor Eldon? Give it a rest, Trudy. Evil Demonport was fucking a young stable boy, he wasn’t an upstanding citizen!”
There was a time Malcolm’s enthusiasm in the paranormal hadn’t been based on money or fame. He and Trudy dated through university and shared each other’s interest in the supernatural. They wed, dedicated their lives to a quest toward truth, never had children and worked together to build The Parapsychology Unit. Slowly Malcolm changed when his obsession with Eldon Davenport took him over. Trudy didn’t like the man he became and they divorced after twenty-three years of marriage.
“It isn’t cut and dried, Mal. If I were you, I wouldn’t underestimate Cameron.”
He superciliously lifted an eyebrow and smirked in a way Trudy had grown to abhor. “How many times has anyone heard McKenzie speak on his own behalf? It’s always left up to his publicity agent. The guy can paint, but that’s all he’s got going for him.”
“He’s shy, Mal, not stupid.”
“He’s a dickhead. I like his art, but I sure as fuck wouldn’t invite him to a dinner party.” Malcolm shrugged. “Then again, if Demonport possesses him I might consider it.”
“Cameron won’t let you into Lillyport. You can bet money on that.”