Jump Cut by Helen Grant

The Simulacrum is the most famous lost movie in film history – would you tell someone your darkest secrets, just to lay hands on a copy? 

104-year-old Mary Arden is the last surviving cast member of a notorious lost film. Holed up in Garthside, an Art Deco mansion reputed to be haunted, she has always refused interviews. 

Now Mary has agreed to talk to film enthusiast Theda Garrick. In return she demands all the salacious details of Theda’s tragic past. Only the hint of a truly stupendous discovery stops Theda walking out. 

But Mary’s prying questions are not the only thing Theda has to fear. The spirit of The Simulacrumwalks Garthside by night, and it will turn an old tragedy into a new nightmare...

Review

‘Jump Cut’ is an atmospheric, chilling read that was an emotionally tense experience! Helen is not an author that I have read before and this type of thriller is not my usual go-to read but I wanted to give it a try for ‘Spooky Season’ aka October! And I am glad that I did. I found it to be a haunting piece of prose that drags you deeper the more you read. I'm not one to scare easily but this definitely made me uncomfortable in places. If you are on the fence with this one from reading the blurb I urge you to give it a go as I was thoroughly freaked!

The Simulacrum is the most famous lost movie of all time. 104-year-old Mary Arden is the last surviving cast member of the film and was its star. Holed up in Garthside, an ageing Art Deco mansion in the remote Scottish countryside she has always refused interviews. Until now. She has agreed to talk to Theda Garrick who is a huge enthusiast of old films. In return she demands all the salacious details of Theda’s last relationship. Only the hint that there is a copy of the film stops Theda from walking away. But Mary’s questions are not the only thing to fear, there is a unknown person stalking the halls in the middle of the night and Theda slowly becomes terrified.

There was such an impending sense of tension and dread in this novel and it built up to a terrifying crescendo! The pacing was a little slow in the first half of the book but it definitely picked up from the halfway point and didn't let the reader go until the last page. There was such a gothic sense to this novel - big house, country location, historical feel and a villain that no one would like at all! At times my senses were on overload and it definitely will keep the reader hooked.

Let me know if you read this one!