Gin Palace By Tracey Whitwell

‘Gin Palace’ is the latest book by Tracy Whitwell.

Tanz can talk to ghosts, although she’d prefer it if she couldn’t. Struggling to make ends meet as an actress and wholly unsuited to supply teaching, Tanz is only one bad day away from a meltdown. And the babbling ghosts aren’t helping. So when Tanz is offered a paid acting gig in her hometown, things start to look up. But Newcastle’s dead won’t stay quiet for long, and soon Tanz becomes haunted with visions of a mysterious Gin Palace guarded by a sinister figure. As Tanz starts to piece together a terrible tragedy, it becomes clear there’s no limit to what the poltergeist will do to keep his secrets his own. Unfortunately, he’s never met anyone quite like Tanz before.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Tracy and I have to say that it was a genuinely lovely story.

The story is seen through the narrative of Tania, a medium who’s wanting to make it as an actress lands a bit part in a Newcastle soap series as a far from classy character. But when she’s not dressed up a brassy woman, she’s finding herself exposed to tormented children, bad spirits and meeting new like-minded people who help her hone and develop her medium skills.

This was a great story to sink into, it’s part of a series and Tracy references previous books, but it has given me a curiosity to look into the series. Tania is a great character, she’s warm, relatable and terribly kind. She’s trying to use her new gifts for good but with it brings in some badness which does make for sad and unsettling reading. There’s a lovely mix of characters in the story, from Tania’s best friend Milo and his boisterous personality to Gladys, her new friend with a love for food who’s helping Tania keep the spirts at bay.

Engaging with an interesting insight into the paranormal world, ‘Gin Palace’ is a wittily written and energetic story that made for fun reading.

You can buy ‘Gin Palace’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.