Simon & Schuster Canada keeps the adventure coming with the fourth book in The Blackthorn Key series by Kevin Sands. You can collect them individually, or in a gorgeous six book hardcover collection.

In book four picking up shortly after the previous story, Christopher wakes up, not knowing where he is, or more importantly, he doesn’t know who he is. He was in a shipwreck, and seems to have lost his memory. And that is not going to do him any good as he finds himself involved in a story that involves kidnapped children, witches, wraiths, pirates and more.

There isn’t much in the way of codes in this story, but there are definitely puzzles for Christopher to figure out, not just the ones around his missing memories. Happily he’s rejoined by Tom and Sally who have been combing the southeast coast of England in search of him.

Reunited the group works to understand what is happening, even as winter storms whirl around them, hiding ghosts? pirates? the Raven?

Sands continues to his stories in reality, using historical incidents as a basis to launch his tales, and Christopher and his friends continue to grow as characters, they’ve had quite the eventful year! This book ends with the end of 1665. Poor Christopher has been through so much!

I like how this one plays out, it was definitely a bit of a different story for the characters but it works. They are usually out of their element, but throwing in witchcraft and memory loss makes for a really engaging tale that is a rollicking ride and adventure.

Friendships are deepened, and the threats around them are real, the mystery in this one is a little easier to solve, or at least partly, there are some nice twists and reveals as the tale plays out, and it’s the way the characters have become the reader’s friends that really draws one in.

Knowing that the story is grounded in reality we realize that the legend of the ghostly White Lady that fills the narrative can’t be true but we also know that superstition was everywhere at the time, and that accusations of witchcraft were levied against anyone, women particularly, who posed a threat to others.

All of the characters have grown through the stories, Christopher and Tom are not the same people they were at the beginning of the series, and the addition of Sally makes things extra delightful as you can tell that she and Christopher are attracted to each other and have no idea how to navigate the situation.

Four books in, and I can’t recommend this collection enough, they’re fun, engaging, and suitable for you or any of the readers in your family. Pick them up from Simon & Schuster today, get them as singles, or go all out for the six book collection – I’m loving it and it’s available now!

And the scars they all carry now. I feel for these characters, and that’s all to the way Sands brings them to life.