This rattling story switches between two periods, the present and late Victorian times, and two venues, Windsor and Pembrokeshire and the call of the wind chime summons scattered members of a large and diverse family together in the early summer of each year. Mysteriously, the sound is not heard by everybody, but it forms a delicate leit motif throughout the story. When her mother dies, 21st century Amelia is already grieving for her daughter, but is forced out of her depression by her mother’s box of mesmerising mementos, including a photograph of a young girl who looks just like her lost daughter, and she also inherits a row of cottages in Wales she knew nothing about but which carries an unusual covenant covering its future disposal. The explanations, when finally arrived at, are intriguing and, on the whole, credible. This is a family of complex inter-relations which are at first puzzling to the reader but which become clearer - and more controversial - as Amelia digs into what turns out to be her own family’s contorted and sometimes secretive history.
The narration is swift and full of action and emotion, in fact high drama in places. The often surprising twists in the plot are driven by Amelia’s discoveries in various archives and the large character list contains clearly drawn and distinctive individuals who reflect the diversity of society, especially in the Victorian period. An alternative title could well have been The Lunatics’ Ball, as some of the core plot motivation is the handling of mental illness during the 19th century and the attitudes held then which contrast hugely with today’s.
The note for the reader is unusually interesting. It describes the gestation of the book, outlining how the elements of the plot were drawn together, with much of the detail coming from the author’s own family history and background experience as well as her historical research. As she describes the coincidences she uncovers, it puts into context the coincidences within the plot of the book. This is a pacey enjoyable read, spoiled only occasionally by poor proof-reading. I read this in e-book format where errors can creep in, but it brings a dropped star. Both in the addendum and in the book itself, however, the ruling force which keeps the families together in spite of much apparent deception is love, respect and support of each other; it is for these qualities that the magical wind chime calls, especially when they are sorely needed.
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![The Wind Chime: A Timeshift Victorian Mystery (Timeshift Victorian Mysteries Book 1) by [Alexandra Walsh]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Q80l7K+eS._SY346_.jpg)
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