Tom and Joe have no qualms about playing in the graveyard although Tom is a bit unnerved by the discovery of a fairly recent grave of a two-year-old girl named Lucy. Millie is about that now. Suddenly the boys hear voices from down the hill beyond the graveyard. Tom recognizes two of them, boys from his class at school that have given him trouble. The boys are rescued from what could have been a nasty skirmish by  the new vicar, a young man named Harry Laycock.

The Fletcher’s bucolic existence is interrupted by the discovery of three corpses of young children near the grave of Lucy Pickup. Lucy had died some ten years ago, but the condition of the other remains suggest that those two children had died more recently. Their anxiety escalates when their own daughter, Millie, goes missing.

The subject of child abduction is not a pleasant one. S. J. Bolton has done a masterful job of combining this subject with British folklore, the medical condition known as hyperthyroidism, and the celebration of Guy Fawkes Day. Short of retelling the tale, it is difficult to describe the connection between these ingredients. Suffice it to say ,the result is not so much gruesome as compassionate, told with warmth and respect.

While the story has an almost fairytale quality, complete with witches, it is realistic and believable. The characters have no supernatural abilities although they may seem to at times. The word atmospheric has of late been overused but it is truly descriptive of this work. The author creates a sense of foreboding that will literally have you biting your fingernails.

This book is unlike Bolton’s previous two novels ( Sacrifice and Awakening) in that the reader knows more about the major players and folklore is a cornerstone of the plot. The cast of significant characters is larger, though like her previous novels equally memorable. Tom and Joe, while subject to the foibles that most children have, show considerable strength in trying to do what they perceive as right. The importance of their family is foremost in their minds.

A hallmark of S.J. Bolton’s writing is her careful attention to detail. All of those little things that seem insignificant are there for a reason which will become clear by the end of the book. She is also an outstanding educator. This book is not merely to entertain you. You will be a better educated person when you finish the last page than you were on page one.

Having chosen such a sensitive subject was a brave move on the author’s part. Many readers shy away from novels dealing with child abuse. However, whatever opinion one has on the subject, readers will be doing themselves a disservice to bypass this book. Many of the points the author makes are well worth the attention that ought to be paid to them. Blood Harvest is deserving of our highest rating.

--Andy Plonka