There is a good idea for a book in The Spirit Engineer. Unfortunately, I found that precious little about it landed for me. Some of the characters are a little too predictable but there is nothing predictable about the end. In addition to the provision of systems engineering support, Northrop Grumman will supply its international DA/RC (Distributed Autonomy / Responsive Control) technologies, gateway offerings and advanced mesh networking capabilities to the aircraft. These enable seamless human-machine collaboration and cooperative mission management across distributed manned and unmanned assets. On top of that, the characterization is practically non-existent. The story reads merely as a sequence of events strung together by the presence of our main character. There is very little motivation to be had as West does not take the time to delve into the inner workings of Crawford's mind. The only thing that West actually makes clear about our protagonist is that he is a selfish and incredibly misogynistic man who does not care about anyone in his life. There is absolutely no reason for you to care about him and because none of the other characters are developed in any way, there is no one to anchor the reader in the story. As we follow his tale, many will say that William is unlikeable, although I would argue he is simply misunderstood. He is clearly a man struggling with his own sense of self. He knows he is an intellect, but what of a man, of a husband, and of a father? In these things, to me, he feels lost. As he struggles to find answers to his own grief, and as his obsession grows, perhaps his science can no longer hold all the answers he needs.

The Spirit Engineer by AJ West is, as they say, something quite different. West is a former awarding-winning BBC journalist who has worked extensively in Northern Ireland. Belfast, 1914. Two years after the sinking of the Titanic, high society has become obsessed with spiritualism, attending séances in the hope they might reach their departed loved ones. The narrative is based around the cult of spiritualism which saw a rapid growth during the Great War but ultimately the story is one of tragedy, repression, superstition, mental breakdown, domestic violence, rigid class structures and, of course, murder. Spirit Belfast is delighted to lead the delivery of a national programme enabling the development of cutting-edge technologies while maintaining critical skills in the UK," said Scott McLarty, Senior Vice-President of Spirit AeroSystems, Airbus Programs. "Supporting the MOD's strategic objectives on pace, affordability and operational capacity, Team MOSQUITO will help drive collaborative innovation and competitive advantage. We are excited to develop this relationship with a view to contributing to a more sustainable industrial base for UK defence."As a child, Kathleen helped her family pay their way, blouse-cutting for the large factories which made up the city’s world-dominating textile industry. The women of Ulster were renowned for their skilled needlework, though the Goligher family were likely more involved in the less-skilled pattern-cutting trade, trimming linen into shapes to be stitched elsewhere. The remuneration was meagre, though poor families such as the Golighers were at least able to afford food and benefit from a grace and favour home supplied by their employers. BELFAST, Northern Ireland, April 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE: SPR) Belfast announced today it will lead Team MOSQUITO, comprising Spirit Belfast, Northrop Grumman and Intrepid Minds, on further development of the Royal Air Force's ("RAF") Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA) concept to full demonstration capability. Initially supporting more than 100 STEM jobs at Spirit Belfast's facility, the project has the potential to sustain further expertise in the wider UK supply chain. It tells the story of Professor Crawford, who is not a particularly likeable man (& forgive me for saying this, but I’m not in that camp that says you can’t enjoy a book with an unlikeable character - you most certainly can!). A man of engineering and science, he is sceptical about the world of spirits and seeks to prove its nonsense.

The Spirit Engineer also has some earthy humour which not everyone will appreciate. But the book is far from light-hearted. Asking West what inspired him to write this book, he says, “I found this story, and I had never heard about it and no one in Belfast that I knew had ever heard about it… I just thought what an extraordinarily sad story it was, and I couldn’t understand why it hadn’t been told before”. conducted with a direct approach that first identifies the needs of our client and then establish the goals and objectives to satisfy our client's needs. Such a deliciously creepy, unsettling read… a melancholic gothic triumph. Gave me all the same feelings as one of my most favourite books ever, Frankenstein' Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of AriadneI really struggled with this novel. I hated the main character, and found it impossible to warm to him. He's a pompous ass, so full of himself. The book had a slow and boring start. Between that boring beginning and my intense dislike of William, I seriously considered giving up. I'm not even sure how I felt with the addition of Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (of whom I am a big fan). That felt wrong to me. This is like nothing I have read before - a dance around the outskirts of the spirit revolution of the early 1900s - when parlour seances were all the rage, and charlatans duped the wanting-to-believers. I am nervous about but fascinated by how people used to believe in spiritualism and seances in years gone by. The other thing I love to read about is actual historical figures who believed, dabbled in or forwarded the cause. Conan Doyle for example believed that the Cottingley Fairies were real. Spirit Engineering starts with two questions: what can we save and what can we make more efficient? Designing our projects with minimal impact on the environment is an integral part of our design A tragic death sees Elizabeth Crawford seeking answers in the spirit world, and William Crawford sees himself drawn in as well. He is determined to prove the theatre of these seances and those who host them. But: he can’t. And goes on to tour as the reputed Spirit Engineer - a rational man who can communicate with the afterlife, with the help of his medium and an assortment of characters.

A gripping, gothic story anchored in the political and spiritual chaos of Edwardian Belfast. Part horror, part history, The Spirit Engineer is a chilling and thought-provoking tale of exploitation, faith, deception, fraud, seances, hubris, and prejudice...William is a sceptic, but a scientist, and with some wealthy benefactors, is out to prove that medium Kathleen Goligher is a fake. He surprises himself. Become part of a thriving community of successful crime writers with invaluable support, expertise and marketing opportunities for all our members. I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to read something outside of my usual genres. It was the perfect spooky read for October, but honestly, West may have triggered a hidden love of dark gothic stories in me. I’ve already added a bunch of new books to my TBR in the genre – I just hope that some of them are even half as gorgeous as The Spirit Engineer– it’s going to be a tough act to follow. Read The Spirit Engineer for yourself