Thank you so much to severn house publishing via netgalley for sending me an ARc copy of chord of evil by Sarah Rayne . Chord of Evil will be released on December 1, 2017.

Toby and Phin are attending a neighbors party but tobys cousin, Arabella doesn't show up so they go looking for her at her apartment and find that she is missing. The only thing left in her apartment is a painting drawn by a women named Christa. A vague note is left on the painting.

We also get to follow stefan and christa when we are transported back to the 1930s to follow their life story and how the painting came to be.

The mystery is much music based which I appreciate being a musician. Phin and Toby find a very old piece of sheet music from the 1940s and the mystery continues.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Phin and toby their bond was real and raw.
I had a hard time getting into the story, i didnt care that Arabella was missing and I didnt care for Marcus and Magots perspectives/story line but luckily we mainly follow Phin and toby and their adventures in finding Arabella and the mystert behind the music. 🎶

This was a decent story that had a definite creepy factor. Current day mystery collides with a wartime mystery that makes for an informative but often predictable read. Strengths are the character development and I am curious as to whether we will see the main characters sleuthing again. Overall, a satisfying read.

I was really looking forward to this second book in the Phineas Fox series and it didn't disappoint. A tale of love, friendship, determination and survival during those dark terrible days of World War Two made it both an enjoyable and very emotional read. I'm growing quite fond of 'Phin', the intrepid investigator and researcher and hope the next instalment will reveal a little more about him and his background. Can't wait!

I have read a great number of Sarah Rayne's books and consider myself to be a fan. This book forms part of the series which includes Phineas Fox as the main character.

Phineas' next door neighbour - the loud, rugby song, party loving Toby - asks for his help to trace his cousin Arabella who appears to have disappeared. Their investigation takes them to Kent and across to Germany where they look back in time to Wewelsburg Castle and the concentration camp that stood nearby.

Phineas Fox is a good main character. He is a writer which allows plenty of flexible time for disappearing on odd mysteries. He is intelligent, good at research and reasonably resourceful. Toby is great as a "sidekick" which is the part he plays in this book. He adds the humour, impulsive behaviour and strong emotions required by a sidekick.

This book follows various threads in the significant past of the war years, the recent past and the present. I had no difficulty in keeping the threads segregated in my mind and all the chapters are clearly labelled. There is quite a bit of jumping around, though, so this book does keep you on your toes.

This book, as with the other Phineas Fox which I have read, has its roots in music. I have a very basic music knowledge and had no problem keeping up. I did have to look up a few phrases around the "chord of evil" and why it may be inserted into the music and so on but I like a book with a bit of a challenge and am always happy to increase my general knowledge.

Although there is a decent plot and a few threads, this is not an overly complex book. Consequently I do feel that it lacks some of the intricate detail and twists that can be found in Sarah Rayne's other work such as "Ghost Song" or my particular favourite "Spiderlight". Although I enjoyed this book it wasn't one that I couldn't put down.

I am pleased that I have read this book and I shall continue to keep my eye open for new work by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

5 plus stars

Toby Tallis, Phineas “Phin” Fox’s neighbor is having a party. When Toby’s cousin Arabella doesn’t show up, Toby is concerned. Toby and Phin go to Arabella’s apartment and discover that she is missing and the only thing left behind is a painting of a woman named Christa which was painted in the 1940’s. Christa died years ago but was the sister of their godfather Stefan. In the painting, Christa is holding sheets of music that have the name “Giselle” on them. A mysterious note is attached to the painting.

Marcus and Margot (who seems to have an unnatural affection for her brother), are brother and sister who live in a moldering old house with their mother and a woman named Lina. Lina has always blamed and is certain that Christa killed her father back in 1939 or so. Filled with hate and thoughts of vengeance, Lina lives a miserable life. Margot and Marcus are not so sure, however, because the story that Lina tells would mean that Christa was very young - in her teens - when she “killed” Lina’s father. Lina keeps secret papers and other items from the late 30’s and early 40’s.

The story then transports back to 1939 to tell Christa and Stefan’s story. Giselle Klein turns out to be Christa and Stefan’s mother. She leaves her husband Felix Klein and Stefan and Christa for a few days and travels by train to her cousin’s wedding. There she finds the house abandoned and is captured by the Nazis.

When Christa and Stefan made it to England, they changed their surname to Cain. When finally at godfather Stefan’s house, Phin and Toby discover a handwritten piece of music that is very mysterious and was written in the 1940’s.

The Nazis want Giselle to compose a piece of music that seems as incredible as to be impossible. She starts to protest that she is a not a composer but stops when she realizes that the Nazis could well capture her husband Felix and force him to write it.

Then Phin comes across a letter written in German that astounds him. As we go back and forth between the present and the past, we learn what really happened. The truth is both shocking and revealing. Nefarious doings are afoot. A thrilling sequence follows and the truth is finally uncovered.

This book is remarkably well written and plotted. There are no wasted words in it. It reads linearly, even though it moves back and forth between the present and the 1940’s. The use of language was very well done and the book is easy to read. It gives enough of the main characters’ backgrounds to flesh them out but no so much as to intrude on the story. I appreciated the easy relationship between Toby and Phin. I recall in the last book that Phin was a little suspicious of Toby. Of course, they had just met and Toby’s noisy and raucous parties were an annoyance to Phin.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this most wonderful book to read.

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