This is an atmospheric book. It is written over a dual timeline. The characters are very intriguing. The writing is very good. The author writes about grief so well. This is a dark compelling about love, life and loss

Firstly, I would not call this a mystery novel - it is more of a psychological women´s fiction, where one woman contemplates both her present state of life after a sad passing of her only son at war and about the past where she got entangled with a mysterious death of a child - and she also got entangled with one man. The man, Edward, was a brother of little William who tragically died, and who is now once again present in Ivy´s life. And there is also Ivy´s dying husband Richard...

I must say that I came to like Ivy with her bulldog-like hardheadedness, her standing up for her principles come hell or high water - while lamenting her total, but total blindness regarding the reality. Ivy can not ever read character, this is for sure. But she is honest and I like her for that. Ivy, fingers crossed, may you now finally live in truth!

Otherwise - the first part of the novel is slow, so I would recomment to the readers to not to give up on this book, the steam will increase in this machine!

And let me say this - while I may not enjoy this novel from the mystery reader´s point, I still think about the morale of the story. Which is no small achievement!

Immersive dual timeline gothic historical thriller, in which Ivy mourns the death of her son in the Great War whilst still being haunted by the events surrounding the death of another boy decades earlier.

The twists were quite easy to anticipate but it was interesting to see how the guilty secrets were revealed.

Thank you Netgalley for this review copy.
This book has heart from the very beginning and the characters are very well thought put.
Gothic fiction from the beginning and descriptive prose very strong. Historical background is very well researched. Perfect autumnal read.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

I thoroughly enjoyed this Maurier-esque mystery with its gothic vibes, its large cast of characters and its sense of (both) times and place. I found it a compelling read while constantly anticipating the twists and turns in the story. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book

Some years ago, I read "The Witchfinder's Sister" and was not that impressed. Sadly, "The Key in the Lock" is neither better nor scarier. It is very blah.

There is quite a marketing campaign - I see this book quite often on social media. I expected a haunting and complicated gothic story - but "The Key in the Lock" is a pretty dull story with unattractive one-dimensional characters. The great twist (of who the villain was) was obvious from very early on. And this bearing in mind that I did skim-read some pages - that is how boring the book was. It is dark, sad, unbearably slow-paced and depressing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.

An atmospheric and dark novel with more than a touch of the gothic. Ivy Boscawen is struggling to come to terms with the death of her son Tim in the Great War. Her reflections take her back to a story which runs parallel in the book, set in 1888, and has something to do with her son and marriage. Ivy is an excellent, clear-eyed narrator and the story gathers momentum as well as containing very moving passages on grief and love. Highly recommended.

A richly atmospheric gothic tale of deception and betrayal in the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, set against the backdrop of the rural West Country at the turn of the century and after the First World War. A little slow to begin with but it perfectly captures both time periods. A great autumnal read.

Ivy dreams constantly of Polneath. She is haunted by it, by the loss in 1888 of seven year old William Tremain who dies in a fire at the Big House in mysterious circumstances. It’s now 1918 and Ivy mourns another loss, that of her beloved son Tim killed in the Great War in a manner that is perplexing. Ivy hauntingly narrates the story in dual timelines. Can she free herself of the shackles that bind her to the past and discover the truth of the events of 1888 that very much impacts those of the present day???

Well, there’s plenty of fire and brimstone in this enjoyable gothic tale which is especially resonant in the earlier timeline. Ivy, though not necessarily likeable or the most reliable of narrators, conveys how much the emotive events of 1888 have obsessed her and affected her life.

This is a very well written novel in a style in keeping with the times and gives excellent historical context, depicting the world of 1888 and the changing world of 1918/19. It is abundantly rich in atmosphere especially in Polneath, Cornwall, allowing you to picture the big house, the gun powder mills, the unlikeable character of Old Tremain and the enigma of Edward Tremain, his son and William’s father. Polneath lies at the heart of everything we learn about Ivy and the death of William. The 1888 storyline is spooky, chilling, secretive and deeply mysterious and links well to 1918 when characters are unmasked.

This is a slow burner historical thriller, a pace which suits the drama which embraces love, loss and the inevitable grief as well as duplicity. It is a compelling page turner and the mystery is engrossing. It does have Daphne du Maurier vibes, so should appeal to her many fans!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General U.K. for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Liked the atmosphere and the setting but I found the story confusing so ended up finding it all a little too much hard work.

*A big thank-you to Beth Underdown, Penguin General UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Brilliant and atmospheric read that deals with secrets resurfacing after 30 years. A perfect gothic novel about years lost and illusions.

I loved The Witchfinders Sister and this book is every bit as good. I’m not a big history fan but Beth Underdowns writing draws me in. Her stories are interesting and imaginative, just what I want from a book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had high hopes for The Key in the Lock and I was not disappointed. Two connecting stories, both set in Cornwall but thirty years apart, each involving the death of a son are related by Ivy Boscowen. Young William Tremain dies in a house fire aged seven. Tim, Ivy’s son, dies from sniper fire in the trenches. Mystery surrounds both.

The book is elegantly written and rich in detail, evoking the atmosphere of each time period and the Cornish setting. The comparison with Daphne du Maurier is fitting, both in the setting and the opening lines but also in the sentence structure. This felt like a compliment to du Maurier, certainly not an attempt to imitate. The pace is slow and the plot required careful reading as the story switched between decades.

If I wanted to be critical I would say that some sections of the book might have been tighter but that in turn may have marred the authentic voice of Ivy as she looks back on one tragedy whilst grieving for more than the loss of her son.

I was gripped from first page to last and look forward to reading more from Beth Underdown.

As a lover of historical fiction, I really enjoyed the description of late 19th and early 20th century Cornwall, and the somewhat gothic mystery that is gradually revealed as the narrator goes between 1888 and 1918. The book deals with a mother's grief at the loss of a child, and addresses how women at the time were essentially complete dependence on either a father or husband for support and validation in society. At times though, the pace felt a bit slow. The narrator was at times overly dramatic, leaving the big reveal at the end to fall a little flat, and one of the main characters evolved into almost a caricature of a bad man, making the ending a bit disappointing. Overall enjoyable, but with a few minor flaws.

I do love a gothic novel and this one is delicious. Nice twists, pacy, and plenty of mystery. It’s also sad and beautiful and I highly recommend it.

It has been a long time since I read such a richly atmospheric book and I really liked it.

"I still dream, every night, of Polneath on fire. Smoke unfurling out of an upper window and a hectic orange light cascading across the terrace."

From those haunting opening lines, Underdown skillfully unravels a tale full of mystery, twists, and tragedy.

Narrator Ivy, the daughter of the local well-respected-but-struggling elderly doctor, navigates her somewhat claustrophobic world in Cornwall.

Hints and hopes of a bigger, brighter future appear through her interactions with local widower Edward Tremain, a man due to inherit the Polneath, the town's Great House, from his tyrant father.

However, Ivy's hopes are dashed and hearts are broken when Walter's innocent 7-year-old son perishes in a house fire. Her path reverts to "safer" ground and a marriage of convenience.

The story jumps between 1918 as Ivy mourns the loss of her son Tim in The Great War, and the tragic events of mysterious House fire back in 1888. Still haunted by uncertainty, Ivy begins a journey into her past.

I know some readers found the pace a little slow and at times I felt that too; but the richness of Underdown's writing and the strong element of mystery, made this an impressive Gothic novel I would be happy to recommend.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

This captured my attention from the first page. It is atmospheric, compelling, and reads somewhere between a gothic historical novel and a mystery. Well worth a read, especially on holiday or a train journey as it is easy to keep focused on it.

A perfectly chilling gothic novel to get you in the mood for autumn. A twisting and turning tale of betrayal, death and deception set in the backdrop of rural West Country village life.

Beautifully written tale of love and heartbreaking loss set over two time periods from the late 1880s to 1918 when two tragic events took place.

The pace slows in the middle of the book but overall it is a beautiful and compelling story with a few twists and turns introducing many mixed characters,

Recommended 3.5/7

Thanks to NetGalley