A fabulous gothic novel set in a Cornish industrial village with time shifting between the late nineteenth century and the First World War. Centring on the life and, arguably, the loves of Ivy Boscawen, we meet Ivy as a young unmarried lady who helps out her ailing father with his village doctor duties. Tragedy befalls the local factory owner’s family impacting on Ivy and the village as a whole and investigations ensue which affect many lives for many years to come. We meet Ivy again as the wife of a prosperous man and mother of a soldier recently sent to war. The sins of the past come back to haunt her with unpleasant consequences.
Another great read from this emerging star of the future.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

A fascinating, historical, beautifully written tale. This story tells the tale of Ivy Boscawen whose son Tim was 'killed' in the Great War in 1918 - his death not explained satisfactorily for Ivy, who is sure it is her fault; how she brought him up. Her thoughts go back to her youth when a young boy, William, died in a fire and she still mourns him too. The story moves between the two time periods - when Ivy was a young woman helping her Doctor father and now as her husband is failing. The tale is full of lies, misconceptions and mistakes made in good faith. Fascinating!

Many thanks to Netgalley/Beth Underdown/Penguin General UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

It took a while in the beginning to figure out the characters; who was who. But I caught on soon enough and got to really enjoy the book. I like the story and the way we moved from two different points in time was smooth and easy to keep track of. There were a couple of points throughout the book where I thought I had it figured out only to find I was wrong. So it did very well at keeping me reading. I would definitely read another book by this author. Very well written, although less of the 'gothic' label that it has been given in other reviews, in my opinion. 8/10

A melancholy gothic novel set in two time periods, following the life of one woman.
Ivy remembers a tragic fire that happened in the local Manor House and her passion for the son of the owner, whilst she is mourning the loss of her son. There are a number of mysteries and secrets she gradually unravels.
This is not a fast moving novel in terms of plot, but the writing is beautifully lyrical and gives a real sense of both periods, particularly how women dealt with the senseless loss of their children during and after the war. Ivy is a well drawn character and I thought having her narrate in the first person was a good choice, particularly in the way she comes to recognise that maybe she saw things in the wrong way as a young woman. The gothic elements are subtle, there are no ghosts and things that go bump in the night, it's more related to the mysterious foreboding house full of secrets.

A beautifully and powerfully written story exploring a woman's grief following the death of her son during WW1. In 1918 Ivy receives a telegram notifying her of the death of her son. The exact wording of the telegram leads Ivy to question whether her son committed suicide, and, if so, whether her action (or inaction as she understands it) 30 years earlier are in some way to blame. In order to understand her sons death Ivy decides that she must come to terms with the death of a different young boy, William Tremain, the son of the local landed gentry.

What really makes the book stand out for me is the meticulous way that society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is vividly brought to life. The hierarchy, social conventions and interactions between the landed gentry, the professional class and the servants underpin the mystery of the events on the night that led to to William Tremain's death. Ivy is a wonderful character as she is the bridge between the upper class and the servants. As she reflects on the tragic events in 1888 it slowly becomes apparent that as a young girl she was more naive than she realised, and that information was withheld from her. Her role in what happened is intertwined with her feelings for William's father, Edward, and as he makes a reappearance in her life in 1918, Ivy is forced to re-evaluate her memories. It is at times a painful read, as Ivy is forced to come to terms with some unpalatable truths and challenge her own assumptions. However, this is necessary for Ivy's personal growth and the book is also one full of love and small acts of kindness.

It is a wonderful read, full of emotion, secrets and lies. I loved every page. My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This had some interesting points of exploration and themes in this but i just didn't gel with the book entirely. The flashback bits were fine but i didn't love the point of them entirely and felt like that appeared a bit too much and i wanted to see more of the present time period of the novel. The writing, on the whole, was good and it did keep me interested but there were places where the writing didn't work entirely for me. I would pick up more by this author as i feel like my potential to like it is their.

I have a soft spot for Gothic novels and I was clearly intrigued by the beautiful cover of this new release. It has been a while since I read a good, chilly dark read, so I was looking forward to seeing what this one had in store.

Ivy Boscawen has lost her son Tim in the war and her grief is bringing back memories of another dead boy from years before. She has always suspected that the fire at Polneath was no accident and that someone is keeping a dark secret about what actually happened that night. Ivy is determined to delve into the past and uncover the truth, once and for all.

The descriptions of deep grief and the haunted nature of carrying it around constantly is depicted perfectly and I was taken aback at how well it was handled. Ivy thinks about Polneath a lot but just like her walks around it, she has never really returned to it. She has never really explored the clues as to what was going on or getting justice for William, who lost his life. It’s only the extreme pain of her son’s death that forces her to finally step over the threshold.

I enjoyed trying to figure out who was really responsible for the fire and I was still being surprised by revelations that came out towards the end. Agnes was a maid at Polneath, who appeared to be planning on fleeing from the house, on the night of the fire. While I was sure that she had something to do with it, I didn’t grasp the full details of what was going on there and I loved that it wasn’t obvious.

Underdown does an amazing job of conjuring typical Gothic images such as the suffocating, cloying terror of a fire and an empty shell of a house that has been emptied by flames and despair. It’s almost as if the horrors of what has happened will never truly leave it and I knew that Polneath is forever scarred.

The Key In The Lock is about grief, memory, family and community with a few twists along the way. I think I wanted a bit more of a compelling plot because I felt my attention wane around the halfway point. The eerie atmosphere is executed perfectly and the mystery itself has multiple layers, which are fun to peel back. If you enjoy slower-paced historical thrillers, it’s certainly worth picking up!

The Key in the Lock by Beth Underdown plunges us into a story where the female protagonist, Ivy Boscawen, is motivated by feelings of grief and guilt after losing her son, Tim, in the Great War and spends every day following in mourning. Upon receiving the telegram telling of his death, she notices the wording isn’t typical for a man who died an honourable death. As Ivy searches for what truly happened, she is forced to reflect upon a time in her past when another young boy died in a fire. As the two tales twist together in a dual timeline, Ivy wonders whether her actions in the past have resulted in a ‘comeuppance’ of the present.

This historical, gothic mystery is written in a very similar style to Sarah Waters, particularly her book The Little Stranger, in that it Underdown’s novel creates a striking sense of place as the secrets of Polneath unravel. During the 1888 timeline young Ivy supports her father, the town’s doctor, helping aid those in need after the grand house fire. As she speaks to each of the characters Ivy’s intelligent intuition leads her to unearth the things that are going unsaid about the happenings within the house, leading to issues of class and gender to arise.

This book is a very slow burn but does gently lead the reader through the detective process of finding out about the mysteries surrounding Ivy. I particularly enjoyed the scene where the events of Polneath were put to a jury. As the witnesses explain their experiences, accusations fly and it leads to a deeper investigation into the house. Some of the characters did feel a bit underdeveloped but the novel still does well to capture the characters emotions and the consequences of their actions.

My thanks to Beth Underdown, Penguin and Net Galley for the ARC of THE KEY IN THE LOCK
What a feast of gothicness. This brilliant novel had me hooked. It was dark, haunting and eerie. If you love to be swept away by mystery and twisty-turny plots, this is the one for you.

This book was so atmospheric! I was immediately engrossed and submerged from the first couple of pages. Beth Underdown certainly knows how to start her books with a bang! I don't remember the last time I read a book as immersive as this.
I haven't read a book like this before. It was super gothic, and I felt like I was reading a book that was written 100 years ago rather than newly published.

The plot is intricate, but the characters are what really had me hooked. (Unusual for me - I usually am all about the plot!!) Clearly Underdown's writing style is what kept me interested.

I usually love these duel timeline books but just couldn't get into it. However, it is written well so I just think that my disengagement with the book is personal rather than a fault of the book. Sorry.

Beth Underdown last featured on my blog back in 2017 with my review of the very excellent The Witchfinder’s Sister. Since then I have been eagerly anticipating a new book and now it’s here! My thanks to Ellie of Viking for sending a proof copy and for the tour invitation.

Set over two timelines of 1888 and 1918, The Key in the Lock is a story of grief, deceit and secrets. Beginning in 1918 following the death of Ivy Boscawen’s son Tim in the trenches, the story goes back and forth to when nineteen year old Ivy Cardew was assisting her father, a doctor struggling with his own health when they were called to a burning Polneath House – a fire which resulted in the death of a young boy.

Thirty years may have passed but Ivy’s grief for Tim is mixed up with memories and dreams of young William Tremain, the boy who died. Actions were taken which had tragic repercussions and Ivy feels that she has to discover the truth to find some peace of mind.

Superbly researched and with great attention to detail, the story is so atmospheric and descriptive. It’s very much a slow release story, with complex and in some cases, violent family relationships. There are some characters that are not particularly likeable at all. In fact I wasn’t always too fond of Ivy if I’m honest. I thought her at times selfish, hankering for a life that she felt was denied her, rather than accepting the life she had. Not everyone is as they seem, more than one character has secrets of their own and there were times when I was just one step ahead of Ivy as she reconnected with the past. As the story moves forward, I understood the relevance of the book’s title and became engrossed in Ivy’s quest for the truth about the death of her son and her wish to fully understand the events of that night at Polneath and to finally be able to put those ghosts to rest.

A haunting story of loss, tragedy and betrayal, I loved the intrigue running through both timelines. Definitely one to be recommended for historical fiction fans.

Thank you too Ellie Hudson from Penguin Random House / Viking books for my gifted copy of this gorgeous book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! A historical fiction that has that gothic feel that I love, right from the off.

Ivy’s son dies in the Great War and Ivy feels that this is her punishment for what happened at Polneath all those years ago.

The timeline switches between Ivy’s life 1888 and 1918/1919. I have to say that I really loved the switch between the two timelines as they were done so effortlessly - sometimes I find dual timelines frustrating because they seem to blend together. But in this, I felt the young Ivy switched to the mature Ivy seamlessly.

Ivy finds herself thinking more and more about Polneath and what happened there and it begins to affect her present day and how she feels about her life afterwards.

I definitely think I will be keeping an eye out for more works by Beth and look forward to seeing what she writes next.

.
Thanks to @netgalley
and @penguinukbooks
for the advance copy of this mystery set across two timelines. I have been reading this during night time feeds which may have added to the atmosphere 😂
.
I'd recommend it for fans of Stacey Halls and it reminded me of Rebecca as well. A dark tale where all is not as it may appear on the surface. Our narrator Ivy takes us through her account of the fire at Polneath as it happens and then looks back on it 30 years later as other events events lead her to reflect on the truth of what really occurred.

I really enjoyed this creepy tale and really didn't want to put it down. Atmospheric and intriguing from start to finish

1919 and Ivy is mourning the loss of her son in the Great War. Into her life comes again Edward Tremain. 1888 and doctor's daughter Ivy is caught up in the events at the local 'big house'. A fire, the death of a child and Ivy falls in love. As events come full circle, Ivy finds the truth .
I didn't find this book very 'gothic' at all, essentially it is a fairly mundane historical tale. however I did love the description of the small town life and the intenseness of country social norms at the turn of the century. The book came to life in the final quarter as the tales became much clearer and the reader, like Ivy, sees the truth of events. Stick with it, it's worth it in the end.

There's nothing particularly wrong with this book, I just couldn't get into it at all. The characters didn't interest me and the plot moved too slowly for me to care about what was happening. My children have been very unwell lately as well which I think made the child death aspects of it just too gruelling for me personally.

Review not posted anywhere else.

The Key in the Lock by Beth Underdown

Synopsis: "I still dream, every night, of Polneath on fire." So starts the reminisces of Ivy in 1918, who has just lost her son in the war. The narrative flits between her reminisces of the fire in 1888 and her present time in 1918. We meet Edward Tremain and his father, Agnes the maid and Edward's llttle boy William. All are embroiled in this mess of a fire and Ivy needs to find out the truth for her father, the doctor, and Boscawen in charge of the inquest. It is years before the truth is revealed fully.

Review: I really enjoyed this historical novel and both time periods it describes. Ivy and Edward are interesting characters and I thought the treatment of soldiers in the trenches was written about marvellously. There were obvious nods to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, but I didn't mind and it really is a unique story. Ivy seems a much stronger woman than the new Mrs De Winter but her life seems to be full of regret.

All in all, a perfect historical read with plenty of fiery atmosphere.

I really have such a love for books with more than one timeline and this book perfectly melds the past with the present, giving you just enough to pique your interest and need to read on but not enough to answer your burning questions.

I will be honest, this book for me had a slow start but it still drew me in and so I carried on and was hooked.

The characters were well written and the story well thought out.

I won't say anymore except there was one character that took my heart in the end and if you read it, I wonder if you would feel the same.

When Ivy Boscawen loses her young son, Tim, in the Great War the ensuing repercussions resonate into the past. Ivy decides that she needs to know exactly how & why her son died, & this takes her back to the death of another young boy, William Tremain, who died several decades earlier - a murder attributed to his grandfather. Ivy's husband, Richard, became ill when they received the news of their son's death, & their marriage has not been an entirely happy one. Ivy was in love from a distance with William's father, Edward, & married Richard out of convenience, & seems to have held it against him, & she can't resist the temptation of renewing an acquittance with Edward after all those years.

The story is told in two timelines, 1888 when Ivy is a nineteen-year-old living with her father, & 1918/9 following the end of the Great War. The writing itself is very well done, the story unfolds beautifully & keeps the reader's interest, but I found it difficult to like Ivy, the main character. I found her obsession with Edward a little too much, & it was obvious in which way the story was eventually going to go. I think a fair rating is 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Penguin UK/Viking, for the opportunity to read an ARC.