Thank you so much to Inkshares & Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 Stars!

This was my first proper venture into mystery as a genre and I did enjoy it! I'm not sure if I loved it though. It was extraordinarily slow at some points, especially the first 25% of the book. This isn't something that usually turns me off if the writing is done well but in this case, I just don't think I was in the right mindset to appreciate the writing while dealing with the slow pace.
My favourite part of this book is definitely the characters as they were the standout aspect of this book. I enjoyed the dynamic between the siblings and what they all brought into the murder mystery.
I also did enjoy the plot and there are twists and turns that left me shocked and excited to figure out more of what was going on, regardless of the slow pace.
I can definitely see myself picking a physical copy of this book up in the future to give it a proper re-read and I believe that if you are someone who enjoys historical murder mysteries, this is a book worth checking out!

Unnatural Ends is set in the 1920s in a stately home called Linwood House home to, unsurprisingly, the Linwood Family. The head of the family is Sir Lawrence Linwood joined by his wife Rebecca and 3 children Alan, Roger and Caroline.

Upon Sir Lawrence’s death the children are all summoned to the reading of his will and are shocked to find that instead of leaving the estate to the eldest child Alan he left it to be divided equally between the 3 of them. Unless of course one of them solved his murder and then it would pass solely to them!!

From there on the narrative is shifted backwards and forwards in time and between the 3 siblings. You get a taste of their childhood and it does not reflect well on their father. He turns out to be a domineering husband who had affairs with other women to produce the children, and more than one of their mothers was murdered!

His behaviour towards his children is bullying at best, probably better described as abusive. Each child reveals parts of their childhood and I must confess that I struggled to keep up with which child I was reading about and the many different avenues that was explored in this novel. The writing was good and descriptive but I found myself losing where I was in the book and at which point in time I was reading about. Although there were many twists and turns along the way it was fairly easy to guess which way this book was going to end! No more spoilers will be given!!

A wonderfully constructed story of privilege and unhappiness.
Sir Lawrence Linwood is dead, battered to death with a mediaeval mace. His three adopted children return to the Linwood estate for the funeral, they do not yet know that Sir Lawrence was murdered. Each child is looking forward to meeting their siblings, but the real draw, is the near- feudal village that belongs to the estate, and the Hall itself, they all have fond memories of a Camelot style grand building, complete with hidden doors, secret passages, and a large Tower room that used to be their playroom away from the eyes of adults.
Alan, the eldest, is now an Archeological expert, recently been working in Peru. Roger is an engineer, Caroline is a journalist working in Paris.
The Will states that if the death is due to unnatural causes, the children must find the killer. The one who is successful in this will inherit the whole estate.
Each chapter is devoted to a particular child, their job, their relationship with an emotionally distant father, and emotionally distressed mother, and their past interactions with their siblings. This book is full of twists and turns, nothing and nobody is who they seem to be. A classic Golden Age detection story, with plenty of disturbing family secrets to discover.
A compelling and unforgettable read. A grand family estate is no guarantee of happiness ever after.
A five star read. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Inkshares for my advance digital copy, given in exchange for my honest review.
I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon when pages are opened.

Admittedly, this time period is not my favorite, BUT I loved this story. The tension and characters were well done and the clues embedded well. An absolute ride that will leave you thinking and cheering for the ending.

What a delicious who dunnit murder mystery! Loved it!!! Sir Lawrence must be the absolute worst parent/spouse/human that I may have come across in all the fiction I have read - which is quite significant. His controlling arrogance and feeling of superiority at all cost is abhorrent, so when we learn of his murder, it could have been almost anyone who did it. His beautifully diverse children learn via his will that the one that solves the crime becomes sole heir to his massive, precious estate that has been in his lineage for centuries. We see that these siblings truly love one another and really don't wish to compete to win the ultimate prize; they just want to discover who killed their father. As we read on we discover how cruel Sir Lawrence lived his life with those around him, and how he hypothesized certain treatment and controlled environment would bring about the results he wanted. No cost was too high for him to set the stage for the design of his trials. Absolutely great, well-written and researched murder mystery!

1921.
Three siblings return to the estate they were raised in for the funeral of their adopted father.
Only to learn he didn't meet a natural end (eheh) and wrote in his will that it was up to them to find the murderer if they wanted that good good inheritance money.
So they put on their Scooby-Doo hats and start investigating.

I really enjoyed this.
Honestly, the characters kept me going more than the mystery itself. They were all so distinct that even though we jump from one POV to the next, it wasn't hard to keep track of who it was.
And I know it's historical fiction, but I could've done without Alan's history lessons. But I guess it just adds to his character trait of being annoying. Roger is like a puppy with ADHD bless his heart. Carol is my favourite and also the only one of the three with a functioning braincell.

Overall, there are enough plot twists to keep it interesting, and the atmosphere is really cool and vivid.
I did wish we got to the conclusion faster. At a certain point, there was so much build-up that I could pretty much guess where the story was going, and once we got there the explanation felt a little rushed.

Oh and have google ready to go while you read this, or all the 1920s slang and architectural references are gonna go right over your head.

With thanks to NetGalley, Christopher Huang, and the publishers at Inkshares for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read a lot of books, moreover I read a lot of mysteries, and this book has had a greater hold over me since I began reading it than any other I’ve read this year.

I was actively thinking about this book long after pausing for the day. The writing was visceral in its imagery, the characters wildly infuriating and lifelike - even the ones who make up the background to the story. This attention to depth doesn’t, however, add unnecessary bulk to the work - at no point does the story ramble or go on at length for no reason. I can see the style not resonating with some readers, but for those whom it does - they are in for a literary treat.

There’s no denying it deals with some nasty philosophies and world beliefs - racism, xenophobia, misogyny - the violent realities of many people - abuse of differing types and degrees, suicide, and murder. Vitally, though, at no point does it feel targeted, callous, or gratuitous in detail.

It is a curiously written, engaging, horrible story full of strange, off-putting, and sympathetic (if not necessarily likeable) characters.

In short, this book is a truly remarkable thing. I will be keeping an eye out for other work by Huang.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m always enthralled by murder mysteries. Documentaries, films, podcasts, you name it. So when I read the premise of Unnatural Ends, I was quite sure that it would be my cup of tea.

At first, It was going well and I was interested in getting to know the siblings’ personalities and their histories. I liked how we jump between different POVs to get a glimpse inside everyone’s heads and know how they’re feeling in specific moments. Huang really went all out in creating an entirely fictional location, Linwood Hollow. I really thought all the places were real until I read the historical notes at the end of the book. So I was really impressed by how he paid attention to every detail.

The book was very slow-paced, and somewhere along It just felt very flat, if that makes sense. I struggled to maintain interest and I found myself just itching to skip through a few pages to get to the point. Maybe it’s because i’m not used to very lengthy descriptions in books, it didn’t work for me, but that’s just my opinion.

3.5 stars!

It felt very posh and verbose???

Like, I get that it is set in 1920 London but the sentences were wayyyy too long and complicated. Definitely not an easy read. Which is why it took me a WHILE to get into it and relate with the characters.

Otherwise, the plot was good and deep. The motives were clear and the end honestly kind of unexpected for me.

I wish there had been a bit more depth to the characters from the start but we slowly got to see it over time. Which was fine. Not spectacular or anything.

I did enjoy it though. Quite a FAIR bit I did.


*** I recieved this book as an ARC from NetGalley ***

Wow! This book had twists and turns the whole way. Wonderfully written and certainly keeps you guessing. We follow the story of three adult children, Alan, Roger and Caroline and their controlling father Sir Linwood. In the back ground there is their mother, a once strong woman, now meek and totally dependent on her husband’s whims. This feels like a true gothic mystery with all of the bumps and creaks that will keep you reading with surprise upon your face.

Well written mystery of 3 siblings that return home to the family estate after their adoptive father is murdered. The story unfolds by moving from their different perspectives and the dysfunctional childhood that they experienced. Twists and turns make this an enjoyable read.

Unnatural Ends is the story of three siblings who are summoned home after their father’s death, only to learn that he has been murdered. There is a clause in his will that whomever discovers his killer will inherit the estate, so the siblings begin sleuthing.
I was pleasantly surprised at this novel. I thought the author did a wonderful job slowly revealing family secrets throughout the novel. There was suspicion thrown on multiple characters, which all seemed plausible. My only criticism is that I thought there were too many POVs. I understand the POVs of the three siblings, but to have 1 or 2 chapters from the POV of the police inspector or the pub proprietor seemed unnecessary and excessive. 4.5/5, rounded up.

Sir Lawrence Linwood is dead. More accurately, he was murdered—savagely beaten to death in his own study with a mediaeval mace. The murder calls home his three adopted children: Alan, an archeologist; Roger, an engineer; and Caroline, a journalist. But his heirs soon find that his last testament contains a strange proviso—that his estate shall go to the heir who solves his murder.

To secure their future, each Linwood heir must now dig into the past. As their suspicion mounts—of each other and of peculiar strangers in the churchless town of Linwood Hollow—they come to suspect that the perpetrator lurks in the mysterious origins of their own birth.

Not bad, in and of itself, but just not something that came together for me. The resolution is on the silly/implausible side.

I really enjoyed this, it was unique breaking up into the three siblings' segments and having them have to solve their own fathers' murder. It took me a while to get through initially, but pacing picked up partway through. There were some parts and longer descriptions I skim read because I didn't feel it added to the overall plot.
The family dynamic was interesting -- not something you read about in most books.

Unnatural ends was a good surprise as it's the first book that I read by C. Huang. It has a dark aura throughout the story, and a good plot full of deceit and mystery. The lack of emotion among the member of the Linwood family and the stoic posture they were expected to have throughout life is really frightening, as a South American, feelings are shown on all occasions! Thre are beautiful descriptions of places, however, sometimes, although beautiful they were too long and made me bored - but not enough to stop reading!
I downloaded a free copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Alan, Roger, and Caroline are the adopted children of Sir Lawrence Linwood and his wife, Rebecca. Now adults in early 1920s Yorkshire, theirs hasn't been an easy life. Sir Lawrence was a harsh father and their mother, a former physician, was totally committed to carrying out his every whim, especially where the children were concerned. But now Sir Lawrence lies dead, murdered with what appears to be a medieval mace. And his will stipulates that in the event of his murder, his substantial estate will go to whichever of his children first identifies his killer.

It's a dark story, played out in alternating chapters devoted to each of his children and a few other supporting characters. And it is an intricately-laid-out mystery, sometimes playing the siblings against each other, sometimes compelling them to work together. All have rejected their father's lifestyle and rigid expectations. but they know it is important to solve the mystery while hopefully finding out more about each of their origin stories.

After the first few (slow) chapters, the suspense begins to mount, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey with the three main characters, even though I guessed one of the twists. References to secret passages, eugenics, World War I, early aviation, London theater, Asian culture, archaeology, and Shakespeare keep the plot interesting.

My thanks to NetGalley and Inkshares for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

First, I’d like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for providing the opportunity to read this ARC.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this book. It did not grab my attention and I was unable to read it. By reading the description, I was very intrigued but the writing was slow and a little dull. I attempted to read it several times but could not find the drive to keep reading.

The story had an interesting premise, however I found it difficult to get into this book. It felt like I was reading it through a telescope - distant and not engaged. None of the characters grabbed me and it took three attempts to finish it. I thank the author and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book as a complimentary copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #UnnaturalEnds #NetGalley

I get vibes from Netflix's Haunting of Hill House, Knives Out, and Netflix's The Umbrella Academy.
You've got siblings growing up and growing apart centered around an medieval castle, essentially.
You've got a murder-mystery with twists and turns.
You've got a family of highly successful adoptive siblings under a strict and mysterious patriarch.

I agree with other reviews that it was a slog to get into the book; it wasn't very engaging and so many characters to keep track of and all their various backstories. Also, there's so much detail that felt superfluous. And maybe it's just me and the Kindle edition I was reading, but the time jumps forward and sometimes back are really jarring because there's no indication structurally/format-wise that time has moved. And just when one protagonists story was picking up, we'd shift to another perspective. It was a hard book to get through. Very easy to get distracted and stop reading. Interesting premise though. And then the plan to trap the villain in the end was so outlandish and unrealistic and didn't fit with anything in the story so far. And all the trauma the mother character endured was reduced to like a single sentence reveal was frustrating. It was a disappointing read, but it had potential.