Unfortunately I have not been able to connect with this book and after multiple attempts have had to mark as dnf.

A chillingly gothic story that is the perfect read to curl up with in the cold dark months. Gripping tale, highly recommend

It’s 1930 and Nell Fagan is a journalist investigating a strange mystery. Nell takes on a pseudonym and rents the Blackstone Lodge where, posing as a photographer, she begins investigating the strange disappearance of two men three hundred years apart. In 1606

Nell knows that this would be a huge story for her, but she needs help and approaches fellow journalist Jacob Flint to help her persuade Rachel Savernake to help. In the meantime, Jacob has an investigation of his own that is to look into the strange world of seances and mediums. These two different lines of investigation will soon become intertwined.

Blackstone Fell is a dark and haunting book that I absolutely loved. I particularly enjoyed the setting in Yorkshire and the descriptions of the sinister looking tower and wild moors. I also found the references to the seances very creepy, but it made the book so gripping and mysterious to read.

This is the third book in the Rachel Savernake series, but it also reads well as a standalone novel. I actually haven’t read the first two books yet, but they are going straight on my TBR now.

I highly recommend this, especially for fans of gothic and crime fiction.

Multi award-winning author Martin Edwards has written a Golden-Age inspired mystery Agatha Christie would have been proud to put her name to.

In 1606, a man had disappeared off the face of the earth from a locked gatehouse in a remote Yorkshire village. Nell Fagan is determined to uncover the secrets behind this perplexing disappearance – 300 years later in 1930! Journalist Nell will leave no stone unturned to find out what really happened that day and her determination and curiosity only intensifies when another man goes missing in similar circumstances. Knowing of judge’s daughter Rachel Savernake’s penchant for solving complex mysteries, Nell confides in her – which is just as well as barely a week later, the plucky journalist also disappears! What on earth happened to Nell? Could her disappearance be linked to the centuries-old mystery that has been baffling all of Yorkshire since the seventeenth century?

Rachel travels to Blackstone Fell in Yorkshire where she is adamant that she will find out what happened to Nell. With her friend Jacob Flint by her side, Rachel will do whatever it takes to untangle the twisted secrets behind this mystery – providing that she doesn’t let her imagination run away with her. Blackstone Fell’s eerie moor and sinister tower sends shivers down Rachel’s spine, but will this spooky part of the world help her to discover what really happened to Nell? Or will Rachel’s search for answers end up putting her in danger?

Blackstone Fell is an engrossing, enjoyable and nail-biting whodunnit peppered with atmosphere, tension, red herrings and plenty of twists and turns that will keep readers guessing and desperate to find out what is going to happen next. Martin Edwards never fails to write entertaining mysteries where nothing is what it initially seems and in Blackstone Fell, he has penned a rip-roaring adventure sprinkled with Gothic chills and heart-pounding suspense that will hold readers in thrall and keep them engrossed until the early hours of the morning.

A dark who done it set in the 1930s with an unusual amateur detective investigating. A disturbing tale with sinister undertones.

Rachel Savernake investigates a bizarre locked-room puzzle in this delicious Gothic mystery.
Downright addictive…. I was hooked right from the start… Kept me guessing all the way!

This is a great historical crime fiction read. I didn’t realise that this was part of a series- it hasn’t mattered as it reads well independently. However, I would like to read books one and two in this series.

Rachel is a great character and one who needs excitement. I have really liked Rachel as I have read this book.

This is a book that has been entertaining. I found it to be well paced and a book that is interesting. Edwards has transported me to the pages and I have felt as though I have watched the events play out.

Edwards has an easy to read writing style. I was pulled in quickly by this one and found myself devouring pages quicker than I had expected.

This is definitely a book that I recommend to fans of the genre.

This book was fantastic. I hadn’t read the previous books in the series, but I can for sure say I will be. Although it would have probably enhanced my reading experience, I still understood everything that was going on, and I still connected and cared about what happened to the characters.

I loved the setting, but it took me some time to become familiar with the village and the characters who lived there. But it was atmospheric and had the depth I love to see in books, where you can clearly imagine where you are and who you’re going on this journey with.

I was super intrigued by the plot and mystery. There were lots of elements and they were all slotted together well, allowing me to follow the crime and work out and untangle all the various threads the author sprinkled throughout the story.

Overall, this was brilliant and I can’t wait to read more from the author in the future. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- A most excellent cover on this book!

Blackstone Fell (third book in Martin Edwards’s Rachel Savernake) series took me by surprise. I am not sure what I was expecting, but what I got was a thoroughly entertaining whodunit that gave me Agatha Christie vibes. The writing was well done. It held up well as a standalone. The plot was engaging and intricate. The characters intriguing. The setting atmospheric. And I really loved the addition of the "cluefinder" at the end. That was a nice bonus. 👍🏻👍🏻

**ARC Via NetGalley**

There is absolutely no doubt that Martin Edwards knows his crime fiction. As editor and curator of the British Library Crime Classics series, and author of The Golden Age of Murder, Martin has been introducing new readers to the forgotten classics of the ‘Golden Age’ of British crime fiction between the wars. He’s also edited several Detection Club anthologies and is the author of the Harry Devlin series, set in Liverpool, and the contemporary Lake District series, featuring DCI Hannah Scarlett and Oxford historian Daniel Kind.

Martin’s latest series, of which Blackstone Fell is the third, features enigmatic amateur detective Rachel Savernake. First introduced in Gallows Court, Rachel becomes embroiled in yet another bizarre when she is contacted by an old adversary. Having fallen foul of Rachel during a previous case, investigative journalist Nell Fagan is desperate for a way back into Fleet Street’s good books – and she thinks she’s found a scoop worth pursing in the remote Yorkshire village of Blackstone Fell. Two disappearances, 300 years apart, and from a seemingly locked room.

The mystery is enough to whet Rachel’s appetite, but she’s sharp enough to suspect that Nell is not being entirely frank about her reasons for investigating Blackstone Fell. Sure enough, it isn’t long before a body is found at the edge of the village. Teaming up with crime reporter Jacob Flint, himself on the tail of a scoop involving a fraudulent spiritual medium – and accompanied by her faithful friends Hetty, Martha, and Trueman, Rachel sets out for Blackstone Fell to get to the bottom of not one, but two, mysteries.

Although Blackstone Fell is the third Rachel Savernake mystery, it works well as a standalone story and an introduction for new readers. Hints of Rachel’s past – and past cases – are liberally sprinkled to entice new readers to pick up previous entries Gallows Court and Mortmain Hall but, as a new reader myself, these did not detract from the central story of Blackstone Fell or provide spoilers for previous books in the series,

Martin’s knowledge of – and love for – Golden Age crime really comes across in the novel, which features an ingenious Cluefinder: a selection of pointers to the various mysteries in the novel that readers can, if they choose, use to track the ‘clues’ dropped through the novel and see which ones they missed! The sense of time and place is really well conveyed, with Blackstone Fell touching on several period-relevant themes such as spiritualism, psychiatry, and the rise of dangerous thinking about the new ‘science’ of eugenics.

The novel also contains all the elements of a quintessential ‘classic’ crime novel: an enigmatic detective and her ‘sidekick’, a devilish locked-room mystery, red herrings galore, and a tense gathering of the suspects at the denouement of the mystery. Perfect fodder for anyone who loves the classics, although Blackstone Fell adds a good dose of psychological insight and plenty of character development as an accompaniment to its twisty mystery.

With ingenious plotting and intriguing characters, Blackstone Fell is the perfect read for any fans of classic British crime fiction. Anyone familiar with the British Library Crime Classics series – or with the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers et al – will find much to enjoy here, as will those who enjoy the psychological probing of Ruth Rendell, Minette Walters, and P D James. As for me, Gallows Court and Mortmain Hall are already on the TBR!

I love this series. I love this book. it's atmospheric, characters are interesting and it is such a good example of storytelling in every way.
I want to be rachel's friend

Agatha Christie in Yorkshire ★★☆☆☆

In 1930s Yorkshire, journalist Nell Fagan has become embroiled in the mystery of two disappearances from a locked gatehouse and a secretive sanatorium. When Nell also disappears, brilliant amateur detective Rachel Savernake is left to solve the case with the help of journalist Jacob Flint…

Fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy this murky cast of characters and layering of mysteries. However, for me the characters needed more refinement and I wanted a chance at solving the case(s). This was possible only for Rachel’s genius, just like Miss Marple and Poirot before her.

An excellent third installment in the Rachel Savernake series, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jacob Flint is back on form, along with Martha and the Truemans. Delighted to see the return of the Cluefinders, even though they didn't help me to unravel the mystery, I love the reveal! Set in the 1930's this has all the historical setting and Golden Age drama which Martin Edwards writes so well. Great plotting, I loved the clairvoyant and the bleakness of the remote Yorkshire village and moors was really brought to life. Highly recommend this and the first two books, I really hope there is more to come.

Despite the blurb, this is not essentially a locked room mystery, in that although the disappearances of two men, in a locked gatehouse in 1606 and three hundred years later, are used by the unreliable journalist Nell Fagan to lure Rachel Savernake to Blackstone Fell, they are not at the heart of this pseudo-Gothic tale.

There are riches galore for the GAD fan in this third instalment in Martin Edwards' series about his independent and wealthy amateur detective. It is set in 1930, and we are treated to dubious mediums, banking fraud, a mysterious sanatorium for the wealthy, and lots of suspicious deaths. Yet, despite all the period trappings and contemporary references to cinema, football, and Murder at the Vicarage, it sometimes feels curiously modern in attitudes and outlook.

The setting is well-evoked - shades of ECR Lorac- and the characterisation is lively, with the grotesque Nell, a violent and brooding vicar and his neurotic wife, the dashing doctor in his Lagonda and the son of the sanatorium owner with his fashionable belief in eugenics, echoing RA Freeman, perhaps.

The locked room puzzle does not detain Rachel too long, a little historical knowledge being all that it takes to solve it, but the rest of the murderous web requires much untangling.


Despite the myriad delights, there were two areas of disappointment for me. Firstly the clue finder which I thought unilluminating, and, more importantly, the ending.

The set-piece gathering of the suspects, complete with its engineered seance, is unthrilling and flat, a missed opportunity for mediumistic and detective pyrotechnics:if Martin Edwards is imitating some of the lesser lights of the Golden Age here, then he has succeeded.

Blackstone Fell is, however, eminently readable and engrossing, and highly recommendable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus (Bloomsbury Publishing) for the digital review copy.

I really loved the continuation of the Rachel Savernake mysteries and this one certainly didn't disappoint. I loved how the drama and the action were perfectly mixed and i was hooked all the way throughout. The pacing and the plot was done really well and i liked how they were balanced perfectly. The characters were all written in a way that was distinctive and made them intriguing. I can't wait for the next book in the series to see what happens next with Rachel Savernake.

Martin Edwards’ latest novel Blackstone Fell is the third in a series featuring Rachel Savernake. It follows Gallows Court (2018) and Mortmain Hall (2020), both published also by Head of Zeus. The series can be read in any order even though I would suggest not to miss anyone of these books. The story, set in the fictional village of Blackstone Fell, Yorkshire, takes place in the early 30s of the last century.

The strange circumstances that surrounded the death of Nell Fagan in the small Yorkshire village of Blackstone Fell, prompt Rachel Savernake to investigate her death. Savernake had received a visit from Fagan a few days before to ask her for help. A help that Savernake declined in view that Fagan wasn’t being completely honest with her, as she had demanded from the beginning. In fact Fagan had struggled to be received by Savernake in view of a past disagreement between them both.

Nell Fagan, a London investigative reporter, was in desperate need of a scoop to clear her name in Fleet Street. Therefore, she had rented Blackstone Lodge in Yorkshire to unravel the mysteries that surrounded that place. According to legend, in 1606 a man was seen entering Blackstone Tower, nobody saw him leave and was never seen again. Three hundred years after, a similar thing happened again, and the previous owner of Blackstone Tower vanished without a trace. And now, she herself had escaped unscathed from an attempted murder disguised as a casual accident. Certainly her presence in Blackstone Fell had made someone in the village very uncomfortable. Consequently, she should be on the right track, though she was sure that she alone won't be able to get to the bottom of this matter and would need someone's else help. For this end, no one better than Raquel Savernake, whose reputation as an amateur detective was unmatched.

Through the good offices of her friend and fellow journalist Jacob Flint, Nell managed to obtained access to Savernake, but their meeting ended up badly. Although for this she had to provide Flint the possibility of watching Ottilie Curle, a well-known medium, during a séance at her place. A performance that also came to a bad end.

What we finally get to know is that the presence of Nell Fagan in Blackstone Fell were related mainly to what might be happening at Blackstone Sanatorium behind closed doors.

With all this variety of ingredients, Martin Edwards is able to put together a story that, in my opinion, not only lives up to the previous two stories, but even surpasses them. The author achieves the perfect mix with all the elements at his disposal. A fascinating story, a very attractive setting that fits perfectly into the story and even stands as one more character in the plot, and a wide variety of attractive and very well drawn characters. As a finishing touch in this story, readers will find a Cluefinder which offers the reader the possibility to demonstrate his (or her) ability as an armchair detective. Needless to add that I missed most of them. All in all, an intelligent story which will provide the reader a highly enjoyable reading time. One can't ask for more. Highly recommended.

Having read this, I realised that it was actually the third in the series, not the second. This explains a lot of what I didn't get in the first novel! I thoroughly enjoy reading the further adventures of Rachel Savernake. Martin Edwards is able to create such a deliciously gothic atmosphere in these novels that one can almost reach out and feel it! The mystery was once again intriguing and kept me guessing to the last few pages. A definite recommend for fans of classic detective novels particularly from this mid war period. I received a review copy of this title in return for honest feedback but was unable to download it in time so have already bought my own copy. Now to catch up on the first in the series!

So I’m a bit late in meeting Rachael Savernake, but will be catching up on the previous books in the series (this can be read as a stand-alone)

I really like the authors writing style, so atmospheric and haunting, I was able to visualise the setting and how creepy it was.

I love books that use dual timelines and this didn’t disappoint, they worked perfectly alongside each other and when they came together.

My first Martin Edwards’ read but definitely not the last.

The gatehouse to Blackstone Tower has a dark history. Twice, first in 1606 and then 300 years later, a man walked into the gatehouse and disappeared from the face of the earth.

1930, and journalist Nell Fagan is determined to find the truth about the mysterious goings-on near Blackstone Fell – not just the gatehouse but also Blackstone Sanatorium, a site of many recent deaths. Realising that she might well need some help, she sets out to enlist the aid of Rachel Savernake, someone who has no particularly liking of Nell.

As Jacob Flint becomes entangled in Nell’s schemes, he finds himself attempting to expose a presumably-fradulent medium at a séance in London. But soon, all of the parties will find themselves in the wilds of Blackstone Fell – along with someone who has killed several times without detection…

The third of Martin Edwards’ Rachel Savernake series, an absorbing series that revels in homaging the Golden Age of detective fiction while never being content to simply mimic it. It can’t be easy to write something that is drawing so clearly on the source material while still pushing forward with new ideas and feeling incredibly fresh.

It’s worth bearing that in mind as the opening half feels less focussed than traditional detective stories, given that in effect we have three sleuths – Rachel, Jacob and Nell – doing different things in different locations. It makes one’s head spin watching Martin keeping all of the plot elements spinning at the same time, but needless to say, things dovetail as the plot progresses.

One of the strengths of this book is the finale. I can tell you now, if you think that you’ve solved this, you haven’t. Simple as that. Despite the clue-finder in the back (it’s more like a hint-finder, to be fair) I seriously doubt that any armchair sleuth will solve this, despite the author playing perfectly fairly with the reader.

There’s far more to it than just that, though, with the intriguing central characters – I’m particularly fond of Martha – vivid descriptions of the Yorkshire wilds and a plot that never stands still while never meandering from what you need to see. A must read.

Blackstone Fell is out now (well, first thing tomorrow) in hardback and ebook. Many thanks to the publishers for the e-review via Netgalley,

Agatha Christie-type crime story set between the wars, with lots of twists, turns, clues and red herrings. Engaging characters, (though I haven't warmed to Rachel Savernake herself, I think I'm a bit daunted by her!) but love her 'support team' of the Truemans and Nell Fagan the investigative journalist.

Mysterious vanishings, deaths, spiritualism, history and a dark, broody dangerous and depressing location.
Very engaging, a good, light read for a rainy weekend.