This book was so packed full of things I love that it might as well have been written for me. Rebellious protagonist with approximately zero percent of her shit together? Highly relatable. Murder mystery with supernatural elements? Delicious. Country house gothic set in 1920's Cornwall? Literally salivating.

Ruby, our disaster bisexual flapper protagonist, is sent to Cornwall to deliver an order of antiquarian books to Ruan Kivell, a folk healer and sort-of witch in the coastal village of Lothlel Green. Uncomfortably for Ruby, this delivery brings her to the doorstep of her estranged best friend and former lover, Tamsyn, now married to baronet Edward Chenowyth, the master of Penryth Hall.

A murder at Penryth Hall stuns the community the morning after Ruby's arrival, and she finds herself swept up in the speculation. While Ruby and many others suspect an earthly cause, some within the village blame the murder on an ancestral curse on the Chenowyth family. Regardless of the cause, and concerned for Tamsyn's safety, Ruby and Ruan begin an investigation that reveals decades' worth of Chenowyth family secrets.

Without giving anything away, I found the conclusion of this mystery to be so satisfying, and I loved the tension between Ruby and Ruan. Honestly, I loved just about everything about Ruan and would carry him around in my pocket if I could. There are still a couple threads that I would have liked to see explained a bit more, but overall my biggest complaint is that I wish there were more. I don't know if there are sequels planned, but I could totally see Ruby stepping into the role of reluctant lady detective in future installments.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me this advanced copy of The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this murder mystery which took place after the Great War.. It was well paced and I just couldn't wait to find out what the conclusion would bring. The ending did not disappoint.
An American heiress named Ruby, who works in a bookstore in Exeter with Mr Owen who is her housemate as well as her boss, gets herself into a scramble when she is asked to do Mr. Owen a favor, and return to a town that she never dreamed of going back to.
Ever since Ruby's best friend Tamsyn married Edward Chenowyth,( a baronet), she has not been able to return to the Cornish country side of Lothlel Green. However, due to her loyalty to Mr. Owen she decides to go and follow through with delivering a stack of books (that she is not allowed to look at) to Mr. Kivell who is known as the folk healer of the town. Ruby also knows that her once dear friend Tamsyn lives there and because they left off on bad terms, she does not want to dredge up the past.
Upon Ruby's arrival, Tamsyn is quite astonished to see her as she was not aware that Ruby was going to visit. Ruby and Tamsyn feel the strain of their relationship, however Ruby is invited to stay for a meal and and gets a taste of more than just the food. Ruby sees first hand how Edward's behavior dictates what happens in Penryth Hall and how it affects Tamsyn. Not soon after , a discovery is made in the orchard that will shatter everyone's lives. Although Ruby wants nothing more than to leave, her conscience will not allow her to leave her friend in distressing times.
This story is about love, loyalty, and the secrets that lie deep within people of the Cornish countryside. The characters each have their own unique qualities and beliefs which keep them engaged in the mysterious murders who some thought was caused by a curse. The curse became an explanation for all that could not be explained,. Is this curse responsible for the deaths or is there a murderer amongst the town's people and the residents of the eery and dark Penryth Hall? I enjoyed this tale that had some folklorish whimsey, and at times had me on the edge of my seat.

I love gothic mysteries with atmospheric, spooky settings, so I had high expectations of The Curse of Penryth Hall. I liked the premise, but the execution left me wanting more. I felt that there were a lot of plot holes and loose threads that remained unresolved by the end of the book. I didn't love Ruby, the main heroine. She was a bit one-dimensional, and I didn't fully understand her relationship with the Pellar. It was neither here nor there. The murder mystery itself was satisfying. The Curse of Penryth Hall is a debut novel, and it might explain its shortfalls.

Ruby Vaughn has made a nice life for herself, running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, is the one man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn. To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside Ruan to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.

I am torn about this book. The premise sounded good, and I really liked Ruby. She was plucky, stubborn and fearless. I liked Ruan, and enjoyed the interactions between him and Ruby. The mystery was good, and it kept me guessing until the end. I also enjoyed how quirky several of the villagers were. I really didn't care for Tamsyn at all - she just seemed spineless to me. I felt the story seemed to ebb and flow, rather than either build slowly or stay steady throughout, so at times my attention wanted to wander. I did enjoy the mysticism of the curse, & the strange vivid dreams Ruby started having. Overall, I felt it had a bit of an Agatha Christie vibe, with a little supernatural element added to it.

This was an enjoyable, atmospheric mystery debut. Set in England after World War I, heiress-turned-bookseller Ruby is sent by her boss to Cornwall to deliver some mysterious books. While there, she reconnects with her old friend, Tamsyn, with whom Ruby has lost touch since Tamsyn's marriage to the tyrannical Sir Edward Chenowyth. When Sir Edward turns up dead, the locals blame it on the Penryth Hall curse, but Ruby doesn't believe in their superstitions. She takes it upon herself to investigate Sir Edward's demise, and the local Pellar, Ruan Kivell, proves to be her sometimes ally, sometimes annoyance in the investigation.

I loved this book's Cornish setting and enjoyed learning more about their myths and beliefs. Ruan, the Pellar, is a sort of mystic healer whom the locals believe can cast love charms, ward off illness, and protect their village. This book does have a touch of a supernatural element, which is not normally my thing, but I thought it was well done here.

I enjoyed most of the characters, and I had a particular fondness for Ruby's boss, Mr. Owen, and his mischievous feline. I loved his quasi-father-daughter relationship with Ruby. My biggest complaint was that Tamsyn's character fell a bit flat. I didn't fully understand her or the connection between her and Ruby.

4 stars ⭐️ Would read from this author again

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for this EARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun historical mystery with a side of slow-burn romance. Set in the quiet Cornish countryside, we follow Ruby Vaughon, an American heiress who lives with a loveable bookstore owner. She is sent to the countryside to deliver books to a mysterious healer Ruan. Ruby stays with her old friend in Penryth hall, when her friend's husband is murdered.

I absolutely loved this. The short chapters and compelling story made this so easy to read. It was giving Agatha Christie and Simone St. James vibes along with several other books I have read including, the Veronica Speedwell Series and A Dreadful Splendor by B. R. Myers. I clearly love a historical mystery lol.

I loved the banter between the local witch, Ruan and our MC Ruby. It was slow in its build up, but I also needed more! I really loved Ruby, she was feisty, determined, queer, and has a tragic back story. The only issue I had, was with Ruby's obsession with her former love/best friend, it just felt over the top. I cannot believe this is a debut and I look forward to reading more from Jess Armstrong.

Ah, to be an impossibly wealthy young woman in the early 20th century, spending one's days working for an avuncular seller of old books. If that sounds as interesting as watching paint dry, add to that scenario periodic trips to deliver illegal books. Ruby Vaughn's latest assignment is to deliver books to a handsome man in Cornwall who practices Cornish magic.

Of course, Ruby doesn't believe in magic. She just wants to deliver her employer's books and maybe visit an old friend she's neglected for a few years.

Ruby does reconnect with Tamsyn and leaves with suspicions that Tamsyn's obnoxious husband is abusing her. What develops is a murder mystery with more curlicues than twists, not to mention quite a bit of Cornish is-it-or-isn't-it magic. After all, Ruby doesn't believe in magic. Or does she?

"The Curse of Penryth Hall" by Jess Armstrong is a well-told story with an intricate plot. Although no time travel is involved, I would compare it with some of the recent books that feature it as if it can be reliably accomplished. Other similarities might be to some of the newer magical realism stories.

I recommend "The Curse of Penryth Hall." Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader's copy.

I enjoyed this book as a fun and easy read. I was hesitant to see where it was going for a little bit… I wasn’t sure what a Pellar was… I was just as confused as Ruby on that point… and I found the explanation a bit lacking. As the book went on, I was, however, glad to know that the murders were not going to be blamed on some curse even if the villagers were convinced it was. I had concerns that the Pellar might lean that way, seeing as that’s basically his job, but those concerns were for naught. I did find the magical healing and mind reading parts a bit… well.. weird. If there’s not a curse then why are we bothering with supernatural elements? Honestly he didn’t need to be a Pellar for the story to be good. That being said, some of the characters could have been developed more or differently and I feel that it would have had a better flow. I could see some of the twists coming but there were a few that I did not.

Overall, I enjoyed it as long as I didn’t try to think about it too hard. A fun and quick read but not one that I would rave about as being spectacular. It looks like the author set it up for a potential sequel… if so I’d be curious to see where she goes with it. If not, then it didn’t end leaving me wanting more so I also won’t be disappointed if there isn’t a sequel.

Set in Cornwall, this book is has a gothic atmosphere and a curse and a dead body to investigate. Ruby goes to visit her friend Tammy who lives in an old castle that inspires bad dreams and rumors of creepy things happening. When Tamryn’s husband is found brutally murdered, Ruby teams up with locals to find out what happened and to keep it from happening again.

The main character in Jess Armstrong’s new novel is truly “a character.” Ruby, an American who has been sent abroad following a scandal, is living with an elderly man who is an antiquarian book dealer. I like the characters very much, but there are a few irritations in Armstrong’s writing. Within the space of about five pages in chapter seven, for instance, she has Ruby say “you can't possibly believe…” numerous times.
There also seems to be some backstory missing. When I was nine chapters in, I started to piece together what Ruby and Tamsyn had been in “the Great War” in France, Ruby as an ambulance driver. But I have no idea why or how or about anything that happened afterwards. It seems clear that Ruby is in love with Tamsyn, but Tamsyn has gone back to England and married a minor nobleman, a monster of a man, who is of course the murder victim. Ruby says Sir Edward took Tamsyn apart “stone by stone.” What a strange phrase to apply to a human.
The introduction to the Cornish folk character The Pellar in the person of Ruan is quite interesting. It's up to Ruby and Ruan to figure out the curse and how the killer can be stopped.
What's real and what's not real? Is there a bogey or some other source of the evil that has befallen? Who was faithful and who was not? You'll have to read this “roaring 20s” mystery to find out.

The Curse of Penryth Hall is an excellent historical mystery with a bit of a gothic/paranormal flavor. Most of the action takes place in and around a village in Cornwall, England, in 1922. (There are a couple of mentions of Howard Carter, with people saying they didn’t think his expedition to Egypt would turn up anything worthwhile, which made me laugh, as he went on to discover the tomb of Tutankhamen!)

Ruby Vaughn is a wealthy, orphaned American expat, who got into all sorts of escapades and also served as a nurse in World War I. She is currently working for a rare bookseller and is tasked with bringing a large box of books to the village in Cornwall where an old dear friend, Tamsyn, lives (in Penryth Hall). The books need to be delivered to a man named Ruan, who is a “pellar” (I had to look it up), a sort of witch or wizard or folk healer. Ruby goes to visit Tamsyn and finds that all is not well in Cornwall! As you can imagine from the title, things go very wrong indeed.

The writing was lovely and I sped through the book. I could picture the manor house, the landscape and the small cottages. I enjoyed the characters of Ruby and Ruan, but it took me a while to warm up to Tamsyn, although I sympathized with her having an unhappy marriage. Some of the side characters were terrific, such as the housekeeper, Mrs. Penrose. I also adored Ruby’s cat! There are hints at the end of a possible sequel. I hope that’s the case.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook was narrated beautifully by Emma Love, who did an outstanding job with all the various English/Scottish and American accents.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC of this book!

Do you enjoy watching shows where a person goes to a small town on an errand/vacation and ends up sticking around to solve a murder? Then this book is for you. Think Hercule Poirot or Father Brown, but the main character is Ruby, an American heiress who runs a rare bookstore with her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. Ruby is sent to the Cornish countryside to deliver a trunk full of rare books to a pellar (folk healer/witch), and decides to stop at Penryth Hall where her former best friend (yes, there is drama there) Tamsyn lives with her young son and husband. She's there all of one evening when the husband turns up murdered in an orchard. The pellar is called on because the locals believe there a curse has killed him. Now Ruby is determined to find out the truth before anybody else can be hurt by this curse, or human murder. While this book does include romantic relationships, I feel that it more explores the different relationship dynamics people can have rather than a straightforward romance. There is no shortage of complicated relationships here. Also, there's a cat. I truly hope this is the beginning of a series for our bookseller/heiress Ruby.

This was an interesting read with some intrigue and mystery woven into this gothic tale.

First, a book that starts with books is my kind of
book!

Second, a gothic mystery - say no more.

The 1920’s story was a great setting and the setting descriptions were really well done.

I had a difficult time connecting with the main character.

If you’re looking for a gothic mystery, this would be a good place to start.

This was a rather a dark gothic mystery.
It has some interesting characters and will keep you guessing. I thought I had it all figured out but I was wrong.. It remind me of some of the old Victoria Holt books I used to read

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book!

I was SO EXCITED to dig into this book. It promised all sorts of goodies…and it delivered! Imagine me cheering right now, because man oh man did it DELIVER. It was everything I could have wanted and then some!

Despite it taking place in 1922, there are a lot of moments I think people will still find relatable. Ruby is a wonderful main character, and I adored her. She was witty and delightful, but she also wasn’t a total damsel in distress. Honestly, I thought she was hilarious.

I also very much enjoyed the atmosphere of this book. It was creepy and mysterious and you wondered what was going on. This book toes the magical and realistic aspects, but does it in a way that is utterly and totally believable.

This reminded me very much of an Agatha Christie murder mystery, but it had that magical aspect which I also adored. This was a great book, and I enjoyed all the other characters as well.

Ruan and Ruby had such a great chemistry with each other, I had a few moments that I laughed, and others where I was like “WHAT” and honestly it was the best. Absolutely enjoyed every minute of the banter between them.

Mysterious, gothic, creepy and atmospheric, this book hit all the right notes for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazing. This book was right up my alley. I loved this Gothic mystery. It is set in a manor home in the English countryside. Ruby Vaughn has secrets of her own. She works for a bookseller in Exeter. She must deliver some books to a man in the Cornish countryside. Her long lost friend Tamysyn lives in Penryth Hall near by.. Tamsyn is married to Sir Edward Chenowth.. Ruby had not seen Tamysyn since the wedding. She plans to spend the night and leave in the morning. All this changes when Tamsyn’s husband Edward is found brutally murdered .Could it be the dreaded course of Penryth Hall? Ruby gets involved with Ruan Kivell, the man she delivered the books to. He is called the Pellar and is said to have mystical powers.
This is a wonderful atmospheric novel filled with mystery and suspense. It is filled with twists and turns with an ending I never saw coming. It is a captivating debut novel.

Ruby Vaughn, an American heiress, is living in Exeter and working at a bookstore with her octogenarian employer and house mate. Ruby has always avoided thinking about the past, but when she is tasked to deliver a box of mysterious books to a folk healer in the Cornish countryside, the past finds her. Her destination takes her to the doorstep of her estranged best friend, Tamsyn, who she has not seen since her wedding to Sir Edward Chenowyth.

Ruby joins the couple for dinner at Penryth Hall, a dark and foreboding manor. After an unsettling and tense evening, Ruby can’t wait to leave. Tamsyn is a shell of the woman she remembers - incredibly unhappy in her marriage, her only joy being her young son, Jori.

The following morning, Ruby wakes to the sound of Penryth Hall’s bells ringing for the first time in thirty years. Sir Edward is dead, meeting a gruesome end. With his death, there are whispers that the curse of Penryth Hall has returned. Ruby finds herself working alongside the local Peller, Ruan Kivell, to discover what really happened in the orchard that night and to break the curse of Penryth Hall.

I really enjoyed this debut novel. A cozy gothic mystery in the best sense. It is incredibly well written, atmospheric, and full of plot twists. The mystery is fresh and keeps you guessing - is it supernatural, is it not? Ruby is a fish out of water in the best way. She is incredibly likable, strong, and smart. She has an incredible work ethic, a lot of fun, and refuses to dwell on the past. She is also very loyal to the village, despite being an outsider there. Her relationship with Ruan is super interesting as well - they both seem to have an almost magical connection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book. This is my honest review. Publication date: December 5, 2023.

This debut historical mystery drew me in with its exciting premise, gothic vibes, folklore, and an interesting FMC in Ruby. She's unconventional for the 1920s when the book was set. Snarky and adventurous, fearless and reckless, she drinks to excess and has unresolved feelings for her former lover/friend Tamsyn, who happens to be the widow of the murder victim. Thus, despite the danger, she decides to investigate the murder locals ascribe to the supernatural curse, as Tamsyn might be next. She is assisted by Ruan, the local "Pellar," who is believed to be able to break the curse, and the two find they have an unusual connection. The forbidding Penrith Hall, with its curse, made the place almost a character in itself. The mystery was solid, with enough misdirection to keep the reader guessing and a satisfying reveal.

Overall, this was an enjoyable debut novel, but I felt like it could have been a bit tighter. The special connection between Ruan and Ruby, which appears to be supernatural, intrigued me, and I would have liked more details about it, but perhaps that's to come in future books. Ruby is a compelling character, but her backstory drips out bit by bit and somewhat ambiguously, with elements of her backstory referred to in ways that make it seem as though the reader should already know this information, even though this is our introduction to her. There were also a few pacing issues, and some characters fell a bit flat for me, but overall, I would be interested in seeing what Armstrong writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE CURSE OF PENRYTH HALL by Jess Armstrong is read by Emma Love is a darkly whimsical Gothic novel perfect for the season!

I loved the ability to pair the audio with the digital book with this one. To have the accents done so well and distinctive is such fun for me and this was fantastic. It made reading the story so much more alive!

American heiress Ruby is happily running a bookstore in the Cornish village of Exeter after the Great War. When she brings an order of rare books to a folk healer deep in the countryside, she is intrigued. She doesn't want to dredge up old wounds but she is drawn to the home her former best friend who lives in Penryth Hall, and when her husband, Edward dies one fateful night, Ruby and folk healer Ruen join forces to discover the killer before anyone else becomes a victim of the curse!

I was a bit unprepared for the slight magical realism of this story. Once I embraced the abilities of Ruen and understood this aspect, it helped me to stop overthinking it! His magic is both covert and kind-of known, thus my dark whimsy label. Also, I learned what a Pellar was (a witch who breaks curses).

I enjoyed this mystery quite a bit, and had no idea who the culprit was. The family drama of the wealthy in the English countryside is usually fine fodder for a tale like this. I liked getting pulled into various suspicious with many possibilities. I even liked Ruby and Ruen's complicated connection.

If you are ready for a period murder mystery with a pinch of magic and a ton of atmosphere, this book and audio will be available on December 5th! A really fantastic read for these longer, dark nights.

Thank you @netgalley @dreamscape_media & @minotaur_books for this great story and letting me share my thoughts. I can see why Armstrong won your Mystery Writers of America Best Crime Novel Award! I will be excited to read what comes next as well.

The Curse of Penryth Hall is a Gothic murder mystery, seeping with a moody, paranormal atmosphere that really worked for me.

I enjoyed the characters and found them interesting. I found Ruby (the main character) to be strong-willed, impulsive, and a bit reckless. Yet, she is also loyal, caring, and rational. I especially liked the relationship between Ruby and Ruan (the grumpy town pellar/healer). They butt heads over the nature of the mystery. Is it paranormal, or is there a logical explanation for the killings? Their banter brought their characters to life. While this gives off enemies-to-lovers vibes, don't expect too much romance.

I was captivated by the mystery and read this in nearly one sitting. Armstrong had me second-guessing every character. I thought everyone was the culprit at one point. It kept me turning the pages.

If I have any complaints, I would say the pacing is off. The middle dragged some for me, but it didn't stop me from continuing. I never felt like putting the book down.

This is the perfect snuggle-up and on a rainy day kind of read.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.