This was just a bit too slow moving for my liking. However, it was truly atmospheric and I loved Ruby’s character.

This is decent debut mystery that had a twisty ending I did not see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed Ruby and hope that she will appear in more books written by the author. Fans of mysteries with a gothic lean will enjoy this one.

Thank you #Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this wonderful book.

Overview of the story:
Ruby Vaughn an American heriess, works for a rare bookseller in Exeter. She finds herself catapulted into a huge murder mystery when she is sent out to give books to Ruan Kivell in Lothel Green. What Ruby does not know is that Ruan is the town's Pellar and this small town has many dark twisted secrets. Ruby herself is not a strange to weird things happening in her life or keeping secrets. Ruby is faced with seeing her friend and former lover Tamsyn, at Penryth Hall where she lives with her husband Sir Edward Chenowyth. The moment she arrives the feeling she gets from Penryth Hall is unsettling. The very next morning Ruby is woken up to bells and murder. Was it actually the curse? To find out what Ruby discovers in the novel, you must read The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Amrstrong today!

Possible Spoliers if you read on!

Plot:

I honestly thought for a historical mystery novel that this was excellent. I usually have an easy time figuring out who committed the crimes, but this one picked someone who I never suspected.

Character Developement:

I really enjoyed the depth that Ruby has as a character. I love that she plays a powerful female that takes risks. Ruby herself is anomaly and I love that she is like that. I also enjoy that it does not come out and say she is LGBTQIA, but due to her past romantic relationship with Tamsyn it is unclear.

Ruan Kivell, I enjoyed the mystery of his character. He never claims himself as a witch or wizard, but if you Google the meaning of Pellar it means sorcerer, wizard. Ruan charm and mystery is a perfect match to the headstrong Ruby.

Romance: -Spoliers
Since, I am an high school librarian I could see this book being a Adult Crossover to YA. The level of romance in this book, is minimal. Ruby and Ruan only kiss twice or three times, nothing else happens. Infact, they level each other at the end of the book.

It's 1922 and book seller Ruby Vaughn has been sent by her octogenarian employer and housemate to Cornwall to deliver a box of books to Ruan Kivell. She's reluctant because she hasn't been to that village since her former best friend Tamsyn married the local baronet Sir Edward Chenowyth. Ruby was in love with Tamsyn and feels betrayed that she threw her over for Sir Edward.

After meeting Ruan and dropping off the books, she proceeds to Penryth Hall where she encounters a decidedly gothic atmosphere. Tamsyn has changed a lot becoming much more withdrawn and is clearly unhappy. Ruby takes a strong dislike to Sir Edward who proves to be a philandering bully. But she wasn't expecting anyone to murder him the night she arrives. Nor was she expecting his death to be attributed to a curse that had previously taken his uncle and his uncle's wife.

Ruby had weird dreams of the death the night of Sir Edward's death and she was attacked in her bedroom. She even believes for a while that she might have been the one to kill Sir Edward. Ruan is called in to investigate since he is the Pellar - a witch who is believed to be able to break curses.

Ruby and Ruan develop an interesting relationship. He can read her thoughts which is something that Ruby is forced to believe despite her disbelief in anything supernatural. The two work together to try to determine who murdered Sir Edward since neither believe that it was a curse.

Ruby was a fascinating character. She is an heiress who was sent away from her home in New York when she was a teenager because of a scandal. She lost both her parents and sister when the Lusitania sank. She worked as an ambulance driver during World War I. She is determined to live in the present since the past held so much trauma for her. Tamsyn sees her as brave and daring, but Ruby feels that she has nothing left to lose. She tries to survive by drinking too much and doing dangerous things.

I enjoyed the gothic atmosphere of this story with its curses and superstitions. I liked that Ruby who might have some supernatural powers of her own in the form of prophetic dreams is determined to find a rational explanation for all the various events.

Fans of the gothic will enjoy this story filled with intriguing characters.

Ruby Vaughn is now one of my favorite literary characters! Loved her! Jess Armstrong's debut novel, The Curse of Penryth Hall is a spooky, creepy, supernatural, suspenseful, witty and funny treat! The characters are great, even though we don't get much back story for them. Ruby is the pushy strong willed American in early 1900's navigating her way thru stuffy, conversative, traditional Exeter. She's a force to be reckoned with and when her oldest friend, Tamsyn's husband is murdered and then Tamsyn thinks she's going to be next, a victim of a long believed curse, Ruby vows to get the bottom of what's happened. She doesn't believe in curses or witches or God for that matter. And all her long held believes will be tested when she finds herself in the Cornish countryside alongside Ruan Kivell, the one the locals call a Pellar.
I loved this story and hope they'll be more with Ms. Ruby Vaughn!!

This was a great start to a debut novel, however I feel that it needed some more attention to details. We weren’t really given a lot of information about the characters, and then it would come out of nowhere like I was supposed to know. I also felt that the pacing was too slow for my liking. I understand that gothic books usually are a little slower, but this one was just too slow for me and I was getting bored.

This just didn’t end up being a book I was really excited about having read.

I do want to extend my thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

With this being a debut I won’t be too harsh with my review. I feel like I was never told enough about characters and I was constantly trying to piece things together on my own about their stories and past and it didn’t always flow. I enjoyed the story overall and with some more work I can see this author going places!

Thank you St Martin’s Press for a eARC of this book for review!

The Curse of Penryth Hall follows American heiress Ruby Vaughn as she navigates a mystery involving an old friend, her husband, the town Pellar, and an old curse. In this historical fiction set after WW1, we get a little bit of everything: humor, atmosphere, a murder mystery, romance, and magic.

I really enjoyed this read! I’ve personally been in a bit of a murder mystery mindset, so I feel as though it came up to be read at an excellent time. When I first started it, I wasn’t positive how I felt about the writing and the pacing, but as I moved through the story I realized it worked so well for what was being told. Additionally, I love first person and Ruby’s mind is so quirky at times which I really enjoyed.

One of my favorite parts about this book, and obviously a very important part of it, was the murder mystery. I felt like it was really well done, I genuinely wasn’t sure what direction it was going in at any minute. Was it a curse? Was it a man, a woman, a spirit? I literally had no clue. I also did really like the little bit of romance that we got, and honestly I want so much more? ALSO I LOVED the cat. He was such an interesting little side character who didn’t really do much but made you feel as though he was a very important part of the story.

I will note though that there is suicide in the book, so please be cautious if this is something that is triggering for you.

Overall, I really enjoyed the read, I thought it was very fun, engaging, and well written, and I hope we get more in this world with these characters! It was a 4.25 star read for me!

I have received this arc in exchange for a honest review (and I am thankful that I was chosen to review this book). To be honest, the book may be liked by a lot of people. It incorporates mystery and elements of witchcraft/curses that was set in the early 1900s, but personally, I was a bit bored while reading this book and the style of writing and executing the plot did not resonate with me while reading. So, this book- just- wasnt for me

A historical cozy murder mystery with a dash of gothic tones and some romance! American heiress Ruby Vaughn has made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and housemate. She's trying to leave behind her past and her time during the Great War, particularly because she wants to forget her former best friend and the woman who broke her heart Yet when her employer sends her on her newest job, she'll be visiting the town where the same woman lives... and facing that heartbreak all over again. Ruby is meant to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside... where Penryth Hall is and where Tamsyn and her husband Sir Edward Chenowyth are. Ruby dislikes that Tamsyn had to marry such an awful man and in doing so also broke her heart. Yet now seeing Tamsyn, Ruby also notices that Edward has been abusing Tamsyn as well. Yet when waking up at Penryth hall one morning, it is reported that Edward has been killed and now Ruby doesn't know whether Tamsyn did it or not. Along to solve the case is Ruan Kivell, the person who Ruby was sent to give the books to. He is a Pellar, a man the locals believe can break the curse that is on Penryth Hall. Ruby doesn't believe in curses but something strange is definitely happening at Penryth and Ruby is determined to solve the case to save This one was an interesting murder mystery, it definitely got the cozy small village vibes with an interesting sapphic romance touch to the story and the main protagonist is Bi (from what I can tell) and overall was okay. The story was a bit slow at parts but I think some people might enjoy the slow pace of it for a cozy mystery. I was expecting a bit more from the big reveal of who did it and why but I guess the overall ending does make sense with the gothic vibes. Overall it was an okay read for me but I think others might have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A story of what happens when you are sent for errands and get caught up in a death that gets the town talking. Great characters and an inviting story line.

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong is a wonderful spooky mystery thriller set in the 1920s with many twists and turns. I really liked the characters they were all well rounded and interesting. This book kept me riveted, so much so I stayed up all night reading it.

The Curse of Penryth Hall
by Jess Armstrong
The Curse of Penryth Hall is a historical cozy mystery with supernatural elements and Gothic overtones.
Summary
Ruby Vaughn has vowed to never return to Penryth Hall after the marriage of her best friend Tamsyn to Sir Edward Chenowyth. But her boss, Mr. Owen, has sent her to the village of Lothiel Green to deliver a trunk full of books to a man named Ruan Kivell. Before Ruby makes her delivery, she stops at the hall and finds a much-changed Tamsyn. Tamsyn is much thinner and has a bruised face. That evening at dinner, Ruby exchanges barbs with Sir Edward, until he excuses himself from dinner when he suddenly falls ill. The next morning his mutilated body is found by the housekeeper on the estate’s grounds. She insists the curse, which killed Edward’s uncle and his wife thirty years prior, is back and has killed Edward. When Tamsin hears the news, she insists the curse is coming for her next and forces Ruby to swear she will keep Tamsyn’s young son safe. Ruby’s scientific mind refuses to believe a curse is at work. She resolves to find the murderer behind Sir Edward’s death.
My Thoughts
This is a solid mystery with all sorts of twists and turns and an ending I didn’t see coming. The atmosphere is spooky with a castle falling into ruin and gloomy weather. Ruan Kivell, the local Pellar (a role which Ruan inhabits with mixed emotions), is a man with skill at healing others and putting Ruby’s emotions in turmoil. The verbal sparring between the two is funny and one of the best parts of the novel.
Ruby’s relationship with Tamsyn is complicated. They’ve been friends since Ruby was shipped from New York City to London after being seduced by an older married man when Ruby was sixteen. Ruined for a society marriage, her father sent her to live with his old friend and his family in London so Ruby could have a new start. At some point, Ruby wanted more from the relationship than Tamsyn could give-I think-and their friendship disintegrated. This relationship felt forced to me and distracted from the mystery.
Ruby is a deeply troubled character. Forced to leave home at such a young age, she loses her parents and younger sister years later at sea. She was an ambulance driver for the Great War, moving wounded soldiers from the front lines. Her relationship with Tamsyn fell apart during this period. Once Ruby returns to Penryth Hall, those old feelings for Tamsyn return, and Ruby doesn’t handle them well. Ruby becomes a bit self-centered and that was off-putting.
Overall thoughts
This isn’t a bad book. The mystery gets lost at times, and when that happened, I forgot why I was reading the book. As far as characters go, Ruan Kivell is the most interesting character, in my opinion. As far as the villagers are concerned, he has supernatural powers and is seen as the Pellar. Ruan is conflicted about his role and the pressure he is under to have all of the answers, especially when murder and an old curse is involved.
If historical mysteries set in the twenties, old English castles, and a hint of the supernatural is your thing, then this book may be for you. It really didn’t resonate with me, and if there are more books after this one, I probably won’t be reading them.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartin’sPress for a copy of #TheCurseofPenrythHall. All opinions are my own.

Publisher
St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 336
Pub date: 12/05/2023

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong was an intriguing book to say the least. I enjoy this genre and the author outdid herself. Great story line, plot, development of characters as well as thorough writing style. I enjoyed reading this book. It did not take much time to complete this book.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this intriguing story. I definitely recommend this suthor

"An atmospheric Gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.

After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She's always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. 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. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.

A foreboding fortress, 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. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the 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 the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night."

Dammit, I love Cornwall and their belief in the uncanny.

I really enjoyed a lot about Jess Armstrong’s debut novel. There’s nothing better than a Masterpiece Theater style who done it! The jazz, the liquor and the murder was all so fantastic.

There were times I felt like I was getting through a maze to a plot line or a connection to a character and ended up feeling lost. Which is why I gave it 3 stars. I’d like to make a note that this was an uncorrected text, and it’s very possible that when it’s published it will be clearer.

I will definitely give this roaring 20’s cozy murder, another read when it’s published and write an updated review

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jess Armstrong's debut novel is a the perfect romance, gothic, suspense, paranormal mystery novel I've read. The Curse of Penryth Hall kept me on my feet for all 336pages.

Set in 1920's Cornwall, disgraced American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself in Exeter, England, running a rare bookstore alongside her eclectic employer, and housemate. Ruby has been known more for running from her past than facing it. When she is forced to deliver a books deep in the countryside, she is forced to face her former life head on.

Ruby runs into her former friend, and lover?, Tamsyn, who is married to a wealthy man with a wandering eye. Not long after Ruby arrives in Lothel Green, Edward, Tamsyn's husband, shows up dead. Now the entire town is talking of a curse while the lead investigator is a local Pellar.

This book was everything a fall book should be. It was like playing a game of clue, trying to figure out who did it. It's cozy. Theres a hint of romance, lust, and heartbreak. It's twisted and gothic, without being gruesome. I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense and mystery of this book. This is the kind of story that's made for stormy days. Well done, Jess!!

This was such a stellar debut—it's an enchanting gothic murder mystery set in the Cornish countryside in the 1920s. Ruby is such a spunky, unique heroine and I sped through this entire book on a flight from Texas to NC. My only complaint is that the ending felt like it was setting itself up for a sequel, and I wish that one very important loose end had been tied up since there hasn't been confirmation about whether or not a sequel is actually coming.

“The past was no good to anyone, and digging about in it only brought about unpleasantness. It was best to leave it where it was. Past.”


This kept in line with my ‘spooky’ reads for October thus far. It’s a gothic mystery set in the brooding moors of the Cornish countryside in the 1920s.

There were some unexpected things and then some forgotten things that made this book not my favorite, but I think a lot of people will probably still like it. Plus the ending was ‘mostly’ satisfying which is good.

If you’re looking for a completely supernatural type of book and a murder that is only explained through ghosts or curses, etc, then you won’t find it here. Armstrong wove together reality and supernatural elements throughout the story and some were explained away, but she did leave a bit of mystery and intrigue by the end. I liked the balance as I am not a fan of books where it’s completely about the haunting things.

(We’ll see how I like The Book of Cold Cases which I’m reading next as I know it has some supernatural elements!)


The basic premise is this:

Ruby Vaughn, an orphaned and exiled girl from America who lives with a likable, bookish old man in Exeter, is tasked with taking some ancient and “dangerous” books to a "folk healer” in the Cornish countryside.

A simple task brings her to death’s doorstep at Penryth Hall, the place of heirs and curses.

But Ruby, being a rational and logical thinker is convinced that the death cannot be explained away by a ‘curse.’

“There’s no such thing as magic, Mr. Kivell. No curses. No monsters in the night. None of it. There’s a perfectly rational explanation for what happened to Sir Edward and I intend to get to the bottom of it.”

But if she gets too close to the truth, she might be next!



So who is this Ruby Vaughn character and do we like her?

“Between leaving America, war, and the death of my parents, I’d become a different creature. An almost feral fatalistic thing, living from chance to chance, existing only because death didn’t want anything to do with me. At least not yet.”

I like that she is a strong and courageous and smart girl, though a bit reckless. She spent time during the Great War on the front lines carting injured soldiers to safety. She is no stranger to death or danger.

I also like her relationship to Owen, the father-figure she lives with. We find out Ruby’s parents and sister died on the sinking of the Lusitania ship during the war. (Side note: If that interests you, read The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams). Before that happened, though, Ruby was exiled from her high-society life in New York because of a scandal. She was young, only 16, but during a time when men had the upper-hand, her vulnerability to a man in power resulted in her forced departure.

Owen also lost his family— his wife before the war and his sons during. “Leaving him a father in need of a child, and I a child in need of a father.”

I think Owen is my favorite character of the book. I thought he was caring and funny and I appreciated that though they shared familial grief and brokenness, they could do life together and bear each other’s burdens, looking after one another and creating a new family. Owen also has a curious twinkle in his eye and I have a feeling if this book turns into a series as it was hinted at, he’s got a lot of adventure left in him!


Ruby is also a rebellious one. She would be the ‘flapper’ type of girl, throwing parties of debauchery and resisting the restraints of societal norms. Instead of a flapper dress though, you would find her in pants, holding a whiskey, arguing with men, and loving whomever she pleases.

That last trait was one aspect I was not expecting.

The murdered man— Sir Edward— was married to her lifelong best friend, Tamsyn (a female). Tamsyn and Ruby had apparently been lovers to some degree and Tamsyn had broken Ruby’s heart at some point during the war. We are not given a lot of details of this.

Throughout the book we see regularly that Ruby still has feelings for Tamsyn and is struggling between loving her and being mad at her.

“I’d expressly vowed to never set foot in the godforsaken county ever again.”

“‘You walk around looking as if she’s ripped out your heart and is carrying it around with her in her pocket, and you can’t decide whether to go fetch it back or leave it where it is. Anyone can see that.’”

As for sexual content, there is none, but we are privy to Ruby’s thoughts and feelings toward both Tamsyn and another character (Ruan) that tell us of her love.

While I like a courageous woman who is willing to push against certain societal norms, I’m not sure if I liked her character as a whole. I’m not into glorified debauchery and rebellion for rebellion’s sake.

“I’d been around the world, to war and back, and done things that would make the most wicked of men blush.”

I don’t know what she means here, but I know enough to know I’m not a fan of it.

Who knows what direction Armstrong could choose to take Ruby in any future books? For some that may be exciting, but for me, I don’t think I’ll continue to read it.



So we’ve got Ruby as our main character and from whose POV the book is told, but our other main character is the folk-healer— Ruan— also known as the Pellar.

“What is a Pellar, Mrs. Pemrose? The way you speak of him he sounds like a cross between a physician, a witch, and priest.”

Though it didn’t fully come to fruition (at least in this book) we have the makings of an enemies-to-lovers type of situation. They begin at odds because Ruby doesn’t believe in curses or magic. She’s trying to figure this guy out and see what his angle is.

“The man was harder to read than my own penmanship.”

But as the story progresses, Ruby witnesses things she can’t explain. Plus there is some sort of supernatural connection between her and Ruan that adds to the mystery and their special bond.

This is where some of the magic remains a mystery. I’m not sure if the author did this intentionally, but to me, it feels like a loose end that was forgotten.

Ruby says that magic can’t be real "Because if such a thing were real, it opened up a box of questions about my own past that I wasn’t ready to answer.”

We know that Ruby has dreams that become reality. We know that she used to sleepwalk as a child. We know that she was “born in the cowl” which is rare and may or may not have some sort of supernatural effect? We also know that her and Ruan share the same birthday.

These are elements that hint at this ‘box of questions’ about her past. But that’s as far as we get. It was kind of a let down not to know more about her dreams as they are a main feature in this book’s story.

Another odd thing that was confusing was some of the ‘terms of endearment’ Armstrong had her characters use. As we don’t find out about Ruby’s romantic love for Tamsyn right away— it seems like just a really deep friendship at first— it became weird when Ruby’s first interaction with Mrs. Pemrose in the bedroom hints at romantic love as well.

Mrs. Pemrose calls her ‘lover.’ Which I’ve only heard used in a romantic context. The interaction alluded to some sort of memory they shared when Ruby had visited for Tamysn’s wedding. Nothing is further said about it.

It is only until later when another person uses that term ‘lover’ to Ruby in a situation that did not hint at romance that we realize there was nothing further to divulge between Ruby and Mrs. Pemrose.

So I think it must just be a cultural term they used then, as they often call Ruby ‘maid’ as well. But it was weird and misleading, especially considering Armstrong had already introduced an LGBTQ relationship. How were readers supposed to navigate the potential relationships if someone was called ‘lover’ non-romantically?



I was a bit put off by Ruby’s distaste for the vicar. It’s probably because I automatically feel defensive when someone mocks or hates Christianity. I mean the vicar is an immoral guy who has no business leading a church and was probably preaching an unbiblical religion (we have no way of knowing and it’s not a tenet of the story) so I don’t fault her for being against the man. But by hearing all of her thoughts surrounding the church or God in general, I’m not convinced she would think fondly of any vicar.

It’s an easy trope to use an immoral and preying religious man as a villain in a story. I know why it’s done, but I don’t have to like it.



Part of what adds to the ‘gothic’ and moody feel of the book is the Cornish setting.

“The old Cornish folkways predate even the Romans. There are things that occur there no one can explain, no one dares question. After all, Tintagel is the birthplace of Arthur, they say. The seat of kings.”

Many stories of giants, pixies, mermaids, and beasts have their origins in Cornwall. While they talked of pixies (piskies) in the book, I think there could have been more ‘story-telling’ around these myths or curses. The Curse of Penryth Hall is not of the fantasy genre so I’m not sure how much incorporation could still be done in the time period chosen for the story, but I wish there had been more lore intertwined with the curse.

Along those same lines, I think there were ‘secrets’ of the house that were hinted at but not really elaborated on that I think would have also added to the spooky vibes. It was more of an afterthought when they could have been played up more.



Randos

I learned a few interesting things that prove Jess Armstrong did her research. At the beginning it is mentioned that Ruby has constructed an in-ground pool at their house and that she thought it would become popular soon. The first hotel swimming pool in America was at the Biltmore in the 1930s so the timing of this was probably right and also weird to think about!

Also, sunglasses were mentioned. And I realized I had never thought about when those were invented. Sunglasses started to become more popular in the 1920s, so again, timely insertion. Look at Wikipedia's page for sunglasses and you'll find some interesting sunglasses Inuits created to block the sun's exposure.

Lastly, ‘Old Nick’ is another term for the devil. I hadn’t heard that before. It’s odd to be so similar to Old St. Nick (Father Christmas). I did a little research and it appears there is no certain explanation for where Old Nick was derived from.


“‘She was murdered… here?’ I repeated, staring at the rug. ‘It was thirty years ago, maid. I doubt there’s a great house in this country without a death or twelve within its walls.’ she said.”

This quote stuck out to me because I just read B.A. Paris’s book The Therapist in which a woman finds out her boyfriend bought a house where someone was just murdered and didn’t tell her about it and she refused to live there. So it was interesting to see this take and realize older houses have seen a lot of things. So, does the age of the house matter when considering whether or not to live somewhere someone was murdered? I’ve been curious to ponder what factors would influence a person’s choice.



“I was struck by the tenuous line between life and death on a farm. Everything was more real. More vital here than back in the ballrooms and theaters of New York.”

This quote also struck me as I recently heard someone talking about the political climate of a rural area vs an urban area. He mentioned that the closer you get to agricultural industry areas, the more conservative the political views are. That political ideas, thoughts, or plans are less abstract. On a farm, you have to grow something. You have to produce more livestock. Therefore, gender matters in a more real way. You go into a city where you are removed from the vitality of a farm, abstract ideas ‘make more sense’ or have less ‘detrimental’ implications.

Obviously there is lots to debate here, but I think it’s really interesting to think about farmers’ perspectives on life and the world where the line between life and death is “tenuous.” Where abstract ideas are not usually helpful or practical. What do we lose when we live in the abstract, ‘free spirit’ of the urban arts and commerce? What would we lose if we never ventured into the abstract?

Politics do seem to work that way in general so it's interesting to think about factors that play into that. Just some thoughts.



Recommendation

To reiterate: This book had some interesting elements and gave me some spooky Nancy Drew vibes. I was mostly satisfied with the ending and appreciated the intertwining of supernatural with rational.

There were several unexpected or forgotten things and the somewhat unlikability of the main character that made this book not really for me.

It’s not badly written, so I know some will like it. There were just elements that didn’t work for me.

As I also mentioned, it seemed like the epilogue hinted at another book. If that were the case, I would not continue to read the series.


**Received an ARC via NetGalley*

[Content Advisory: 1 f-word, 1 s-word, main character is LGBTQ but no sexual content]

This debut has all the makings of a classic gothic mystery with a few cozy elements mixed in -- e.g., a cat and a grandfatherly octogenarian bookseller. The "detective" in this case is a young woman, an American heiress who has fallen into disgrace from polite society. Ruby Vaughan lives a gin-soaked flapper's lifestyle in the years following World War I, during which she drove an ambulance under fire from the battlefront to Amiens. She's young, but she's seen some stuff. So when her bookseller employer sends her on a delivery to a village in Cornwall, she goes. But not without trepidation since she has a history with one of the village's prominent residents -- the wife of an asshat baronet who lords over Penryth Hall, "a great foreboding neoclassical fortress set against the windswept countryside." Penryth and its surroundings are a classic setting for a murder. Ruby is fascinating, her character deepening as the plot thickens and she becomes further involved with the villagers, their relationships, their history, customs, and superstitions. I especially enjoyed the Pellar character and learning about the history of such cunning folk in Cornwall. But best of all, the ending sets up further gothic and mysterious ventures for Ruby in Scotland. Aye, I'm all in. 
[Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]