Jilted thriller writer Lady Violet Thorn has withdrawn to the Suffolk market town of Montford with two servants and her leading character, the adventuress Ruby Gibson, for company.
Violet’s peace is disturbed when a stranger asks her for help, claiming that a friend is being kept prisoner in her own home. Her visitor seems so afraid that Violet, despite her scepticism, is persuaded to investigate.
A woman is killed outside Violet’s house, then another murdered in the town and, as the deaths mount up, she becomes convinced that they all lead to one place: the increasingly forbidding Haglin House, and whoever lives there…

Wow… this book could have been epic as the characters were FANTASTIC and the storyline gave off feminist Sherlock Holmes vibes which is LOVED… but… and it’s a big one… the CONSTANT diatribe from the protagonist’s fictional characters in her head throughout the novel just completely ruined it for me. There was TOO much of it, literal word vomit of no consequence that added absolutely nothing to the storyline. Cut this all back and edit accordingly and you would have a wonderful start to what could be an epic series.

Often times I had no clue what I was reading because of the Old English or kind of peasant-like language. But overall this was an original story, which makes you shiver time and time again throughout the story because of the unbelievable horror.

I gave the book three stars because the language made it hard to read as a non-native speaker of the English language. I also thought the dialogues in her head were sometimes making it a bit confusing. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The book is about thriller writer Violet Thorn. She lives in Suffolk with her two servants and her leading character Ruby Gibson. Violet is living a quiet life until that quietness is being disturbed by a stranger asking for her help. The stranger claims her friend is being held captive in her own home by her newlywed husband, a well known doctor in the town Violet lives in. Violet is hesitant but will investigate the case. Then all of a sudden a woman is killed right in front of Violet’s house and things start to take a turn for the worse. Murders continue to happen and it’s up to Violet to solve this mystery, while hoping there won’t be too many gruesome happenings along the way.

I've loved other books by MRC Kasasian but this wasn't it for me. I just felt like all the characters were so unlikable and i didn't really care about them. The writing was a bit of a slog too and this didn't help with the character problem. I wish i loved it as it reminded me of previous works in places but it just didn't mirror what i expected from it. I would read more by MRC Kasasian but probably not in this series.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

The book opens with Lady Violet Thorn jilted on the day she was to be married. A year later, we find her living on her own with two opiniated servants, and now a successful novelist of popular stories. Violet is also somewhat unconventional in her beliefs and actions.

What makes Violet a little different is that she carries on conversations with two of her most prominent story characters, Ruby Gibson, an adventurer who gets into danger and foils plots with aplomb, and police Inspector Hefty. Their voices are constantly interjecting, cajoling, insulting, and commenting on every interaction or situation Violet finds herself in.

This is initially amusing and interesting, as it illuminates Violet’s psyche, but grows increasingly tiresome as the novel progresses.

Irritant aside, the mystery in this beginning to a new series is fairly simple.

The mystery here entails a missing woman, Dolores, married to a doctor Poynder who practices both amongst the town’s better off patients, as well amongst its poor. He was also peripherally involved as a witness with a series of unexplained murders in town.

Violet investigates Dolores’ disappearance at the behest of Martha, Dolores’ best friend, and we see not only Violet blundering around, but Kasasian also shows us a lot of the background action on the streets Violet passes through; some of this is even important to the resolution to the case, which Violet cleverly deduces (though I didn’t feel the author showed me adequately how she got there). VIolet then mistakenly confronts the murderer by herself. For someone pretty smart, Violet makes a series of not particularly intelligent decisions on her way to the resolution.

I liked what I read of the Gower Street series. (Violet actually resides in the same England and time as Kasasian’s Gower series, of which I’ve read book one.) I think that if Kasasian reduces the frequency of Ruby's interjections, I could be convinced to continue this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Canelo for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
I a. Utterly confused by this book. It is so scrambler and rushed and you just don't understand what is happening when you read the novel. To me it feels like a rough draft instead of a finished book. Just couldn't get into it.

I was so confused reading this book that it was tough for me to judge that story properly. As for me, it was too chaotic and not clear in the content, as well as in the heroine's behaviour. Also, I felt utterly overwhelmed by the main character's personality, Violet Thorn, and the number of characters who appeared at the speed of rifle wheels. I wouldn't say I liked it. I prefer books that are more thoughtful and less jittery.

A book of that holds your attention but not in the way you expect. The horror of haglin house had its fun times with its characters but ultimately fell short of what we expect in a good horror book. This is due to the fact you know what is about to occur before it happens. Still enjoyed it though for what it was.

Fun, original book! I really enjoyed getting to know Lady Violet, the spirited protagonist, and her memorable servants, as well as the excellent writing, lively plot, and memorable turns of phrase throughout. I didn't care for all the accented/dialected speech (some parts were REALLY hard to understand) - it did give me a feel for the setting but I had to read portions out of it out loud to make any sense of what people were trying to say, and that was too much work for me ;) I love the idea of an author's characters living in her brain and talking to her/amongst themselves. It was fun at first, but there was a LOT of it and it eventually got to be too much. The plot was a little convoluted and farfetched, which I don't necessarily mind and the mystery was guessable (though you should have heard me gasping out loud at some misdirects throughout the book, ha). The author has such a clever facility for words and depiction of scenes (slogging through the swamp! being driven by Friendless and his half-dead horse!) and it was a fun and bumpy ride. 3.5 stars.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all of the authors previous books. This title is the first in a new series and, although entertaining, does not hold up to The Mangle Street Murders. I felt that it got a bit lost at times and the reader has to persevere to find the true picture of the story and the mystery. Nevertheless, it was still enjoyable and I will certainly give book two a try.

An enjoyable cosy mystery, but at times the narrator being an author was confusing due to her inner monologue and multiple characters onions.

Lady Violet Thorn investigates the murders of a series of women in a small town but I couldn't get invested in the plot I'm sorry to say.

Crime novelist Violet Thorn has been left at the altar in summer of 1894. Now, a year later, she has retreated to Suffolk to work on her books, accompanied by two servants, Agnust and Gerrund, and an array of the characters in her head to keep her company. Then, a woman shows up at her doorstep asking for her help - as an investigator, like her leading characters. Martha Ryan's best friend has suddenly stopped all contact. Hesitantly, Violet agrees to help. Soon she discovers that there's more to this case than she (or her characters) thought.
This was such a fun read! I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the novel and Violet's narration. I found a lot of it very funny, especially her conversations with her characters and their snarky remarks. I've read in a few other reviews that people didn't realise that some of the people she spoke to were the novel characters in her head until quite a bit into the book - I had no such trouble and found it quite easy to recognise. Even though this book was very funny, it didn't lack in suspense. I found myself guessing along trying to figure out the solution to the mystery. Very excited for the next installment!

Even if it's not my favorite M.R.C. Kasasian's novel I enjoyed it and liked the heroine. It's the first in a new series and I had fun and enjoyed the story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

M.R.C. Kasasian continues with the Victorian crime thriller series.

Lady Violet Thorn, the main character, has been jilted and run away to a small town where she mainly keep s to herself after being hurt. But when a stranger approaches her pleading for help, she is utterly confused, as the stranger explains that her friend's behavior towards her has changed and she fears that she is being held against her will. Unsure of herself and this stranger, Violet agrees to help, albeit reluctantly. All the while, there is the morbid news that someone is killing women.

Violet, who aspires to become an author, plays out scenarios in her head as to what is happening in real life. She is determined and headstrong, very likable, and extremely adept at relieving herself from danger with her gift of gab. As the story continues, this does lead to more confusion on her part; is she helping someone, does she know truly what is going on around her? It is a continual loop of misdirection with Violet Thorn and the police, and with proof of the murderer.

I would like to thank Netgalley and M.R.C. Kasain for the opportunity to read and provide an honest and unbiased review.

Why Ruby?

From the description of the book and the cover I knew I had to read this book. A thriller writer, Lady Violet Thorn, jilted by her fiancé on her wedding day seeks refuge in the market town of Montford taking with her two servants and her fictional main character, Ruby Gibson, for companionship. During her period of withdrawal she is immersed in an intrigue that is far more thrilling than any story she writes. A stranger claims a friend is being held prisoner in her home, a woman is killed outside Lady Violet’s home, and another is murdered in the town. All the murders seem to have one thing in common, the sinister happenings in Haglin House. While I loved all that I was promised with this book and its premise I found it difficult to read because I had to constantly ferret out what conversations or comments were originating from the fictional character, Ruby, that resides in Lady Violet’s head, and which were of actual “living” characters within story. Ruby seemed to be a constant undercurrent of comments that added more noise than was necessary and no doubt more pages to the story than were necessary. I wish the author had included a prologue that explained Lady Violet’s writing and her character Ruby to lessen my confusion. Initially, I thought Ruby was a ghost and then I grew concerned with the amount Ruby appeared to speak to Lady Violet that she might be another personality. Then, I remembered the book’s description and I quickly reconciled that Ruby was a character born from Lady Violet’s writing. Unfortunately, Ruby did nothing to add value for me. In fact, I feel that removing her would change the entire story and elevate it because as a reader I became so annoyed with the Ruby comments and observations that I could not relax and enjoy the tremendous mystery or exceptional quality of the author’s writing. Throughout I kept asking myself why Ruby, what value does she add? My thanks to #Canelo and #NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lady Violet has retired to a quiet town with two servants and her adventuress Ruby,
to get over and to understand why her partner jilted her. There she is approached
by a lady who needs her services to find out why her friend who was deeply attached to her
is no longer receiving her calls. She feels she is a prisoner in her home.

The problem is acute because the suspect here has an impeccable reputation and is popular
the local doctor. when one death after another follows with no connection at all, both
the police and lady Violet are confused but Violet is decided that it is in some
strange way connected to Haglin House and the doctor.

Unravelling the story was complicated particularly because the comments - some not at
all helpful or relevant comefrom voices speaking to Violet. A tad confusing that.
Nevertheless an interesting take on detective stories.

Violet is or wants to be a rider and she has these scenarios that play out in her head while real life is happening. Her neighbor comes to ask her assistance because her friend is being held against her will and she thinks Violet is the perfect person for the job. I really couldn’t wait to read this book and so was very sad that one it was confusing in that too the execution was way off. They however do have some very likable characters in the parts of the book I did understand were very interesting but I feel like as a concept this could’ve been a great horror story but maybe the execution was off? I found myself getting confused and I don’t know if that was just me or the writing style although I did love the characters especially her driver friendless but I think the book would be served better with more distinction between her thoughts and what is really happening having said all that I did get through all the confusion and finish the book and I’m sure some more love this book and I did like it sitting writing it differently would make it so much better. I received this book from NetGalley and boldWoodBooks but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I'll start my review my saying that I love all of the authors previous books, the Gower street detective series and the Betty Church books so I was surprised to see all the negative reviews.
I was disappointed by this book and I only persevered as I know he's a great author and can tell brilliant, funny stories. My main gripe was the internal monologue with the main character and her main character (she's a novelist). At first it was so confusing I couldn't understand what was actually happening. Once its clear, the book is much easier to follow but its so unnecessary and adds nothing to the story. I doubt I'll continue to read the series, my only hope is he will continue with his other two series.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

It took me a while to get into this book as the first part was difficult to understand. I think the book could’ve been shorter as I felt it had dragged on for a while. I think the concept was promising but it was a bit muddled and possibly needs to be cleared up a bit. I enjoyed the humour throughout, hence the four stars. I also enjoyed the ending.

This novel had such an interesting premise and some great potential but the overall execution didn't work for me. Portions of the story were very interesting and engaging but quirky became overwhelmed with the main character's inner monolog and multiple mysteries going in different directions.