While I think that MRC Kasasian has written better book than this, The Horror of Haglin House was a decent read. I read it over a couple of days and found it quite entertaining and a good distraction.

This was some horror alright…

Violet writes thrillers and because of that is by some considered an expert in solving mysteries. A stranger shows up at her door; she is convinced that her friend is being held hostage and asks Violet to investigate. At the same time people start getting killed in strange circumstances.

This book was exhausting and way too long. It was so cluttered with irrelevant details that it was almost impossible to follow the actual story. It badly needs an editor. Or Marie Kondo. Or both.

It is told from the pov of Violet with a running commentary of a bunch of characters from her books whose voices she hears in her head. Which is not a bad idea per se, but there’s no moderation whatsoever here; these characters have nothing to do with the storyline but they just won’t shut up! It’s overwhelming and confusing.

The second star is for the humor because some of the comments are witty and astute. It is however not enough to recommend this book.

Thank you Canelo and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank goodness this is over!
This was the longest, most convoluted, slightly gross, entirely ridiculous book I’ve read in a very long time. It had more endings than Lord of the Rings and more side characters.
Though parts of this book were amusing -the author definitely has wit- this needed serious editing and to be cut down by *at least* 200 pages. I honestly think this book was written for the author’s own amusement and the reader experience wasn’t ever taken into account.
The first part of the book was incredibly difficult to follow. The main character, Violet, is an author and her characters live in her head and give comment on EVERY.SINGLE.THING. After you figure out that she’s not, in fact crazy, you kind of start to make sense of the author’s writing style. But the inner voices start to multiply and we have characters break in to her thoughts that we’ve never met or seen before, and sometimes inanimate objects speak to her as well. This is INCREDIBLY overdone and VERY distracting. It’s like a literary fly is buzzing around in the narrative and you just want to swat it away to focus on the plot.
Now the plot itself was all over the place, there are murders and deaths happening left and right. The murders are then solved once, and then solved yet again and then there are still chapters left to get through. Ultimately I was bored and annoyed most of the book. The murderer is pretty obvious and the red herrings equally so. In fact, it is so obvious I found myself (with my lovely reading buddy Dab) talking myself out of what was obvious, because it was so entirely obvious.
Anyway I could go on and on but I’m going to end this before it starts to read like the book. Do not recommend. The cover is very well done, the rest needs significant work.

The Horror of Haglin House had a good premise but failed to execute an exciting story. I love a gothic horror novel but this felt too cozy mystery.

Thanks so much!

A Victorian horror/crime novel with an eccentric female lead. This had cosy mystery vibes with an easy to read plot, but I wasn't blown away by this. I think a lot of people will really enjoy tis but I don't know if I will continue the with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Camelot for the opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available June 4,2023.

These are my personal thoughts.

It’s a Victorian crime novel with a female main character. A thriller writer main character. Murders are happening around where she lives and she goes sleuth to figure out where and why these murders are happening.

It was an okay read. Just not my cup of tea. The main character is very earnest and gets in her own way. The setting of the story was interesting. Pacing lagged in parts but overall it was a read once and won’t read again.

3.25/5 stars! The cover of this book was stunning and it really set the stage for this story. This is a crime horror story and I found it to be predictable but enjoyable. The pacing seemed slow at times, but I did truly enjoy the conclusion.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Thank you netgalley for the ARC of The Horror of Haglin House. I was really looking forward to this book because I love mysteries and especially Victorian mysteries. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the story. At the halfway point, I was still not invested in the book. The writing was good, but I didn't feel a connection to the characters. It took a long time to set up the story. I really liked the premise, so I would be willing to give other books by the author a chance.

A great new mystery read! I highly enjoyed Lady Violet and I hope to see more of her. I would highly recommend this as a traditional mystery. This is a great one to read while there is a thunderstorm outside.

While it took awhile for me to fully come up to speed, once I did,we were off and running. I love British mysteries and this fit the bill.

While a new to me author, I found it enjoyable and interesting. Definitely not a horror story, per se. Eccentric characters? Check! English town? Check! Solid whodunit? Check! I’ll be looking for more from this author.

DNF 20%

Between the title, cover, and description, I came into this book expecting a thriller concerning a sharp authoress getting in over her head in a real-world mystery. Instead, I was given a garbled take on a classic mystery that clearly thought itself far cuter than I did.

The heroine, Violet, is an eccentric, not-like-other-girls lady of means who is sure to remind the readers every few minutes that she is under five feet tall. She is surrounded by an unwieldy cast of ridiculous caricatures each more unlikable than the last. Though the book is set in fin-de-siècle England, it reads more like a parody of Dickensian-era fiction. All of the lower-class and servant characters are not only uneducated but apparently congenitally stupid, which just struck me as distasteful, and all of the upper classes (excepting our heroine, of course) are dull and frivolous.

The prose is grating; it feels like it is trying in every other sentence to charm the reader with how quirky and colorful the world is, but results in over-cluttered descriptions and the narrative taking three times as long as it should to get to the point.

I wanted to give up on the book at the 10% mark, but persevered, since the plot hadn’t gone anywhere yet and I wanted to give the actual story a fair shake. Alas, no; by the 20% mark the plot had started up, but it failed to hook me or make me want to spend any more time in this world. I threw in the towel a little over the 20% mark and have no desire to pick the book back up again.

I think this book would work for someone who likes cozy mysteries but wants them to feel grimier, or someone who doesn’t mind meandering text if the content is funny or charming. People who love extremely sarcastic, irreverent heroines may actually quite like this title. Unfortunately, I was more annoyed than charmed.

A very entertaining mystery with pleasant vibes. This was perfect to curl up with this rainy weekend. I can’t wait to continue the series.

I thought the premise sounded promising but for me the execution wasn't the best, it felt muddled in parts and I was confused for most of it, I did like the dark gothic elements.

Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for the chance to read this! I enjoyed the overall premise of this book. It’s a clever concept to have a writer and her characters interacting. The plot was good. Where I struggled was the constant back and forth and asides especially early on. It almost took away from the action and the plot. It was like reading an episode of the Gilmore Girls. Overall it’s a lovely entry into the genre but I would have loved a little less internal monologue to help really become immersed in the story.

I like a book that keeps me on my toes and I don’t mind if I don’t fully understand what’s going on until the end, and this book definitely fits the bill!
I also decided that Victorian crime thriller sounded right up my street!
Throughout the book we follow as the puzzle unfolds after a murder takes place outside of Lady Thorn’s house, then another, and another!
I honestly did not expect that ending but I loved every part of it!

ARC from Netgalley

It is the kind of book that you cannot fully grasp. It takes a while to understand characters and their motives. Their connection with each other. And then only you are able to grasp it all and process it. It has a mysterious and suspenseful vibe. Lady Violet Thorn is a Thriller writer. Then we were introduced to Ruby Gibson and Gerrund. It felt like brain storming the ideas or different pieces of puzzles and joining them together. I enjoyed the conversations in this book. The conversation between Martha and Ruby Gibson. Ruby and Gerrund. And then a murder takes place outside Lady Thorn’s house and then another murdered in town and deaths mount up. All the clue leads to the Haglin house and whoever lives there. It was engrossing, dark, and the intricate mystery keeps at edge. The ending was scary, impactful, and unpredictable. It is an enthralling Victorian crime thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley, Author and Publisher.

This was a good mix of cozy, humorous, but also dark when it needed to be. The mystery was super fun and the characters were entertaining. I will say it took me awhile to get into it because the beginning was a bit of a snooze fest.

"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...

M.R.C. Kasasian returns with a fresh, witty and totally enthralling take on the classic crime genre, perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz, M. C. Beaton and Oscar De Muriel."

I love me the classic crime genre!

Home is where the horror is... 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...
This historical mystery took a while to get going but once it did I enjoyed the story and mystery even though I knew where it was going. I liked the characters and there was a bit of humour throughout so more cosy than dark.
It took me a while to get into the writing style but I liked it and the story flowed well.
This was a like for me but not a love and I’m not sure the story will stay with me
I wish it had been more dark and creepy but that’s a personal preference
Overall an enjoyable read

I hadn't realised when I picked this up, that this was not a new author to me, I've listened to quite a few of his books, but this is the first I've read.
It took me a while to get into the writing style, with the extra characters and all.
Once I did settle in, it was all good.
Amusing as ever, and inventive, and a interesting main character.
An enjoyable read, and I'm sure I'll be reading more .