Secret societies, witches, and murder at every turn - a true horrific delight.

“Crimson Cobblestones is not just a book-it's an experience, a chilling dance with darkness that will leave you breathless until its shocking finale.”

It delivered the above, and even more. The detail of the depravity the killer enacted was at times uncomfortable. Many authors leave this to the imagination, but every sick detail and thought was documented in this book.

Unexpected plots throughout - this is one not to be missed. However, be warned - it is graphic.

This is the story of a young woman named Charlotte living in 18th century colonial America. Her previously peaceful life is shattered by a series of brutal murders that appear to be ritual sacrifices. A serial killer is on the loose, and the threat of more murders intensifies the protagonist's existing traumas and tragic memories of the past.
I like historical fiction with speculative elements, so this book seemed like a perfect choice for me. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped. What I really liked was that it was set in colonial Pennsylvania, although I wish the specifics of the time and place in this book were more elaborated. I also liked the language, which was very rich and even poetic. However, when it comes to the plot, I think this book was just... too much? The mystery, the traumatic past, a secret cult, witchcraft, a romance with a historical figure from American history - to name the main tropes. The premise was great, but unfortunately I felt that none of these elements were really well developed. The murder mystery started well enough, but it's solution was too pretextual and the shock element seemed really forced. Also, I knew who the villain was from the start, and I'm not much of a mystery/crime reader. The characters also seemed rather flat, so I didn't really care whether they lived or died. But what really bothered me was that the characters were not really involved in trying to solve these murders - things were just happening to them. The female protagonist in particular seemed very passive throughout the book.
Anyway, I think the novel would benefit from being longer so that the crucial elements of the story as well as the characters could be better developed.

Fans of Horror and Pride and Prejudice unit. This novel had good pacing leading to suspense. The deadly cults and mysterious characters were intriguing to me. I liked the main characters and the story overall. I would recommend this novel to others. It also reminded me of Dread Nation.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Do you like horror, history, head scratching murderous cults? If so Crimson Cobblestones is for you. The twists and turns were like a Riley Sager novel on steroids and I devoured the book in one sitting. The pacing and writing was gripping and you didn't want to look away. Each character contributed something and developed beautifully and one even shocked me.

If you love Pride Prejudice and Zombies but wanted more horror aspects please pick this Ben Franklin who'dun it cult novel up. I promise you wont be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Ben Franklin, death cults, political intrigue, rich language, and some VERY inventive kill scenes make this a fantastic read! Go get you a copy!