Going into this book I thought it would be everything I enjoy in a mystery but unfortunately it failed to deliver. Set just before the outbreak of WW2, with split locations between London and our ominous house on the coast it has a classic cast of characters who are well introduced in the opening chapter. The charlatan of a medium with her young female companion, the young male believer, the old cynic and our mystery passenger are on board a coach to Devil’s Neck, while the police officers are busy with a locked room case in London.

The book sets up the mystery well but once we get into the second half of the book it all becomes overly complicated and convoluted. There is one big reveal, followed by another and I struggled to care about who was committing the crimes or why. It felt a little like it was trying to be too clever, and none of the characters felt fully fleshed out.

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC.