Murder Dance, The

Arabella's new gig as a publicist for a proposed restaurant in Norfolk leads Phineas, Arabella, and Top on yet another adventure as they track down the truth about the so called Murder Dance. Quentin Rivers didn't expect to inherit the house- his cousin Zillah did- and he's shaky on its history. This spans three time periods- the 1600s, the early 1900s, and the present- t0 tell the story of the Rivers family. Lots of secrets, dark secrets. No spoilers from me but readers of the series (note that this will be fine as a standalone) know that Phin will untangle things. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I like this series not only for the characters but also because I always learn a little something. A very good read.

Thank you Canongate, Severn House for the eARC.
This is my favorite Phineas Fox in the series, loved it!
Quentin Rivers has inherited an Elizabethan manor house, The Tabor. It's dilapidated, but he believes he can turn it into a posh restaurant, with donations from interested investors. Plus, he will share living quarters with his beloved niece Zilla. Zilla, who is furious ... she was supposed to inherit The Tabor! Outwardly sweet and dainty, her mind is working furiously as to how to become The Tabor's rightful owner.
Phineas and Arrabella travel to the manor, hoping to go back into time researching the family's background and a mysterious dance that was performed hundreds of years ago by them.
We follow the history via journals written by various people who lived in the manor or visited it. It turns out the manor and the Rivers family have a bloody and macabre past that stretches into the future.
Phineas is utterly absorbed with it all, as usual, while Arrabella works right along with him. I love Arrabella, especially when she has her klutzy moments, and I'm glad the two of them are closer than ever.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that I recommend highly!

307 pages

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Researcher Phineas “Phin” Fox, his girlfriend Arabella and her cousin Toby are back in this latest adventure from Sarah Rayne.

Quentin Rivers has inherited an isolated home called The Tabor in Norfolk. His sister, Zillah, was promised the home. She is decidedly unhappy. Quentin is a creepy man who wants Zillah all to himself.

When Quentin asks Phin and Arabella to look into the mysterious history of the house, and especially a dance called the Cwellan Daunsen they and Toby take to the road.

What follows is a twisted tale of murder, insanity, secrets and seduction.

This book is very well written in Ms. Rayne’s usual manner. It is creepy and horrible in spots. There is steady action with periods of high tension. I like her books for the adventure. Phin and his friends are always into something interesting. Usually, there is an element of eerie-ness about her stories. Borderline horror? I like that Phin and the slightly scatterbrained Arabella are progressing in their relationship. And poor Toby. He keeps falling in love with the wrong women. It is almost amusing.

I want to thank Canongate Books/Severn House and NetGalley for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Good for people who like: dark family histories, gothic rural mysteries with elements of horror, academic detective stories.

The latest in the Phineus Fox series sees the academic researcher uncover the dark past of an ancestral home in rural Norfolk, and the deadly dance performed throughout its history.

Quentin Rivers is thrilled to hear that he has inherited his family’s Elizabethan manor house, even though he had no idea that it existed. His cousin Zillah is less happy - she is aware of the Tabor’s bloody past and had expected to inherit it. Quentin hires Phin’s girlfriend Arabella as publicist for his planned restaurant in the old house, and this draws Phin, Arabella and her cousin Toby into the mystery. The more they learn about the Tabor and the 600 year old dance called the Cwellan Daunsen, the darker and more dangerous this research job becomes. Every time the dance has been performed, the children of the village were sent home and told under no circumstances to look out of the windows. As the Rivers family secrets unravel, will history repeat itself?

The Murder Dance is a weaving and creepy mystery with many historic secrets to discover. Though the Cwellan Daunsen hasn’t been performed for centuries, its dark legend hangs over the house and Rivers family, and its evil seeps through the pages of this story. The ominous legend and tainted family history adds threat and tension right until the end of the book. The mystery is uncovered slowly, and keeps the reader guessing at the truth right the way through. The sinister undertones, and secrets kept by characters and historic records, work with the atmospheric setting and strange history of the family.

A dark and gothic historical mystery, which will be entertaining for readers who’ve enjoyed previous Phineus Fox books, or those who are new to the series. This is not a classic whodunnit - there are touches of horror and much of the story is based on historic records as they are discovered by Phineus. This book will most suit readers looking for a gothic historical mystery which is more character driven than plot driven.

This book was reviewed by Cathy.

With thanks to Canongate Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Shelves: General Fiction (Adult); Mystery & Thrillers; January 2022

Phin Fox is back, along with his very close friend, Arabella, and her brother Toby, in a music-themed story that takes us north of London in search of potential leads for early music from Shakespearean times. The basic plot involves Quentin Rivers, his cousin Zillah, and their ancestral home The Tabor. Quentin has just learned that he has inherited the house, located outside the small village of Reivers, and plans an excursion to the site with Zillah who had been led to believe since childhood that the house would be hers. Phin, a music historian, becomes involved in this when Arabella and Toby meet Quentin and Zillah while on their own road trip.

Quentin’s complex plans of restoration lead to discovery of some details from the past and Sarah Rayne does a masterful job of revealing the past in providing alternate threads set in the early 17th century and various points during the first half of the 20th century. These are presented through diaries of people who provide details of life at The Tabor and details of the Murder Dance. The real inspiration for some of this tale is Will Kempe, a clown actor believed to be the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Falstaff.

I found that the historical and contemporary stories worked well together with my only caveat being that Quentin and Zillah might have benefited from a bit of fleshing out. But then, they were Rivers, weren’t they!

I do recommend this book and series. All stories are mysteries modern and historical wrapped around musical themes. Rating 4.5* rounded to 5*

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Severn House, through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

When Quentin Rivers unexpectedly inherits a run down Elizabethan manor house he has many dreams and ideas what he can achieve...all involving his cousin Zillah. His regard for her is a little more than familial! Unknown to him Zillah knew all about the house, but had fully expected to inherit herself and sever ties with him.

As part of the plans Quentin recruits Phin Fox and his close friend Arabella to look into the history of the house and family. What they discover is the Cwellan Daunsen, a dance allegedly not performed for centuries. It seems whenever the dance is performed tragedy strikes and that when it comes to the Rivers family history has a habit of repeating.

Another great story from the criminally underrated Sarah Rayne. I've recommended her books to many people, and this one will not be breaking that trend. What I love about her books is that not only are they great stories they are also so evocative, you really can sink yourself into the past but also be invested in Phins investigation. Raynes prose is both elegant and direct-this author unlike other historical writers doesn't need 1200 pages to tell a story (Diana Gabaldon I'm talking to you!) As mentioned before I'd definitely recommend this.

The Murder Dance is the 6th Phineas Fox mystery by Sarah Rayne. Released 4th Jan 2022 by Severn House, it's 256 pages (in print edition), and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is such a creepy and atmospheric history/mystery with overtones of Gothic horror and a slight Shirley Jackson vibe. Although it's the 6th book in the series, it works well enough as a standalone, with the codicil that the ongoing characters' development in this installment will spoil some earlier interactions in some ways.

Told through parallel timelines, it's a convoluted and oddly constructed story with taints of madness, creepy settings, a malevolent half ruined manor house, and elements of horror. Fans of the author's oeuvre will find much to appeal here.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.