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The Curse of Penryth Hall
The Curse of Penryth Hall | Jess Armstrong
6 posts | 7 read | 6 to read
An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.
After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.
A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.
To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.
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review
currentlyreadinginCO
currentlyreadinginCO
The Curse of Penryth Hall | Jess Armstrong
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Mehso-so

I wanted more from this gothic murder mystery! There are several very dark scenes here, but I never felt particularly connected to the narrative and thought the story was shallow. This will be a DNF series for me.

Cheryl_Russell_BookNotes I wasn‘t a fan, either. 2mo
56 likes1 comment
review
julesG
julesG
The Curse of Penryth Hall | Jess Armstrong
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Panpan

#audiobook #ARC #NetGalley #MoreMehThanYeah

Underwhelming.

It's 1920. Fallen New York heiress Ruby now lives in Exeter, UK. Her bookshop partner asks her to deliver a trunk full of books to the pellar of a smallish Cornwall community. Coincidentally the town is near Penryth Hall where the former love of her life now lives with husband and child. Ruby stays with the couple and the husband is murdered in the night - by The Curse, of course.

1/?

julesG I wanted to see more descriptions of the titular hall and more gothic atmosphere. There are inconsistencies and this is something that can be dealt with during the editing process. The backstory of Ruby and Tamsyn might have worked better up front than dragged out over the course of the novel. The heroine behaves like a third wave feminist in a first wave feminism world, nearly gets killed several times and should turn her back 2/? 4mo
julesG but she's coming back for more when called in an emergency without any close connection to the community other than Tamsyn. No one in this novel seems to have any form of reasonable motivation for what they are doing. The first person POV didn't help either.

Though I have to say, I enjoyed the banter between Ruby and her elderly Scottish housemate/boss at the beginning and end of the novel. That was good. 3/3 4mo
julesG #RushAThonChristmasBingo - New Author 4mo
See All 6 Comments
julesG #RushAThon #readathon @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES 4mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 4mo
Cheryl_Russell_BookNotes Same feelings here. 4mo
50 likes6 comments
review
TorieStorieS
TorieStorieS
The Curse of Penryth Hall | Jess Armstrong
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Pickpick

Well here‘s the reason I am behind my reading for the season!! Introducing Owen— our new puppy! And introducing this fun debut historical mystery with a dash of the otherworldly to it! Without the distraction of the cutest member of our family, I would have read this a lot quicker! Ruby Vaughn makes for a plucky 1920s heroine and the mystery that reunites her with an old friend has some intriguing twists! I‘m already looking forward to the sequel!

IndoorDame Such a cutie! 🥰 5mo
currentlyreadinginCO I have this arc in my stack and I'm looking forward to it, I'm glad you liked it! And cute pup! 💗 5mo
CBee He‘s lovely ❤️ 5mo
See All 19 Comments
TorieStorieS @IndoorDame Thanks!! He‘s a cuddly puppy!! 5mo
TorieStorieS @currentlyreadinginCO I hope you like it too! And thanks!! It‘s been 15 years since we have had a puppy so it‘s been fun— though not conducive to getting anything done!! 🤣 5mo
TorieStorieS @CBee Thank you!! 🥰 5mo
LiseWorks What kind of dog is he?. I think he will bring you joy. The first couple of months they are a lot of work. Crate training will save your life. Puppies need a lot of rest. 5mo
TheBookgeekFrau Congrats!!! Owen is adorable 😍🤩 5mo
TorieStorieS @LiseWorks We aren‘t really sure what he is— the shelter said he was an Aussiedoodle, but he looks more like an Irish wolfhound/poodle mix to us because and he‘s so big for only 10 weeks old! But his embark swab is already at the lab!We are doing crate training but only in the last two days has been able to sleep through the night! 5mo
TorieStorieS @TheBookgeekFrau Thank you!!! We just love him! 🥰 5mo
dabbe Hello there, adorable Owen! 🖤🐾🖤 5mo
TorieStorieS @dabbe Owen says licks and tail wags for all! 🥰❤️🥰 5mo
AmyG He is adorable! ❤️ 5mo
TorieStorieS @AmyG Thank you!!! 🥰 5mo
LiseWorks I would have to see more of him to tell as I have an aussie. Golden doodles can be big depending on the Standard poodle. Let me know what the lab says. 5mo
TorieStorieS @LiseWorks I will definitely share more photos! And keep you updated on the test results! His coat has speckles and patterning that seems like it could be Australian Shepherd-ish maybe? I think he is just the shelter‘s best guess so we have been having fun making guesses of our own while we wait! 5mo
Bookzombie He looks like such a sweetie! 5mo
julesG 😍😍😍 5mo
TorieStorieS @Bookzombie @julesG He is!!❤️❤️❤️ 5mo
58 likes19 comments
blurb
Kimzey
Kimzey
The Curse of Penryth Hall | Jess Armstrong
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My pre-ordered audiobook is now available! Looking forward to getting started on it tonight! 🍎

35 likes1 stack add
review
robinb
robinb
The Curse of Penryth Hall | Jess Armstrong
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Pickpick

Fans of Deanna Raybourn‘s Veronica Speedwell series should enjoy this Historical Mystery debut which I‘m hoping leads to further adventures. Following the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn finds herself exiled by her parents (for bad behavior) to Exeter, where she “works” for her octogenarian house mate in the running of an antiquity bookstore. When she is asked to deliver some books to a folk healer, Ruan Kivell, living in the Cornish 🔻

robinb she stops in to see her former friend, Tamsyn, who married a not-well-liked local baronet. When said baronet is gruesomely murdered, Ruby, along with Ruan (known locally as the Pellar) must determine if the murder is connected to a centuries-old curse following that family or if it‘s for a more secular reason.
Great debut! Loved this one. From the supernatural tension, the atmosphere of the place and time of the story, and the eerie and 🔻 (edited) 6mo
robinb dark feel of the never knowing what comes next…very well done. But it‘s truly Ruby, as an unapologetically headstrong, relentless and capable heroine who shines. She‘s such a wonderfully drawn character that I must say I will sorely miss her if this doesn‘t turn out to be a series. She‘s a flawed character with demons of her own to wrestle with, but she is loyal and cares deeply for those she loves.

Highly recommended. 5/5⭐️ #coverlove 6mo
Kimzey Looking forward to this one! Thinking about pre-ordering... 6mo
robinb @Kimzey Hope you‘ll enjoy! It‘s getting a bit of buzz so I‘m glad I jumped in. As I said, I‘m really hoping for a series. 😊🤞🏼 6mo
Kimzey I just pre-ordered. Can't wait until December! And I'm always up for a new series... 6mo
51 likes3 stack adds5 comments
review
Sara_Planz
Sara_Planz
The Curse of Penryth Hall | Jess Armstrong
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Pickpick

This is a wonderful gothic novel filled with mystery, lore and legend, and a touch of the paranormal. Ruby is a strong lead character, dedicated to helping her friend no matter what. I love how the author kept me guessing the entire time, leading me to think the killer could have been anyone. This is a good back to curl up with on a rainy and foggy day and get lost in the atmosphere of it all. On shelves 12/05/2023.

32 likes2 stack adds