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This was a great gothic mystery. It is set in the 1920‘s so there is a bit of tech in the story.

After losing her family in the sinking of the 'Lusitania', American heiress Ruby Vaughn has made a life for herself in Exeter, England running a rare bookstore alongside Mr Owen, her octogenarian employer. When Mr Owen asks her to deliver a box of books to a Cornish village, Ruby finds herself back in the one place she swore she‘d never return to. (continued)

Finished my June #BookSpin book! I wasn‘t really sure what this book was going to be about. It‘s set after WWI. Ruby has lost a lot in her life and is working at a bookstore and living above it. She goes to the Cornish countryside to deliver books and visits an old friend who got married and lives at the manor house. While there the husband dies and the story unravels. Pretty good mystery and storytelling!

This gothic historical fiction novel was different from what I expected. Ruby Vaughan works for a book seller. She‘s asked to deliver a trunk of books to a man in Cornish. The man seems to be sort of a male witch (called a Pellar.) He makes salves and other concoctions which help people/animals recover when sick. The countryside is beautiful but a killer looms in the area. I enjoyed the book. 3.75/5

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.

#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/?

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!

My pre-ordered audiobook is now available! Looking forward to getting started on it tonight! 🍎

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 🔻

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.